Union Education Minister Shri Dharmendra Pradhan on Tuesday chaired a high-level roundtable with founders of 10 emerging Indian startups leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education, signalling the Centre’s push to integrate advanced technologies into the country’s learning ecosystem.
AI Startups Driving Grassroots InnovationThe roundtable featured founders from Arivihan, Fermi AI, Khare.AI, Seekho, SpeakX, SuperKalam, SuperNova, Vedantu, ConveGenius and Virohan. These startups are building AI-first solutions across K-12 education, test preparation, upskilling, language learning and vocational training.A key focus of the discussion was how technology can improve access and quality of education, especially for students in underserved and tier-III regions. The startups showcased innovations designed to address India-specific challenges, including multilingual learning, adaptive assessments and skill-based training models.Shri Pradhan expressed satisfaction that many founders hailed from middle-class and smaller-town backgrounds, describing their journeys as reflective of India’s entrepreneurial transformation. He emphasised that indigenous AI solutions developed “from India to the world” would play a decisive role in redefining the country’s educational landscape.
AI and the Vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047
Highlighting AI as a catalyst for empowerment and inclusion, the Minister underscored its importance in achieving the vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047. He called on innovators to align technological advancement with Indian values, languages and local contexts while maintaining global competitiveness.“Technology is a powerful instrument to bridge the gap between hope and opportunity,” he noted, assuring startups of government support in creating scalable digital public infrastructure (DPI) for education and skill development.The roundtable was attended by Minister of State for Education and Development of North Eastern Region Shri Sukanta Majumdar and Minister of State for Education and Skill Development Shri Jayant Chaudhary. Senior officials including Shri Sanjay Kumar, Secretary, School Education and Literacy, and Dr Vineet Joshi, Secretary, Higher Education, were also present.
National Capability, Not Just Commerce
Shri Ashutosh Sharma, Head of Investments and M&A for India and South East Asia at Prosus, stressed that education technology must be viewed as a national capability rather than a short-term commercial venture. According to him, AI represents a historic inflection point that can democratise access to quality learning across geography and income barriers.Representatives from IIT Delhi, IIT Madras, NSDC, NASSCOM, NCVET, CBSE, KVS, NIOS and Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti also participated in the deliberations, reflecting a whole-of-ecosystem approach.
Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026
The Bharat Bodhan AI Conclave 2026 will follow the roundtable discussions, bringing together policymakers from the Centre and States, researchers, industry leaders and academic institutions. The two-day event will deliberate on responsible AI adoption, safeguards, scalable innovation and capacity building in the education sector.The insights gathered during the IIT Delhi interaction are expected to inform broader discussions at the India AI Impact Summit and shape policy frameworks for responsible AI integration.With AI poised to redefine learning pathways, the Centre’s latest engagement with startups signals a strategic shift towards building resilient, inclusive and globally competitive digital education infrastructure.
