India – 2025 – In a small research room at Bihar Bal Bhawan Kilkari, three teenagers once huddled over crude prototypes and sketches. Today, those same innovators are running a cleantech startup that’s reshaping how rural India tackles arsenic contamination, buoyed by substantial support from Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow (SFT) program.

Navmarg Research & Innovation Pvt. Ltd. is the brainchild of Arpit Kumar, Abhijeet Kumar, and Shambhavi Sinha. The trio of engineering students from Bihar and Patna has transformed a high school science project into a patented technology that delivers clean, arsenic-free water to underserved communities. Their desire to develop scientific solutions to real-life problems is what gave rise to the startup’s name, “Navmarg” (नवमार्ग), which is a Hindi word meaning “new path.”

Arpit, the Founder and CEO, drives water chemistry and innovation strategy. Abhijeet, the Co-founder and CTO, handles the hardware backbone from piping systems to embedded designs. And Shambhavi, Co-founder and Lead of Tech and Analytics, integrates real-time monitoring and sensor-based insights to make the system smart and scalable.

Innovation Motivated by the Desire To Help

Their journey began with a painful truth: arsenic contamination in Bihar’s groundwater has become a serious health issue. Over 21 districts in the state are affected, with arsenic levels exceeding 100 parts per billion, far above the WHO safety limit. On school visits and village surveys, the trio observed children with keratosis, skin lesions, and early signs of arsenic poisoning, symptoms that often go unnoticed by the broader public.

What made it more urgent was the realization that the contamination wasn't just in drinking water but also in the food chain — tainting rice, wheat, leafy vegetables, and even breast milk. This can ultimately culminate in a deadly outcome, since prolonged consumption can lead to the development of cancer. Every field visit reinforced their sense of urgency, with their commitment deepening with each conversation with parents, teachers, and local health workers who feared for the well-being of future generations.

Empathy, not ambition, became the fuel behind their innovation. They weren’t building a startup for headlines or investors. They were crafting a solution to preserve life and dignity for their communities.

Solve for Tomorrow Helps Elevate School Project to Scalable Solution

Starting in a basic school lab, the Navmarg team relied on improvised materials and borrowed computers to prototype their ideas. It began as a high school submission for the National Children’s Science Congress (NCSC) and then evolved into a full-fledged research project. Eventually, it became a product: MARU, the Magnetic Arsenic Removal Unit.

Unlike traditional filtration systems, MARU uses magnets made from a rare-earth metal called neodymium to attract and remove arsenic molecules from contaminated groundwater. MARU is decentralized, chemical-free, and designed with simplicity in mind, making it deployable in rural schools, households, and public health outposts without needing extensive training or maintenance.

Samsung Solve for Tomorrow played a major role in accelerating their journey by providing funding and the perspective to view problems in a holistic way. In particular, the ₹5,000,000($60,145 USD) CSR grant gave them the crucial push they needed to begin early-scale small-batch production, enabling them to move beyond prototypes and start preparing for real-world deployment.

The program also provided national recognition, naming the trio "Environment Champions", which opened doors to valuable partnerships and trust within the larger ecosystem. And when asked, the founders summarize the help they’ve received from Samsung like this: “Solve for Tomorrow is a great platform that funds your passion and immensely supports your problem-solving ideas. For us, it was as an opportunity to gain visibility, amplify our impact, and scale our solution even further.”

Transforming Lives, One Liter at a Time

Over the course of 36 months, MARU systems have treated more than 300,000 liters of groundwater, bringing arsenic levels down from dangerously high concentrations of over 161 micrograms per liter (µg/L) to under 2 µg/L. This represents an astonishing improvement in the quality of life for thousands.

In schools, children who had only read about magnets in textbooks saw how a real-world application of science could change lives. That excitement translated into engagement, with students volunteering for observation sessions and water quality testing. Soon, once-skeptical communities began to embrace the change. Mothers noticed their children’s skin conditions improving. Teachers reported fewer complaints of headaches and fatigue. And some villagers even began requesting MARU installations at community wells and temples. This ripple effect is what Navmarg values most because it shows how technology inspires trust and encourages participation.

Scaling Impact Domestically and Internationally

Now that MARU has been tested and refined, Navmarg is preparing to scale its solution. Their immediate goal is to complete commercial trial deployments in Bhojpur, Bihar, and in selected arsenic-prone regions of Karnataka. They aim to validate their systems under diverse geographic, cultural, and environmental conditions to ensure robust performance. With product offerings that cater to households, communities, and municipalities, accessibility is being ensured across different income levels and administrative settings. And since domestic units are priced at just ₹8,000($95.50 USD), affordability is also at the heart of their strategy.

On a global level, Navmarg sees opportunities in international markets like Bangladesh, Nepal, and Southeast Asia, where similar arsenic crises persist. They are exploring licensing models and international collaborations while remaining steadfast in their mission to remain debt-free and grant-supported.

Scaling Impact Domestically and Internationally

Now that MARU has been tested and refined, Navmarg is preparing to scale its solution. Their immediate goal is to complete commercial trial deployments in Bhojpur, Bihar, and in selected arsenic-prone regions of Karnataka. They aim to validate their systems under diverse geographic, cultural, and environmental conditions to ensure robust performance. With product offerings that cater to households, communities, and municipalities, accessibility is being ensured across different income levels and administrative settings. And since domestic units are priced at just ₹8,000($95.50 USD), affordability is also at the heart of their strategy.

On a global level, Navmarg sees opportunities in international markets like Bangladesh, Nepal, and Southeast Asia, where similar arsenic crises persist. They are exploring licensing models and international collaborations while remaining steadfast in their mission to remain debt-free and grant-supported.

Lessons from Navmarg

Navmarg’s journey required them to overcome technical failures, vendor rejections, and the strain of balancing academics with entrepreneurship. At one point, the founders even had to teach themselves fabrication just to keep the project moving forward. But what kept them going was their deep sense of purpose, along with guidance from Samsung’s Solve for Tomorrow and mentors from local leading institutions. In fact, each challenge helped them refine their product and reaffirm their commitment to delivering safe water to the communities that shaped them.

To young innovators, their advice is simple: “Don’t think competition levels or toughness matter much. If your solution genuinely addresses the chosen problem, aligns with the theme, and meets the criteria — especially in terms of novelty and inventiveness, you’ll have a fair chance. Just focus on real, tested work that solves a real problem for people, and don’t chase unicorns — chase impact. Let empathy guide your tech.”

Navmarg remains fully founder-owned, grant-funded, and driven by a powerful truth: anyone, anywhere, can build solutions that matter if they find their purpose.