India, 09, April, 2024: Wadhwani Foundation announces the latest innovation in entrepreneurial education–an AI co-pilot that plays the role of a 24×7 Tutor making learning on-demand, interactive and fun. Introduced as part of the Foundation’s Ignite program it is available to undergraduate students at premier academic institutions worldwide. In India Ignite is offered as a core or elective credit bearing program, enabling students to explore and develop entrepreneurship in a de-risked campus environment. During the 14-weeks program. participants are guided through the process of building a ‘practice venture,’ from testing its feasibility to preparing for launching their own startup venture.
The AI Co-pilot is an essential tool in this journey, fostering interest in the subject and empowering students to integrate their learning into real-life entrepreneurial scenarios. It encourages them to explore beyond the classroom, applying their knowledge to specific industries or fields that spark their interest.
Key Features of the AI Tutor include:
- Personalized & Dynamic Learning: Tailoring the educational journey to each student’s industry interests with personalized case studies and insights, ensuring practical, context-rich learning. Its dynamic three-layered architecture spans individual lessons, courses, and the broader scope of entrepreneurship, integrating seamlessly into the curriculum to provide adaptive support relevant to weekly modules.
- 24×7 Assistance: Offering students continuous support to learn and apply concepts at any time, thereby enhancing their learning outcomes.
- Short-cut Prompts: Providing quick access to essential information through concise summaries, a glossary, and tips for all course materials, boosting student engagement and motivation.
- Dynamic Check-in Quizzes: Facilitating learning progress tracking with interactive quizzes that effectively test students’ understanding of entrepreneurial concepts and strategies.
Academic institutions that join the Ignite program from March 2024 will experience these advanced features firsthand. A broader rollout to all participating institutions is scheduled for July 2024.
Speaking on the new feature, Sunita Singh EVP & Co-founder NEN says, “With the new AI features available in Ignite, students will now get specific guidance on topics in the context of their own startup ideas. This helps us move from general theory on entrepreneurship to practical perspectives for specific venture ideas.”
About Wadhwani Ignite
Ignite is the Wadhwani Foundation’s proactive response to a global need for the youth to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and become job creators versus job seekers. With only 10% of tertiary education institutions worldwide offering entrepreneurship courses, Ignite seeks to bridge this gap by mainstreaming entrepreneurship education. The 14-weeks, 35 hours credit bearing program spans a full curriculum aligned with UGC & NEP Guidelines for both technical and non-technical degree students. The program is offered at zero cost to the students & academic partners.
Geared towards equipping students with the necessary skills, knowledge and mindset needed to pursue entrepreneurship, it is designed as an experiential learning journey from the ideation phase to execution, teaching students how to develop compelling value propositions, establish sustainable business models, achieve financial stability, and create market-ready products. The program offers hands-on experience, real-world application, expert masterclasses, mentorship access, and global jury certification helping transform a good idea into a high-potential startup opportunity.
Currently, over 1,000 colleges and 1.5 million students globally are engaged in the Ignite program.
Says, Meetul Patel, President of Entrepreneurship & Government Digital Transformation, “This latest innovation moves us another step forward in our effort to democratize access to the guidance and resources needed for those looking to build new businesses. With the addition of AI into Ignite, every student, regardless of their background or location, has the potential to tap into the knowledge and support traditionally available only to those with access to networks in startup hubs.”
Rajeev Warrier, EVP Entrepreneurship adds, “Our partner institutions now get the benefit of not only world class faculty training, course content and pedagogies, but also novel AI capabilities without the time and investment of development. This should create more engaging experiences for students and prepare them with the tools needed in today’s world.”
About Wadhwani Foundation:
Wadhwani Foundation is a global not-for-profit with the primary mission of accelerating economic development by driving job creation through large-scale initiatives in skilling, entrepreneurship, government digital transformation and innovation & research. Founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneur, Dr. Romesh Wadhwani, the Foundation today is scaling impact across multiple countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America through innovative programs that leverage the latest technology and expansive global networks to democratize access to world-class resources needed to improve livelihood and change lives.
For further details on Ignite or to collaborate with the Wadhwani Foundation, please visit www.wadhwanifoundation.org.