Operating at the intersection of technology, innovation & social entrepreneurship
Founded in
Students mentored
Projects completed
Raised by students
Driving Impact
With the purpose of helping farmers recover 30% of the output lost every year to diseases, Aryan Rajvanshi founded project MechaCrop. Using drone technology and machine learning, Aryan aimed to successfully identify and eradicate harmful diseases that plague Indian farms, thereby helping farmers regain control of their cultivation.
Veruschka designed a project to give frontline workers training on basic CPR and first aid. The window of opportunity also known as the golden minutes is a crucial window for a person suffering from cardiac arrest. The project aptly named SuryaNayak is an ode to the heroes who act promptly in these golden minutes. Project Suryanayak went on to be featured at the UN Headquarters and was also featured in media.
With an aim to better equip construction laborers with financial knowledge, Chandiresh Asaithambi founded project Pave the Way. Through this initiative, Chandiresh conducted awareness programs on government schemes and workshops for financial education. The project targeted laborers in Bangalore, Karnataka, and Singapore, improving their access to financial schemes to become financially secure.
With the intent of empowering women and increasing economic freedom in India, Shakthi and her team founded project Anukriti. Through this project, Shakthi trained women in rural areas of Sollepura, Karnataka, in traditional Indian arts and crafts and assisted them in setting up micro businesses using these skills. She also conducted financial literacy sessions for the workers.
Aneesh and his team founded project Auxilia and installed water purifiers in schools of Thurpu Thallu, Andhra Pradesh. Starting by interviewing beneficiaries to find out what the challenge is for rural villages in Andhra Pradesh today, using a systems map, they prioritized the problem they aimed to solve. Aneesh plans to help villages across rural communities in India in the future.
With the objective of promoting zero budget farming among Indian farmers, Nandini and team founded project Mritsa. Zero-budget farming is a sustainable, chemical-free and safer method of farming. With the help of social media, they raised awareness about the challenges faced by farmers in India. The posts highlighted the importance of zero budget farming and how it can help farmers. Training modules were also created to educate the farmers about the benefits of natural farming methods.
With the purpose of helping women entrepreneurs gain more visibility and outreach, Aditi and team founded project Saksham. They paired up with a social venture that provides an e-commerce platform for women entrepreneurs all over India to sell their handmade and organic products. Under the project, they raised rupees 4 Lakhs to support women entrepreneurs.
To help increase the accessibility of rural artisanal work for urban buyers, Syonaa Nair founded the project Kalamkari Meraki, in collaboration with Meraki, an organization that works with rural art forms and artisans. Her objective was to revive the dying art form of Kalamkari as well as provide a consistent market linkage for the artisans to sell their products. To achieve this, Syonaa conducted awareness campaigns and accumulated funds for the expansion of the Coromandel Kalamkari unit.
Mother of TPA Fellow Eesha Kadwadkar, Batch of 2024
"TPA program is structured yet flexible, allowing students to choose projects that interest them. The execution was smooth, and the mentoring was excellent. This one-of-its-kind program is a fantastic find - selective and niche, providing a unique and valuable experience to teenagers."
Mother of TPA Fellow Aaliyah Merchant, Batch of 2024
"As a parent, I couldn't be more pleased with the program's positive impact on our child. Notably, our child's presentation skills improved, accompanied by a remarkable boost in confidence."
TPA Fellow, Batch of 2021
"Working on identifying problems and brainstorming solutions, along with engaging with the NGO, deepened my understanding of real-world needs."
TPA fellow, Batch of 2021
"Being part of The Purpose Academy and meeting experts from various fields made me a more appreciative person. It helped me realize that you can achieve so much by doing the right thing at the right time and staying on the right path. This journey has significantly benefited me and will help me pursue my goals in life."
TPA fellow, Batch of 2020
"The Purpose Academy gave me the push to develop and launch my project, which involved creating a video, starting a campaign, and sharing it with others. One consistent learning from this experience has been the importance of ‘rethinking’ – whether it’s rethinking charity or rethinking the entire project."
TPA fellow, Batch of 2022
"I really appreciate the constant support from our mentors throughout the program. They stayed up late to help us improve our pitches, and I wouldn’t have learned about so many different perspectives without this experience. The 5 days were truly awesome, filled with a lot of learning."
TPA fellow, Batch of 2023
"I would like to express my gratitude to The Purpose Academy for granting me the incredible opportunity to pitch and present my project at UC Berkeley. During the program, I've had the privilege of learning essential soft skills and hard skills, including pitching techniques, business model planning, and project sustainability strategies."
Our students secure admissions to top universities globally
Our Global
Faculty Director The Purpose
Academy & Industry Fellow,
SCET, College of Engineering
UC Berkeley
Global Ambassador & Mentor, SCET,
College of Engineering
UC Berkeley & Co-founder, 1M1B
Chief of Staff & Mentor,
Innovation Acceleration Group
Senior Mentor,
Climate Action
Senior Mentor,
Responsible AI
Senior Mentor,
Grassroots
Senior Mentor,
Healthcare & Infectious diseases
Senior Mentor,
Green Skills & Sustainability
CEO, Plastic Revolution Foundation
Ex. Minister of Environment and International
Development, Norway,
Ex. Executive Director, UN Enviomment
Co-founder & VP, Pixar Animation
Producer, Toy Story (1995)
Executive Producer, Electronic Arts (2000-2002)
CEO, Alligator Planet (2002-Present)
The Purpose Academy in the news
The Hindu, Aug 30, 2024
Voice the Void is a project conceived by Spurti Aluru, a student at TISB Bangalore, with the idea of empowering visually impaired individuals by building prototypes of audiobooks for blind students. Aaliyah Merchant, a student at Headstart Educational Academy, came up with......
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The New Indian Express, Nov 24th, 2022
No discussion about India goes without mentioning the glaring urban-rural divide, in terms of lifestyle, outlook, and quality of education. Manav Subodh, co-founder of 1 Million for 1 Billion, an organisation focused on nurturing social innovation and leadership......
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Ahmedabad Mirror, June 2nd, 2023
Aryan Rajvanshi (inset) decided to take up farmers’ cause during a trip to Udaipur in June 2022 when he learnt about farmers’ suicides ......
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Down To Earth, November 16th, 2021
The message from four teenage girls from Hyderabad and Chennai is clear: There is a need to shift to natural farming ......
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Times of India , Jun 9, 2023
No discussion about India goes without mentioning the glaring urban-rural divide, in terms of lifestyle, outlook, and quality of education. Manav Subodh, co-founder of 1 Million for 1 Billion, an organisation focused on nurturing social innovation and leadership ......
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India Education Diary, Apr 28, 2021
The Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology (SCET) at the University of California, Berkeley has announced a partnership with The Purpose Academy, a program by 1M1B (One Million for One Billion) in partnership with the Innovation Acceleration Group (IAG) to engage the brightest ......
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The New Indian express, Nov 19 ,2021
While we can create a small dent through charity, systemic issues need systemic solutions like the one being attempted by four schoolgirls - Sharada Gopalakrishnan (14, Chennai), Nandini Raju (16, Hyderabad), Srilakshmi Reddy (16, Hyderabad), Amrutha Potluri (16, Arizona) - of The Purpose Academy by 1M1B ......
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