KTR bankrolls startup by Class 9 & 10 students

Hyderabad: Young innovators N Manasa Reddy and Nafeesa Anjum, students of grade 9 and 10 of Pallavi Model School, Boduppal secured seed investment of Rs 8 lakhs for their start up, Digi Gnan from Minister KT Rama Rao in the presence of Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy. The startup, Digi Gnan is a platform of the students, by the students and for the students to digitally enable knowledge sharing and self-learning platform for female counterparts from the Tier 2/3 towns and villages.

The idea stemmed from the problem statement that the children identified during their Girls in STE(A)M and Earlypreneurship programmes by WE HUB which is focusing extensively on enabling more young girls to take their innovative ideas into viable entrepreneurial startup ventures.

The children during the field trip organised by Pallavi Model School noticed that the digital literacy was lacking in their peers from the tier 2/3 villages. On further research, they noticed that India reported 52,974 incidents of cyber crimes in 2021, an increase of nearly six percent from the year Telangana topped the chart among states, accounting for more than 19 per cent. National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data shows India 98th Rank out of 120 countries for level of internet literacy and $18 billion billion lost due to cyber crimes. They came up with the idea of Digi Gnan.

Under Digi Gnan, digital literacy, employability skills and cyber security will be imparted in a pilot to over 500 students from the villages of Pratapsingaram, Kachavanisingaram, Edulabad, Muthyalaguda. Over the next 12 months 50 volunteers will enable Digi Gnan to expand to 25 villages reaching over 1,000 students in Telangana and the startup will be financially viable.

The Municipal Administration Minister had personally committed to fund the students' idea during the 5th anniversary of WEHUB on March 8. The students pitched the idea to the Minister in the presence of Sabitha Indra Reddy, GHMC Mayor, MLAs, Special Chief Secretary of MA&UD, Arvind Kumar, with an ask for a seed investment of Rs 10 Lakhs.

Rama Rao quizzed the students about the financial viability of Digi Gnan, mentor and advisor road map and return on the investment. The students showed the financial projections and assured the Minister of a successful return of the investment post which Rama Rao provided a seed capital of Rs 8 lakh.

The WE HUB along with management and teachers of Pallavi Model School would be grounding and launching the student startup soon.