JanAI has partnered with four universities to expand access to artificial intelligence (AI) education in rural India and create opportunities for rural youth and entrepreneurs.
The company has collaborated with Presidency University, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Bengaluru, RV College of Engineering and the University of Liverpool’s Bengaluru campus to establish a research hub, a rural incubator, an entrepreneurship hackathon and learning programmes for rural ambassadors.
The initiatives aim to connect academic research and student-led innovation with local needs and help rural communities explore AI-driven businesses and livelihood opportunities.
“Rural India is full of people with the aspiration and ingenuity to solve the challenges around them. These partnerships bring that potential into direct conversation with the research, knowledge and resources of our universities,” said Madan Padaki, founder of JanAI.
“We want young people’s learning to lead to greater capability, the confidence to build, and economic opportunity in their own community. That is how AI becomes meaningful in people’s lives.”
The facilities will support rural innovation and entrepreneurship by helping turn ideas addressing village-level challenges into practical solutions and viable businesses.
JanAI has also launched the Tech4Bharat mass entrepreneurship hackathon in partnership with RV College of Engineering and GAVS (Global Accelerator Vision Summit).
The programme invites students to develop solutions to challenges faced by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), encouraging them to identify business opportunities through practical problem-solving.
The University of Liverpool’s Bengaluru campus will provide structured learning programmes for 100 rural JanAI Ambassadors, with a particular focus on the Kalyana Karnataka region. University students will also be encouraged to develop AI solutions for village-level challenges, drawing on rural communities' experiences and needs.
Alongside the university partnerships, JanAI has opened its tenth AI Café in Wardha, Maharashtra. The cafés serve as community spaces where people can learn about AI and explore its applications in everyday life.