At just 16 years old, Pranjali Awasthi, an Indian entrepreneur, garnered impressive recognition for securing $450,000 (Rs 3.7 crore) in funding for her Artificial Intelligence startup, Delv.AI.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Pranjali Awasthi, born in India in 2007, moved to Florida, USA, with her family at the age of 11. Her father is an engineer, and she is currently unmarried. She holds Indian nationality and has a penchant for Indian snacks, particularly Parle G and momos.
PHYSICAL APPEARANCE
Height :- Not Known
Weight :- Not Known
Eye Colour :- Black
Hair Colour :- Black
CAREER
Starting at the age of 13, she embarked on her internship in university research labs at Florida International University. Balancing her work on machine learning projects, she also pursued her high school education at Doral Academy Charter High School, specializing in Linear Algebra and Calculus.
Pranjali Awasthi initiated her venture, Delv.AI, while interning in university research labs. She gained acceptance into the HF0 residency in September 2021, marking the launch of her product. Her roles encompassed searches, data extraction, and literature review crafting. In 2020, upon the unveiling of OpenAI’s ChatGPT-3 beta, she astutely identified its capacity to advance research data extraction and summarization.
Despite Delv.AI being in its early stages, Pranjali was resolute in her mission to establish a machine learning-driven company aimed at data extraction and breaking down data silos. Her HF0 fellowship concluded when she secured her initial investment from On Desk and Village Global. This seed funding, received in early 2022, empowered her to hire her first engineer and initiate the development of a minimum-viable product. Throughout her fellowship, she forged strong connections within the AI community, and thanks to a successful Product Hunt launch, these connections played a pivotal role in subsequent fundraising endeavors. Ultimately, she managed to secure $450,000 in funding from a combination of funds and angel investors, including Lucy Guo and Village Global, resulting in a valuation of approximately $12 million.
Pranjali’s dedication to social entrepreneurship traces back to her childhood in India. While spending time with her grandfather, a farmer, she witnessed his mentorship of village children in developing their artisanal skills. She fondly remembers the chic and trendy handmade fashion items they crafted. Recognizing the global appeal of these creations, she conceived a plan to sell them directly, eliminating intermediaries that often left the artisans with meager earnings. This inspiration led to the creation of ‘Indic Valley,’ an online platform designed to showcase these artisanal works. Her overarching goal is to empower these craftsmen by providing them with ownership and control over their creations within this platform.
AWARD
1) Associate Member designation granted by the Masason Foundation in June 2023.
2) HF0 Fellow status awarded by Backend Capital in September 2021.
3) AIME Qualifier certification sanctioned by the Mathematics Association of America in February 2021.
