What Aapti Institute does

Aapti Institute (legally Aapti-Episteme Research Foundation) is a Bengaluru-headquartered non-profit research institution operating at the intersection of technology and society. It employs a team of approximately 25-46 social scientists, lawyers, public policy researchers, and engineers, and is led by Founder Dr. Sarayu Natarajan (PhD, King's College London; former McKinsey, Elevar Equity, Gray Matters Capital) and Co-Founder Astha Kapoor (former Dalberg, Azim Premji Philanthropic Initiatives; visiting fellow at Indiana University's Ostrom Workshop). The institute is organized into two thematic labs—the Data Economy Lab and the Digital Public Lab—and produces public, open-access outputs including the DPI Governance Guide, Bias Mapping and Mitigation Framework, Data Stewardship Playbook, Inclusion Hub Community of Practice (COP: ID), the workplace data worker research initiative, and a play-based methodology using games to translate policy research into accessible formats.

Its core intellectual property consists of frameworks, taxonomies, and playbooks produced through extensive qualitative research including literature review, case studies, expert interviews, and stakeholder consultations. Notable technical/structural artifacts include an interactive DPI Governance Guide at dpi.aapti.in, a Community of Practice hosted at inclusion.aapti.in and steered with MOSIP, and the Stewards Navigator and Gender Inclusion ID tools. The institute contributes formal submissions to Indian government consultations (Personal Data Protection Bill, Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers Bill, AI Governance Guidelines) and contributed to India's G20 Presidency; research collaborations extend across South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa, the EU, and the US, with engagement relevant to digital ID systems covering 550 million+ people.

The revenue model is grant-based philanthropy with no commercial product. Income derives from institutional grants and donations from foundations including Google.org (responsible AI), Omidyar Network (participatory data governance), Wellcome and Alzheimer's Society (health data ethics), and Bosch (data infrastructure in migration). All outputs—research reports, frameworks, guides, workshops—are freely accessible. The go-to-market motion is research-to-policy influence using content (blog, newsletter, LinkedIn), events and workshops (including gamified sessions at Infosys, Science Gallery Bengaluru, AI DevCon, and with the Australian DFAT), community-of-practice models (COP: ID), and formal policy submissions. Named partners span academic institutions (IIT Madras CeRAI, Cambridge Data Trust Initiative, Indiana University Ostrom Workshop), multilaterals (World Bank ID4D, UNDP, UN agencies), and civil society (MOSIP, ODI, Data2X, Data Privacy Brasil, Open Data Manchester, Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy).

Name

Aapti Institute

Legal name

Aapti-Episteme Research Foundation

Website

https://aapti.in

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aapti Institute is a Bengaluru-based non-profit research institution generating public, policy-relevant knowledge at the intersection of technology and society. It produces open-access frameworks, playbooks, and tools on AI governance, digital public infrastructure, data stewardship, and digital inclusion for governments, multilaterals, and civil society.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Policy Research and Technology Governance

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Human Rights Organizations (813311)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Audit, Explainability & Accountability Tooling (traceability, reporting) (HDAAAKAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regulatory Readiness & Audit Automation (e.g., EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001) (HDAAAMAE), Human Oversight, Review & Content Moderation Tooling (HDAAAMAH), Responsible AI, Security & Privacy Platforms (Safety, Guardrails, PII) (HDAEANAG)

Keywords

• Policy research services
• Data governance advisory
• AI ethics research
• Digital public infrastructure
• Participatory data stewardship

Headquarters

HQ city

Bengaluru

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Foundation and Philanthropic Grants: Aapti Institute is funded primarily through grants and donations from foundations and philanthropic organisations. Notable funders include Google.org (Responsible AI research), Omidyar Network (participatory data governance), Wellcome and Alzheimer's Society (health data ethics), and Bosch (data infrastructure in migration). The institute generates public, policy-relevant research and knowledge outputs rather than commercial products.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Aapti Institute is an independent non-profit research institution that conducts interdisciplinary research and produces publicly accessible frameworks, playbooks, guides, and interactive digital tools at the intersection of technology and society. Its work spans digital public infrastructure governance, AI value chain bias mapping, participatory data stewardship, platform governance, and digital inclusion, delivered to governments, multilateral organisations, civil society and foundations through funded research projects, policy submissions, stakeholder workshops, and community-of-practice initiatives.

Product overview

Aapti Institute is a research institution that operates as a platform of interconnected research labs, frameworks, tools, and community initiatives focused on technology and society. The core comprises the Data Economy Lab and Digital Public Lab, supplemented by specialized products including the DPI Governance Guide (a lifecycle guide for digital public infrastructure stakeholders), the Data Stewardship Playbook (strategies for participatory data governance across environment, healthcare, and urban sectors), and The Inclusion Hub (community of practice for gender-inclusive digital identity). The institute also develops games and simulations as methodologies for translating policy research into accessible formats. Research projects span workplace conditions for data workers, migration digital infrastructure, women's digital trust, bias mapping in AI value chains, digital identity systems, and information integrity across platforms. Together, these products form a comprehensive ecosystem for understanding and improving technology governance and societal impact.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Data Economy Lab: A space for cutting edge research for a responsible data economy, where people are able to realise their data rights.
• Digital Public Lab
• Responsible AI in Practice

Products and services

• Data Economy Lab A research vertical conducting cutting-edge research on a responsible data economy where people can realise their data rights, focused on data sharing, data stewardship, and governance models including data cooperatives.
• Digital Public Lab A research vertical focused on inclusion, access, and equity for digital transformations on the ground, with emphasis on digital public infrastructure and its governance.
• DPI Governance Guide An interactive digital guide that walks key stakeholders through the lifecycle of digital public infrastructure, outlining guiding principles and tools to operationalise them. Targeted at governments, policymakers, and practitioners implementing DPI.
• Fostering Participatory Data Stewardship Playbook A playbook providing practical strategies for stakeholders to enact participatory data stewardship across the environment, healthcare, and urban governance sectors, with sector-specific challenges and approaches.
• Bias Mapping and Mitigation Framework for AI Value Chain A structured framework that maps where biases get entrenched across the AI value chain — pre-development, development, and adaptation stages — and provides mitigation strategies, including sector-specific analyses for finance, health, and education. Targeted at AI practitioners, policymakers, and regulators.
• Responsible AI in Practice: Ensuring Fairness and Trust A major research report examining bias in AI across stages from data collection to deployment and AI's dual role in digital integrity and cybersecurity, with recommendations for systemic interventions to ensure fairness and accountability. Targeted at AI practitioners, policymakers, and the broader AI governance ecosystem.
• Decoding AI Development: The Efficacy of the Value Chain Ontology A research paper applying the value chain ontology to AI development, distinguishing it from supply chain approaches and examining actors, processes, and bias sources across AI development stages.
• The Inclusion Hub (Community of Practice: ID) An online community platform and Community of Practice consolidating research, information, and resources to inform gender-inclusive design thinking for digital identity systems. Includes the Gender Inclusion ID Tool. Targeted at the digital identity ecosystem and its stakeholders.
• Games and Simulations for Policy Research A play-based gamified learning methodology used to translate policy research into accessible interactive learning experiences, including games on negotiating justice, responsible AI, AI labour harms, and online scams.
• Workplace for Data Workers Research Project A research initiative examining the working conditions, rights, and welfare of data workers across AI supply chains.
• Data On The Move Research Project A research initiative tracing risks and rights within migration digital infrastructure and examining how data systems affect migrant populations.
• Unbundling Women's Digital Trust Research Project A research initiative examining women's decision-making and experiences of building trust with digital platforms.
• How to Build a Data Cooperative: A Practitioner's Handbook A practitioner's handbook providing practical guidance for establishing and operating data cooperatives across different sectors, co-developed with Data2X and Open Data Manchester.

Quantifiable outcome

• DPI Governance Guide developed through extensive qualitative research including literature review, case studies, expert interactions, and stakeholder consultations
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• MOSIP (Modular Open Source Identity Platform)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMOSIP serves as a founding steering committee member of the Community of Practice: ID (COP: ID) hosted by Aapti's Inclusion Hub. MOSIP is a modular open-source identity platform helping governments implement digital foundational ID. The partnership focuses on strengthening gender-inclusive practices in digital identity systems through co-created, reflexive, and robust research.
• Open Data InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVinay Narayan, Manager at Aapti, co-leads the Participatory Data programme with the Open Data Institute. This collaboration focuses on advancing participatory data governance models and data stewardship practices through joint research and programme activities.
• Centre for Responsible AI, IIT MadrascoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA collaboration on AI research examining the introduction of AI in higher education assessments and the broader societal impact of AI in everyday life. This partnership investigates equity, accountability, and the future of learning, work, and life in an AI-mediated world in India.
• COIN Network / CeRAIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe COIN Network (through CeRAI) supported Aapti's research collaboration with IIT Madras on AI futures in college learning and daily life, examining AI's impact on higher education and broader society.
• Data2X and Open Data ManchesterminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAapti collaborated with Data2X and Open Data Manchester to develop the 'How to Build a Data Cooperative: A Practitioner's Handbook', providing practical guidance for establishing and operating data cooperatives across different sectors.
• Data Privacy BrasilminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA joint submission by Aapti Institute and Data Privacy Brasil to the UNDP and OSET on 'Leveraging DPI for Safe and Inclusive Societies', demonstrating cross-border collaborative policy advocacy on digital public infrastructure.
• Open Data InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAapti and ODI collaborated on research examining new rights and governance models in digital ecosystems, contributing to the broader discourse on digital rights and data governance.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AI Now Institute: AI Now Institute is a US-based research institute producing interdisciplinary research on AI accountability, bias, and policy implications. It is closely comparable to Aapti's Bias Mapping Framework and Responsible AI work as a peer think tank focused on AI governance.
• Ada Lovelace Institute: Ada Lovelace Institute is a UK-based research institute focused on the social and ethical implications of data and AI. It overlaps directly with Aapti's work on AI ethics, data governance frameworks, and inclusion.
• Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy: Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy is an India-based legal policy think tank working on data protection, digital governance, and regulatory reform. It overlaps with Aapti through shared concerns on India's Personal Data Protection Bill and digital rights, and shares alumni researchers.
• The Quantum Hub: The Quantum Hub is an India-based technology policy research and communications organization working on digital rights, AI, and platform regulation. It is comparable to Aapti as a peer Indian tech-policy research outfit, and shares alumni researchers.
• Data & Society Research Institute: Data & Society is a US-based research institute examining the social implications of data-centric technologies and automation. It is comparable to Aapti in being an interdisciplinary research organization addressing technology and society, including AI governance and platform accountability.
• Centre for Communication Governance (NLU Delhi): Centre for Communication Governance at National Law University Delhi conducts research on technology law, AI regulation, and digital rights in India. Aapti draws researchers from CCG, and the two share overlapping remits in AI policy and freedom of expression online.
• IT for Change: IT for Change is an India-based non-profit working on digital rights, platform governance, and data justice. It is comparable to Aapti as a domestic Indian peer addressing digital public infrastructure, platform labour, and data governance from a rights-based perspective.
• Open Data Institute: The ODI is a UK-based non-profit research and advocacy organization that works on data governance, data stewardship, and data cooperatives — overlapping directly with Aapti's Data Economy Lab and participatory data stewardship playbook. Aapti co-leads the Participatory Data programme with ODI.

Broad incumbents

• World Wide Web Foundation: World Wide Web Foundation is a global non-profit researching digital rights, internet access, and AI governance. It shares themes with Aapti's DPI and digital inclusion research but operates as a much larger global advocacy organization.
• Mozilla Foundation: Mozilla Foundation is a global non-profit advocating for an open, accessible internet and trustworthy AI. It is comparable to Aapti through overlapping focus areas (AI accountability, web openness, digital rights) but operates at significantly broader scale and remit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aapti-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Aapti Institute