Head Held High
Head Held High Foundation is an India-based non-profit that delivers capability-building and skills-training programs to impoverished rural youth, marginalised women, and BPL households through a partnership-driven model funded primarily by corporate CSR grants and government contracts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersBangalore, India
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Head Held High does
Head Held High Foundation, established in 2007 in Bengaluru and operating as a non-profit social enterprise, designs and delivers capability-building and skills-training programs for impoverished rural youth aged 18-30, marginalised women, and BPL households across India. Its core product is the Make India Capable (MIC) curriculum, a 1,000-hour program covering English, life skills, logic, mathematics, and computers, underpinned by the proprietary Tattva Mimamsa reflective practice framework and the HIYT (HHH Index of Youth Transformation) impact measurement system. Programs are delivered at no cost to beneficiaries through a partnership-driven distribution model: 32+ skill centres established with corporate CSR sponsors (IHCL, Tata STRIVE, ACC, Asian Paints), 50+ implementation NGOs, two Centres of Excellence (Youth Transformation and Entrepreneurship), and government-facilitated Joint Facility Centres in states including Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
The organisation runs multiple interconnected programs beyond MIC, including Antarprerna (rural women entrepreneurship collectives), MARG (family-level multi-dimensional poverty alleviation), Global Action on Poverty (a changemaker accelerator), Future Ready Guidance, Code Unnati (with UNDP and SAP Labs), Community Response Centers, and the Blue Dots AI digital employment platform (with the UP government, EY, and EkStep Foundation). Revenue is generated entirely through CSR grants from large Indian corporates (Tata Trusts, Tata Power, Asian Paints, HCL, Kotak, ONGC, Adani, Jubilant Bhartia, HDFC, HSBC, ACC), multilateral partnerships (UNDP, UNICEF, UN Women), state government contracts, and philanthropic donations; the only disclosed institutional capital is a 2013 Unilazer Ventures investment of approximately $408,225. A ~25-person core team supported by field trainers and a network of 50+ NGO implementation partners operates programs across 15 states and 25 cities, with reported outcomes of 12,500 youth skilled since 2020, a 75% placement rate, and an aspirational target of impacting one million households articulated in the 2024-25 Annual Report.
Head Held High firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Head Held High
- Legal name
- Head Held High Foundation
- Website
- https://head-held-high.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Head Held High Foundation is an India-based non-profit that delivers capability-building and skills-training programs to impoverished rural youth, marginalised women, and BPL households through a partnership-driven model funded primarily by corporate CSR grants and government contracts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Head Held High industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Vocational Skills Training & Social Services
- NAICS
- Educational Support Services (61171)
- SIC
- Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Adult Basic Education (ABE) & Foundational Skills Remediation (EDANAJAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Alternative Education & Dropout Prevention / Re-Engagement Programs (EDANAJAF), Dropout Prevention, Alternative Education & Re-Engagement Nonprofits (BPAGADAL), Entrepreneurship Foundations & Startup Basics (EDAMAHAA)
Keywords
Where Head Held High is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bangalore
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices4 records
Markets served
Head Held High business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- CSR Funding: Corporate Social Responsibility funding from company partners for implementing skilling and livelihood programs
- Philanthropic Donations: Individual and institutional donations for poverty alleviation programs, with active campaigns for vaccination drives, women's empowerment, and rural entrepreneurship
- Government Program Implementation: Partnerships with state governments (UP, Rajasthan) for implementing employment and skill development initiatives like Blue Dots AI platform
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Head Held High product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Head Held High Foundation delivers free skills training and capability building programs to marginalized rural Indian youth aged 18-30, combining mindset transformation with practical skills in English, life skills, logic, mathematics, and computers through the proprietary Make India Capable (MIC) curriculum. The organization also runs rural entrepreneurship programs for women, family-level poverty alleviation, and digital employment matching platforms. Programs are funded entirely through corporate CSR partnerships, government grants, and philanthropic donations, with no cost to beneficiaries.
Product overview
Head Held High Foundation operates as a collective of programs focused on poverty alleviation through capability building and youth empowerment in rural India. The organization runs multiple interconnected programs: Make India Capable (MIC) serves as the flagship youth transformation initiative providing skills training; Antarprerna Women Collectives drives rural entrepreneurship for women; Global Action on Poverty (GAP) supports changemakers and social innovators; Future Ready Guidance offers career preparedness; MARG addresses family-level poverty; and Social Security Access provides Community Response Centers for food, healthcare, and education. The Academy serves as the training delivery infrastructure, while Code Unnati (in partnership with UNDP and SAP Labs) focuses on digital skills and career guidance. Two Centres of Excellence—one for Youth Transformation and one for Entrepreneurship—serve as knowledge and methodology hubs. The organization primarily serves marginalized youth, women, and rural communities across Karnataka, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, and other Indian states.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Make India Capable (MIC): Flagship youth transformation program that educates and empowers impoverished youth between ages 18 to 30 to become socially conscious and responsible members of society.
- Antarprerna
- Global Action on Poverty (GAP)
- MARG
- Code Unnati
Quantifiable outcome
- 75% of trained youth are placed in jobs or self-employment
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Head Held High
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Head Held High technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Head Held High partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
20 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.
- EYsupportingSupporting partner for Blue Dots AI digital employment platform implementation in UP government initiative
- EkStep FoundationsupportingTechnology partner for Blue Dots AI platform providing digital infrastructure for job-skills matching
- Indian Hotels Company Limited (IHCL)coreIHCL partnered with HHH to train up to 1 lakh youth from rural areas in hospitality and retail sectors by 2030. Training programmes run for 45 days at skill centres established at Taj properties including Taj Tirupati, with beneficiaries mostly intermediate pass-outs or college dropouts.
- Tata STRIVEcoreIHCL's skilling initiative partner for delivering training programmes alongside HHH Foundation
- TCS (Tata Consultancy Services)supportingIHCL partnered with TCS for online training component to supplement physical skill centres and reach skilling targets
- Tata PowercoreCSR partner with Vivek Talwar (former CSO) serving as trustee. Partnership for rural development and skill training initiatives.
- Asian PaintscoreCSR impact partner sponsoring training programmes including Asian Paints-funded training at Patuck College, Vakola for women empowerment
- HCLcoreCSR Impact Partner supporting skill development and livelihood programmes
- Kotak Mahindra GroupcoreCSR Impact Partner for skill development initiatives
- ONGCcoreCSR partnership for livelihood development and skill training programmes
- UNDP IndiacoreImpact partner for various programmes including Code Unnati (career guidance with SAP Labs), Sach Honge Sapne campaign, and youth empowerment initiatives
- UNICEF IndiacoreYuWaah initiative partnership with Madan Padaki serving as Strategy Advisor. Partnership for youth skills and employment programmes.
- UN WomensupportingPartnership for women empowerment and gender equality initiatives
- ACCcoreACC Trust supports youth transformation programme including Gagal location in Himachal Pradesh and Antarprerna women collectives in Karnataka
- Jubilant BhartiacoreCSR Impact Partner for skill development and livelihood programmes
- Adani GroupcoreCSR partnership for poverty alleviation and skill development initiatives
- HDFC BanksupportingPartnership for financial inclusion and livelihood development
- HSBC IndiasupportingPartnership for skill development and financial inclusion initiatives
- SEWAcorePartnership for women empowerment and self-employment support for informal sector workers
- GAME (Global Alliance for Mass Entrepreneurship)coreCo-founded by Madan Padaki, catalyses stakeholders to ignite mass entrepreneurship movement
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Head Held High competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Barefoot College (Social Work and Research Centre): Rural-skills NGO training semi-literate village youth (often women and older learners) in solar engineering, water, education, and livelihoods with a learn-then-teach model. Comparable to HHH in its focus on rural under-educated adults and train-the-trainer methodology.
- SELCO Foundation: Bengaluru-based nonprofit focused on sustainable rural livelihoods through skill-building, energy access, and entrepreneurship for underserved communities. Comparable to HHH's rural entrepreneurship and livelihoods focus, though anchored in energy rather than hospitality/retail.
- Ambuja Cement Foundation: CSR arm of Ambuja Cement running rural livelihood, skill, and women-empowerment programs across multiple Indian states with their own training infrastructure. Comparable as a CSR-funded rural-skilling NGO operating across multiple geographies and partnering with HHH-style placement networks.
- Industree Foundation: India-based nonprofit building producer collectives and rural entrepreneurship — particularly for women — through training and market linkage. Closely comparable to HHH's Antarprerna Women Collectives and rural-women livelihood initiatives.
- Pratham Education Foundation: One of India's largest education-focused NGOs running vocational and remedial learning programs for youth and adults, including ASER and skill-building initiatives. Directly comparable to HHH's mission of foundational-skills remediation and livelihoods training for underprivileged populations.
- Magic Bus India Foundation: Youth-focused NGO that delivers livelihood-skilling and life-skills programs for adolescents and young adults from low-income communities, with strong corporate CSR partnerships and a defined placement funnel. Closely aligned with HHH's MIC curriculum and youth-transformation model.
- Quest Alliance: Bangalore-based nonprofit providing 21st-century skills, digital literacy, and career readiness for underprivileged youth, often in partnership with corporate CSR and government skilling programs. Comparable in target segment (rural youth 18-30), methodology (life + vocational skills), and CSR-funded delivery model.
Broad incumbents
- NASSCOM Foundation: Industry-body nonprofit that runs digital-skilling and employability programs for underserved youth using IT industry member support. Comparable in its CSR-funded, NGO-led digital-skills delivery and was a past HHH program partner (Head Held High Metta Fellowship).
- National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC): Public-private umbrella body under India's Ministry of Skill Development that funds and coordinates the country's largest skilling ecosystem through sector skill councils and training partners. Comparable as the broader skilling ecosystem that HHH's programs plug into via state skill missions.
- Tata STRIVE: Tata Group's skill-development initiative running training centres and short-format vocational courses for unemployed youth, and a named co-implementation partner with HHH on the IHCL program. Comparable as a corporate-affiliated skilling platform with overlapping target population and curriculum themes.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Head Held High social profiles
Digital presenceHead Held High compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Head Held High financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Head Held High leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Head Held High funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Head Held High M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Head Held High
What does Head Held High do?
Head Held High Foundation delivers free skills training and capability building programs to marginalized rural Indian youth aged 18-30, combining mindset transformation with practical skills in English, life skills, logic, mathematics, and computers through the proprietary Make India Capable (MIC) curriculum. The organization also runs rural entrepreneurship programs for women, family-level poverty alleviation, and digital employment matching platforms. Programs are funded entirely through corporate CSR partnerships, government grants, and philanthropic donations, with no cost to beneficiaries.
Is Head Held High a public or private company?
Head Held High is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Head Held High founded?
Head Held High was founded in 2007. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Head Held High based?
Head Held High is headquartered in Bangalore, India, in the Asia region.
How does Head Held High make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. CSR Funding is the primary driver. The others are philanthropic Donations and government Program Implementation.
Who are Head Held High's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Barefoot College (Social Work and Research Centre), SELCO Foundation, Ambuja Cement Foundation, Industree Foundation, Pratham Education Foundation, Magic Bus India Foundation and Quest Alliance. Broad incumbents are NASSCOM Foundation, National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and Tata STRIVE.
Does Head Held High have an API?
No public API is recorded for Head Held High.
What industry is Head Held High in?
Head Held High's product category is Vocational Skills Training & Social Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDANAJAK, Adult Basic Education (ABE) & Foundational Skills Remediation, with a secondary code of EDANAJAF, Alternative Education & Dropout Prevention / Re-Engagement Programs. Its NAICS code is 61171 and its SIC code is 8200.