Month: March 2025

Introducing our next grant as a part of a recent pilot experiment that aims to bridge the funding gap on building bold ideas into scalable solutions!   

Founded by Bindi Dharia, V-All is reimagining volunteering as a lifelong journey through its civic action platform. India faces a $21 billion funding gap to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), yet only 1% of Indians actively engage in giving in any form – time, skills or money. On the other hand, nonprofits across the country face persistent challenges in attracting skilled volunteers who can provide time and expertise to advance their missions.

By building meaningful connections between individuals and social causes, V-All is helping create a culture of giving in India by making it engaging and aspirational. With early traction from partnerships with schools, colleges, and community organizations, V-All is well-positioned to transform India’s volunteering landscape.

V-All’s gamified platform makes volunteering accessible and rewarding. Volunteers can discover opportunities that match their skills, interests, and availability. Personalized quests allow users to track their impact, build a giving portfolio, and develop a lifelong habit of civic engagement. Simultaneously, nonprofits gain access to skilled volunteers, helping them deliver programs more effectively.

With ACT’s pre-MVP grant, V-All will:

• Develop key platform features, including gamified user journeys
• Build AI-powered matching to connect volunteers with nonprofits
• Create a marketplace for rewards and recognition to encourage sustained engagement

In addition to funding, ACT will provide technical advisory and strategic mentorship on business model development and fundraising to support V-All in scaling their MVP effectively.

By connecting socially conscious individuals with nonprofits in need of critical skills, V-All aims to democratize philanthropy and engage over 2 million volunteers by 2027. We’re excited to support V-All as they work to build a more engaged, empowered, and socially conscious India.

At ACT, we believe technology can unlock scalable solutions to some of the world’s most pressing social and environmental challenges. Over the past three years, we’ve seen firsthand how tech-driven innovations can create lasting impact when paired with sustainable business models.

However, one critical gap is the lack of early-stage capital for tech-first innovators to build their idea into reality, and the absence of funding at the build stage often creates a talent gap during the early stages. As a part of a recent pilot experiment, ACT decided to help plug this gap and is partnering with aspiring social entrepreneurs to turn bold ideas into scalable solutions. 

Sakshm AI is one such organisation that’s addressing the need for market-ready skilling for India’s graduates. India produces over 1 million engineering graduates each year, yet nearly 44% remain unemployable due to gaps in both technical and soft skills. This challenge is particularly pronounced in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, where students often lack access to high-quality skilling resources and placement support.

Founded in 2024 by Apurv Mehra, Sanchit Sharma, and Kashish Mittal — all former researchers at Microsoft Research — Sakshm AI is building Disha AI, an AI-powered Socratic tutor that tailors personalized learning journeys to specific tech job roles. By mapping industry requirements and fine-tuning AI models with expert insights, Sakshm AI ensures students are equipped with relevant soft skills and hard skills, practical exposure, and accurate knowledge to thrive in the workforce.

With their deep technical expertise and understanding of Bharat’s emerging workforce, the Sakshm AI team is uniquely positioned to address this pressing need. By offering skilling solutions at the ‘price of a chai,’ they are committed to democratizing access to career-building resources for students across India.

We’re excited to welcome Sakshm AI into the ACT For Education portfolio and aim for our pre-MVP grant to help them: 

• Build and refine their AI-driven assessments
• Enhance their AI models to improve learning outcomes
• Pilot their product with government and non-government partners

In addition to funding, ACT will provide technical advisory and strategic mentorship on business model development and fundraising to help Sakshm AI scale effectively.

With the ambitious goal of making 1 million students employable in the coming years by equipping graduates with job-ready skills, Sakshm AI aims to significantly improve placement outcomes and expand career opportunities for students across Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities. We’re excited to support Sakshm AI on this journey and look forward to seeing their impact unfold as they empower the next generation of India’s workforce.