Wadhwani Foundation

Committed to enabling
millions to live a dignified life.

About Us

Wadhwani Foundation is a high-growth, not-for-profit tech organization dedicated to social good. Over two decades since its inception in 2001, the foundation with worldwide presence has focused on a simple, powerful mission: accelerating job growth and enabling millions to earn a family-sustaining wage and lead a dignified life.

The Foundation is positively impacting the lives of millions of individuals across multiple countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America through its four core initiatives:

Entrepreneurship

Enables aspiring and practicing entrepreneurs to start, survive, and thrive through customized interventions.

150K+

STUDENTS EDUCATED IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP

1K+

INSTITUTES TEACHING ENTREPRENEURSHIP

5K+

STARTUPS & SMB SUPPORTED TO GET FUNDING

250+

INCUBATORS PARTNERED TO FACILITATE FUNDING

Skilling

Enables job-seekers with new-age employability skills to acquire family-wage jobs.

3M+

HIGH SCHOOL
LEARNERS

3M+

Adult learners taking our employability skills course

10K+

FACULTY TRAINED

1000+

HOURS OF AI-POWERED CONTENT

Innovation & Research

Accelerates academic innovation in groundbreaking tech domains of AI, biotech, and advanced computing, pushing the envelope from pioneering research to commercialization.

100+

BIOENGINEERING PROJECTS FUNDED

10+

BIOENGINEERING PROJECTS COMMERCIALIZED

80+

PATENTS SUPPORTED

20k+

student beneficiaries

Government Digital Transformation

Upskills governments with emerging technologies to accelerate population-scale projects and define new-age policies.

300K+

Govt. officials trained on Emerging Technologies

400+

Validated Ideas

15+

PROJECTS INCUBATED

150+

Batches

Our Approach

A portrait of an elderly gentleman with a contemplative expression, juxtaposed with his quote on philanthropy, emphasizes the importance of giving back through high-impact actions to support the growth of India and other

Partnerships

The Foundation extends its capabilities and the depth and breadth of its impact through an extensive network of partners, including governments, educational institutions, corporates, mentors, industry experts, investors, NGOs and industry associations.

Technology

Programs are supported by our own cutting-edge AI-powered platform GenieAI that enables personalized learning, access to an expert network, and other resources from across the world.

Philanthropy

The mission's focus and agility are supported by the direct funding of Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, who has contributed US $1B to date to the Foundation and has further pledged 80% of his wealth to the Foundation. 

Our Guiding Principles

Beneficiary-centric
Approach

Treat all the beneficiaries as valued clients, striving to meet their needs and exceed their expectations.

Innovation
at Scale

Foster a culture of ambitious thinking and innovation to create a widespread, meaningful impact.

Global Vision
Local Execution

Maintain a global perspective in strategy, coupled with a commitment to localized operations.

Collaborative
Ecosystem

Actively collaborate with the government, academia and industry to maximize impact and reach.

Our Journey

2002

Launched Wadhwani Foundation in India

2002

Commenced our Entrepreneurship initiative

2011
Commenced our Skilling initiative
2012

Kickstarted our Innovation & Research initiative

2014
Commenced our Government Digital Transformation initiative

Expanded the Foundation to Indonesia
2016

Moved further to East Africa and the Philippines

2017

Touched base in Bangladesh and Latin America

2018

Expanded further to MENA and West Africa

2020

Launched the ‘Sahayata’ initiative in response to the Covid-19 crisis to assist Small and Medium Businesses and Public Health workers

2021

Launched Skilling Academy (earlier known as Wadhwani Institute of Technology & Policy) under our Government Digital Transformation initiative

2022

Partnered with VMentor.ai to set up MSME incubator

2023

Launched CSIS Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies

2024

Launched Wadhwani Innovation Network to
to boost research commercialization in India

Our Impact

In the last five years, the Foundation's direct impact through engagement and support includes:

STUDENTS EDUCATED IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP Icon

5M+

JOBSEEKERS
SKILLED

LEARNERS UPSKILLED Icon

150K

STUDENT ENTREPRENUERS INSPIRED

FACULTY TRAINED Icon

5K

STARTUPS &
SMB SUPPORTED

5K

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS TRAINED

100+

BIOENGINEERING PROJECTS FUNDED