What is the name of your organization?
SimPPL
What is the name of your solution?
NextGenAI
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Training an innovative national workforce by building societal AI solutions
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
India
What type of organization is your solution team?
Hybrid of for-profit and nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
We are addressing the chronic mismatch between the skills that Indian STEM graduates possess and the demands of the job market they enter. Each year over 10 million students enroll in STEM undergraduate programs in India, with 1.5 million earning engineering degrees. Yet, only about 45% of these graduates are considered employable (https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/degree-vs-skill-why-is-india-producing-graduates-with-low-employability-quotient/articleshow/114615522.cms) for technical roles, and just 10% secure jobs in their field. This crisis is rooted in outdated curricula, insufficient practical training, and a lack of exposure to real-world problem solving—especially in Tier II and III institutions, where the majority of students study. Final-year projects, which should bridge theory and practice, are often rushed, poorly mentored, and disconnected from industry needs, leaving millions of students without the skills or confidence to contribute meaningfully to the workforce. Globally, this skills gap is mirrored in many developing economies, contributing to persistent unemployment and underemployment among youth. NextGenAI's program targets these factors by embedding AI-informed, industry-aligned skill development into the final-year project, ensuring students graduate with both technical competence and practical experience. We are directly addressing the employability crisis at scale.
What is your solution?
NextGenAI is a 52 week, AI Product Development Program that embeds real-world responsible computing into the undergraduate curriculum. Unlike typical online courses, which are often passive and disconnected from practical application, our program is deeply experiential and team-driven. Students work in close collaboration with peers, mentors, and real organizations to identify urgent societal challenges, conduct user interviews, and design, build, and deploy technology solutions to real people in 6+ countries, advancing digital literacy, healthcare, and online safety.
Through our hands-on, "front-loaded" mentorship model (https://bit.ly/simppl-mentorship) students receive continuous guidance from a global network of experts at leading institutions, and engage in hands-on technology deployments to 1000000+ real users. Each project is co-developed with external partners, ensuring direct impact and immediate feedback. Our structure allows integration with university schedules and resources, making it sustainable and scalable across diverse institutions.
Students graduate with published research (AAAI, ICML, ICWSM), product deployments, and strong industry connections. 35% have secured ivy league admissions and FAANG jobs. Students return as mentors even after they find full-time jobs. By embedding this model within academic credit systems and fostering self-sustaining student communities, we ensure long-term economic impact and career growth for 2000+ learners.
Deck: bit.ly/simppl-demos
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
NextGenAI directly supports undergraduate students at underserved institutions in India that lack structured AI education programs and struggle to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology. Our team comes from such institutions and has worked with students at 45+ institutes across India, 100+ across the world. Due to a number of systemic, economic, and often gender-based barriers, students at Tier II and III colleges havelimited access to modern computing resources, industry mentorship, or real-world project opportunities. As a result, they are left behind as the technology landscape advances, missing out on critical skills and experiences employers expect.
By embedding our program within their academic curriculum, we provide these students with hands-on training in responsible computing, AI, and digital innovation. They work on real projects with civil society, government, and industry partners, gaining exposure to current tools, collaborative workflows, and problem-solving for social good. The program’s structure adapts to each institution’s resources and student needs, ensuring relevance and accessibility.
NextGenAI boosts student confidence, employability, and ability to contribute meaningfully to their communities. By turning the gaps of archaic education models into opportunities, we bridge the digital divide and helps create a more economic opportunities for a future-ready workforce.
