Udhyam Learning Foundation

Name

Udhyam Learning Foundation

Legal name

Udhyam Learning Foundation

Website

https://udhyam.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Entrepreneurship Education & Livelihood Programs

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)

Keywords

• Entrepreneurship education
• Nano-entrepreneur support
• AI mentoring platform
• Livelihood development
• Nonprofit education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Bengaluru

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Philanthropic Grants: Primary revenue stream from individual donors and institutional funders. The organization is FCRA compliant for international donations and offers 80G tax benefits for Indian donors. Programs like Udhyam Shiksha and Vyapaar are funded through donations.
2. Corporate Partnerships and CSR Funding: Partnerships with corporations like Amazon India for specific programs (Business Blasters Punjab). CSR funding supports implementation of entrepreneurial education programs in government schools.
3. Government Collaboration Programs: Programs implemented in partnership with state governments, where government provides institutional support and infrastructure while Udhyam provides curriculum and training.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Udhyam Learning Foundation runs two flagship programs: Udhyam Shiksha, which delivers entrepreneurial mindset education to government school students (Grades 9-12) across 12 Indian states, and Udhyam Vyapaar, which supports nano-entrepreneurs (street vendors, home-based artisans, ironing vendors) through one-on-one mentoring and business development. A proprietary WhatsApp-based AI mentor called Udhyam Saathi augments both programs by providing structured, multilingual feedback on student business projects.

Product overview

Udhyam Learning Foundation operates two core programs: Udhyam Shiksha (entrepreneurial education for government school students in grades 9th-12th) and Udhyam Vyapaar (nano-entrepreneur support). The flagship AI product is Udhyam Saathi, a WhatsApp-based AI mentor that supports both programs by providing structured guidance and feedback to students on their entrepreneurial projects. Udhyam Shiksha has reached 4.7M+ students with an AI-powered curriculum, while Udhyam Vyapaar has worked with 12,000+ nano-entrepreneurs across 8 states. Specialized initiatives include the Istri Project for ironing vendors, plus state-specific programs like Business Blasters Punjab (with Amazon India), Kaushalam Uttarakhand, and Kushal Business Challenge Haryana.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Udhyam Shiksha: Entrepreneurship education program for government school students (grades 9th-12th), nurturing entrepreneurial mindsets and 21st century skills among students.
• Udhyam Vyapaar
• Udhyam Saathi
• Istri Project
• Prayaas

Products and services

• Udhyam Shiksha An entrepreneurial mindset education program for government school students in Grades 9-12, delivered across 12 Indian states in partnership with state governments. It nurtures entrepreneurial mindsets (Grit, Self-Awareness, Trying New Things, Independence) and 21st Century skills (Collaboration, Creativity, Critical Thinking, Communication) through experiential learning and real-world business projects supported by AI-augmented teaching via Udhyam Saathi. Reached 4.7M+ students and trained 50,000+ teachers across 11,500+ government schools.
• Udhyam Vyapaar A nano-entrepreneur support program that helps street vendors, home-based artisans, and small business owners grow their businesses through one-on-one field mentoring by Saathis. It applies a design thinking approach across four pillars—Sourcing, Process Optimization, Market Linkage, and Innovation—to help participants formalize, expand, and stabilize income. Has worked with 12,000+ nano-entrepreneurs across 8 states and 30+ districts, unlocking ₹36+ crore in annual income.
• Udhyam Saathi (AI Mentor) A WhatsApp-based, multimodal AI mentor that supports students through text, image, and video submissions and provides structured, personalized, holistic feedback on entrepreneurial projects. Operates in five Indian languages, processes 200,000+ student submissions in four months, and includes a web interface for teachers to monitor student progress and patterns. Was further strengthened through the AI for Global Development Accelerator with $500,000 in funding plus OpenAI credits and technical guidance.
• Istri Project A specialized program under Udhyam Vyapaar that targets women ironing vendors (Istriwalas), helping them transition from coal to LPG iron boxes for safer, healthier, and more productive livelihoods. Through this project, 8,000+ ironing vendors across 5 cities have achieved an income uplift totaling ₹100 crore.
• Business Blasters Punjab A student entrepreneurship program implemented in partnership with Amazon India and the Government of Punjab that equips government school students to become innovators and problem-solvers through real-world business projects, mentorship, and competitions. Over 183,000 students are gaining entrepreneurial skills and launching their own businesses through the program.
• Kaushalam Uttarakhand An entrepreneurship education program implemented in partnership with the Government of Uttarakhand that reimagines education by empowering students to think creatively, solve problems, and lead change in their communities. The program covers 119,000+ students across 1,000 schools in the state.
• Kushal Business Challenge A program implemented in partnership with the Government of Haryana that nurtures entrepreneurial skills in Class 12 students across all 22 districts. Over 25,000 students have turned their ideas into ventures with mentorship and seed funding through the program.

Quantifiable outcome

• 4.7M+ government school students nurtured with entrepreneurial mindsets across 12 states
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• OpenAIcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2025Technical partner providing OpenAI credits and guidance as part of AI for Global Development Accelerator to enhance Udhyam Saathi's AI capabilities.
• Amazon IndiacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024CSR partnership for Business Blasters Punjab program supporting 183,000+ students to become innovators and problem-solvers. Amazon provides funding and support while Udhyam provides curriculum and implementation expertise.
• YuWaah (UNICEF)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Supported Prayaas conference - an invite-only youth conference bringing together educationists, researchers, decision makers, and practitioners. YuWaah is UNICEF's global initiative for young people.
• Government of PunjabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBusiness Blasters Punjab program implemented across government schools, with the government providing institutional support and schools while Udhyam delivers entrepreneurial education.
• Government of HaryanacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKushal Business Challenge program for Class 12 students across all 22 districts. Over 25,000 students turned ideas into ventures with mentorship and seed funding.
• Government of UttarakhandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKaushalam Program reimagining education in Uttarakhand, empowering 119,000+ students across 1,000 schools to think creatively and lead change.
• Saamuhika Shakti CollectivecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollective impact initiative with multiple implementing organizations enabling informal waste pickers in Bengaluru to gain greater agency. Udhyam focuses on nano-entrepreneurship and livelihoods within this collective.
• AshokaminorOthersMekin Maheshwari received Ashoka Fellowship recognizing his vision to unlock potential of the 90% of Bharat through entrepreneurship and education.
• Center for Global DevelopmentcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner in AI for Global Development Accelerator, providing evaluation framework guidance and global development expertise.
• State Governments (Multiple)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartnerships with state governments of Karnataka, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Delhi for implementing Shiksha and Vyapaar programs.
• EkStep FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerShankar Maruwada, Co-Founder and CEO of EkStep Foundation, serves as advisor. EkStep created Sunbird (open-source digital infrastructure) and DIKSHA national education platform.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pratham Education Foundation: One of India's largest education nonprofits, running large-scale learning and vocational programs in government schools across many states. Most directly comparable to Udhyam in mission, government-school integration model, and pan-India footprint.
• Quest Alliance: Indian nonprofit focused on 21st-century skills, employability, and entrepreneurship education for youth in government and low-income schools. Overlaps directly with Udhyam Shiksha on curriculum focus and target beneficiary profile.
• Piramal Foundation: Large Indian philanthropic foundation operating education, healthcare, and livelihood programs in partnership with state governments. Comparable to Udhyam in mission scope, government-distribution model, and cross-state scale.
• Naandi Foundation: Indian nonprofit running large-scale education, skilling, and livelihood programs including school transformation and youth entrepreneurship. Comparable in nonprofit-government hybrid model and population-scale ambition.
• Dream a Dream: Bengaluru-based nonprofit working with youth from under-resourced communities on life skills and career readiness. Comparable in target demographic, life-skills curriculum focus, and geographic base.
• Magic Bus India Foundation: India-focused nonprofit delivering life skills and livelihood programs for adolescents and youth in government schools. Overlaps with Udhyam Shiksha on youth life-skills curriculum in public school systems.
• Barefoot College (Social Work & Research Centre): Indian nonprofit training rural and informal-sector workers (including women) in skills and livelihoods. Comparable to Udhyam Vyapaar on informal-sector entrepreneur enablement and grassroots delivery model.
• Kaivalya Education Foundation: Indian philanthropic foundation focused on leadership and quality improvements in public school education. Comparable to Udhyam on the government-school-system reform angle and donor-funded operating model.
• Central Square Foundation: India-focused nonprofit that funds and supports tech-enabled improvements in government school education. Comparable on the AI-for-government-schools thesis and the foundation-grant operating model that Udhyam itself uses.

Broad incumbents

• Byju's: India's largest edtech company, operating across K-12, test prep, and skill learning. A broad incumbent in Indian education rather than a direct competitor in the government-school or nano-entrepreneur segment; useful for context on the scale of capital and AI tooling flowing into Indian education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UdhyamOrg
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCbtb5hjw_Gb-gMHPqewyqqA
• Facebookfacebook.com/UdhyamOrg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/udhyam-learning-foundation
• Instagraminstagram.com/udhyamorg

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Udhyam Learning Foundation