Inqui-Lab Foundation

What Inqui-Lab Foundation does

Inqui-Lab Foundation (legally Inqui-Lab Inventions Foundation) is a registered Indian non-profit founded in 2017 and headquartered in Hyderabad, Telangana, that delivers design-thinking and social-innovation education programs to school and college students. The organization operates a portfolio of six interconnected programs: Think & Make (in-school program for 8th and 9th graders, 5,000+ alumni), UniSolve/SIC (a UNICEF and YuWaah co-developed digital Social Innovation Framework based on the UPSHIFT curriculum), Youth For Social Impact (college program with Y-Hub and TSIC), Jigyasa Club (Odisha government schools), Project DESI (Human-Centered Design mentorship for student innovators), and Maya Bazaar (a physical makerspace in Hyderabad).

The core methodology is Human-Centered Design (Design Thinking), adapted for South Asian contexts through a blended in-person facilitation and digital delivery model. The organization reaches students across Telangana, Odisha, and Karnataka, with Telangana welfare schools (TSWREIS/TTWREIS) and over 30 government schools accessed through a long-standing Salesforce India CSR partnership as anchor accounts. The advisory board includes Mekin Maheshwari (Udhyam/Flipkart), Shobu Yarlagadda (Arka Mediaworks), Tarun Cherukuri (Indus Action), and Dr. Archana Pillai (NSRCEL IIM-B).

As a non-profit, Inqui-Lab does not generate commercial revenue; operating funds come from corporate CSR grants (Salesforce, Bosch, Samsung, Wells Fargo, Wipro, Chemonics, Annapurna Studios), institutional partnerships (UNICEF, YuWaah), and government education board collaborations. Pricing for programs is not publicly disclosed, and the go-to-market motion is community-led, relying on school- and college-level partnerships rather than fee-based services.

Name

Inqui-Lab Foundation

Legal name

Inqui-Lab Inventions Foundation

Website

https://inquilabfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Inqui-Lab Foundation is a Hyderabad-based Indian non-profit delivering Human-Centered Design and social-innovation programs (Think & Make, UniSolve, YFSI, Jigyasa Club, Project DESI, Maya Bazaar) to middle-school, high-school, and college students across Telangana, Odisha, and Karnataka, funded primarily through corporate CSR grants and UNICEF partnerships.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Education Services (K-12 and College Innovation Programs)

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Access & EdTech for Equity (Low-cost Learning, Skills Platforms) (BPAGALAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Advanced Project-Based Learning & Portfolio Mentoring (STEM/arts portfolios, maker projects) (EDANAKAI), Makerspaces & Fab Labs (Open Build Studios) (EDAMADAC), STEM, Digital Skills & Innovation Partnerships (EDADALAJ)

Keywords

• Education innovation programs
• Design thinking curriculum
• School social innovation
• Youth changemaker training
• Student makerspace

Headquarters

HQ city

Hyderabad

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: As a registered non-profit organization, Inqui-Lab Foundation generates revenue through donations, grants, and corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding from partners. They accept contributions from overseas donors as per regulatory guidelines.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Inqui-Lab Foundation is a registered non-profit that designs and delivers Human-Centered Design (Design Thinking) based educational innovation programs for school and college students in India. Its offerings include school-based programs (Think & Make, Jigyasa Club, Project DESI), a UNICEF-co-created digital Social Innovation Framework (UniSolve/SIC), a college changemaker program (Youth For Social Impact), and a physical prototyping makerspace (Maya Bazaar), all delivered through partnerships with schools, state governments, UNICEF/YuWaah, and corporate CSR funders.

Product overview

Inqui-Lab Foundation is a non-profit organization offering a portfolio of educational innovation programs focused on nurturing future leaders, changemakers, innovators, and entrepreneurs. The organization operates as a single integrated educational platform with six interconnected programs: Think & Make (for middle school students), UniSolve/SIC (a UNICEF-backed digital innovation framework), Youth For Social Impact (for college students), Jigyasa Club (government school collaboration), Project DESI (human-centered design mentorship), and Maya Bazaar (a physical makerspace). These programs collectively utilize design thinking methodology to bridge academic knowledge with practical application, serving students across school and college levels through partnerships with UNICEF, YuWaah, Y-Hub, TSIC, and various state government education boards.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Think & Make: School Program for 8th and 9th grade students working together in teams to tackle real-world challenges through hands-on projects, teamwork, and design thinking. Over 5,000 students have participated.
• UniSolve (SIC)
• Youth For Social Impact (YFSI)
• Jigyasa Club
• Project DESI
• Maya Bazaar

Products and services

• Think & Make (School Program) A school program for 8th and 9th grade students where they work in teams to tackle real-world challenges through hands-on projects, teamwork, and design thinking to develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills.
• UniSolve (SIC) A digital Social Innovation Framework for middle-high school students across multiple Indian states, built in collaboration with UNICEF's Office of Innovation and YuWaah, based on the UPSHIFT curriculum and delivered through a blended in-person and digital model.
• Youth For Social Impact (YFSI) A college students program that utilizes the potential of youth to address pressing societal issues through human-centric approaches, delivered in collaboration with Y-Hub, TSIC, and UNICEF.
• Jigyasa Club A program delivered in collaboration with Mo Schools, Board of Environment Education (Govt. of Odisha), and UNICEF that celebrates children's innate curiosity and bridges classroom knowledge with real-world applications.
• Project DESI A foundational program based on Human-Centered Design (Design Thinking) that enables students to develop ideas of their choice through hands-on projects and mentorship, turning ideas into prototypes and moving from binary education to practical knowledge.
• Maya Bazaar Makerspace A fully-equipped makerspace that gives students the freedom, tools, and support to bring their ideas to life using a human-centered design thinking approach, fostering problem-solving, brainstorming, and prototyping skills.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 students have participated in Think & Make program
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• UNICEF (Office of Innovation & YuWaah)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with UNICEF's Office of Innovation and YuWaah to build a digital Social Innovation Framework customized for South Asian countries based on the UPSHIFT curriculum. UniSolve (SIC) program delivered through a blended model.
• Y-HubcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the Youth For Social Impact (YFSI) program, collaborating to inspire and support young changemakers to tackle grassroots problems.
• TSIC (Telangana Social Innovation Challenge)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Youth For Social Impact (YFSI) program supporting youth innovation and social impact initiatives.
• Mo Schools, Board of Environment Education, Govt. Of OdishacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment partnership delivering the Jigyasa Club program that celebrates innate curiosity of children and bridges classroom knowledge with real-world applications.
• Udhyam Learning FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory board member Mekin Maheshwari (Founder) provides strategic guidance. Organization shares similar mission of empowering young people through education and innovation.
• Harvard Innovation LabstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcosystem partner providing innovation framework insights and credibility to the organization's approach.
• Teach For IndiastrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcosystem partner with shared mission of improving education outcomes. Founder Shaheen Mistry serves as advisor and advocate.
• Quest AlliancestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcosystem partner in the education and innovation space, supporting skills development initiatives.
• AcumenstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcosystem partner providing social enterprise and impact investing perspective.
• TSWREIS/TTWREIS (Telangana)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment welfare educational institutions delivering Inqui-Lab programs to students, with observed improvements in creativity, presentation skills, and confidence.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Acumen (India): Global impact investor with India operations funding education and social enterprises. Identified as an Inqui-Lab ecosystem partner; comparable as an ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, sharing the social-impact/education funding space.

Direct peers

• Udhyam Learning Foundation: Indian non-profit focused on entrepreneurial mindset and 21st-century skills for youth from underserved backgrounds. Strong peer given shared mission, overlapping funder ecosystems, and advisory board overlap (Mekin Maheshwari is Udhyam's founder).
• Dream a Dream: Bengaluru-based non-profit empowering young people from vulnerable backgrounds through life-skills and creative learning programs. Comparable model serving Indian school students with experiential, non-academic curricula.
• Magic Bus India Foundation: Large India-based non-profit delivering education and livelihood programs for adolescents in government schools. Comparable in targeting government school students and operating multi-state CSR-funded programs.
• Quest Alliance: India-based non-profit building life and employability skills for young people through technology-enabled programs. Direct peer identified as an Inqui-Lab ecosystem partner with comparable youth-skill development focus.
• Design for Change: Global non-profit that originated the "I CAN" school design-thinking challenge from India, now operating in 60+ countries. Directly comparable to Inqui-Lab's Think & Make and Project DESI programs in targeting K-12 design-thinking curriculum delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Teach For India: Major Indian non-profit placing teachers in low-income schools to address educational inequity. Identified as an Inqui-Lab ecosystem partner; serves as a broader incumbent in the same impact zone with significantly larger scale.
• Pratham Education Foundation: One of India's largest education NGOs running nationwide learning programs for underprivileged children. A broad incumbent with overlapping government-school focus but at materially larger scale and broader scope.
• NASSCOM Foundation: Indian tech industry's social arm running large-scale digital skilling and STEM programs for students from underserved communities. A broad incumbent with overlapping focus on digital innovation education for government school students.

Emerging players

• TinkerLabs / tinkering labs under Atal Innovation Mission: Government of India initiative establishing tinkering labs and makerspaces in schools nationwide. Emerging institutional competitor addressing similar hands-on innovation/maker infrastructure in government schools.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Inqui-Lab
• Facebookfacebook.com/inquilabfoundation
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/inqui-lab
• Instagraminstagram.com/17841406120691088

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Inqui-Lab Foundation