Some of the most inspiring stalls at the UP International Trade Show this year came from villages. Young founders from small towns showed that big business ideas do not need big-city addresses.

Vidhi Mallik from Khedamastan village, 28 km from Muzaffarnagar, started her bridal rental venture Bridal Spot with just Rs 500. She left UPSC preparation to build the business after seeing how costly weddings burden low-income families. A Rs 5 lakh interest-free loan under the CM Yuva scheme helped her expand, and her team has grown from 2 to 25-30 women.

A 26-year-old from Barabanki turned his family’s 20-year-old farming work into a honey brand, while an IIT Patna MBA graduate runs an Ayurveda D2C label from Varanasi.

The trade show hosted over 41,500 B2B meetings this year, giving these young entrepreneurs direct access to buyers from India and abroad. Officials said the CM Yuva scheme has so far supported thousands of young entrepreneurs across the state with collateral-free loans.