The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), in partnership with  Startup India and Stride Ventures, announced the startup Buoyancy Plastics for Change Recycling Private Limited as the winner of the Bharat Startup Grand Challenge 2025, an initiative aimed at recognizing and empowering high-impact, homegrown startups.

The winner was chosen from over 120 startup applications received during the 30 days of running the challenge. Applications were received from 22 states of the country, from startups working in the sustainability, fintech and e-mobility sector.

The winner of this Challenge, Plastics for Change, was founded in 2015, and focuses on building a Fair Trade verified recycled plastics supply chain. The company is currently focused on ethical sourcing and aggregation of plastic waste to provide high-quality rPET, rHDPE and rPP materials to recycling units. Working directly with informal waste and plastics collectors and integrating them into the formal economy, the startup currently has a collection capacity of more than 20,000-ton and is now aiming to further deepen its presence in the Indian plastics recycling sector.

Stride Ventures is the largest venture debt fund in India, having committed over $1 Billion to over 170 new-age startups in the last five years. Stride has now expanded its footprint to Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh and London. Earlier this year, Stride Ventures signed an MOU with DPIIT to provide funding, network, market access as well as mentorship support to budding startups across the country, as well as help Indian startups scale globally.

This was the first time Stride Ventures hosted a Bharat Startup Grand Challenge. For the winner’s, Stride Ventures announced investing up to ₹10 Crore, subject to due diligence, along with further ecosystem support, mentorship and access to Stride’s network to help further scale up the startup’s endeavours in sustainability and circularity in India.

Startup funding commitment pledged, subject to due diligence, with mentorship and network support to scale recycling operations nationally. DPIIT, with Startup India and Stride Ventures, selected Buoyancy Plastics for Change as the Bharat Startup Grand Challenge 2025 winner and announced Stride's commitment to provide venture-debt funding subject to due diligence, plus mentorship, market access and network support under an existing memorandum of understanding to scale the startup's recycled plastics supply-chain initiatives.