Be it magnetic buttons on shirts for those with disability or helmets that keep the wearer cool in scorching weather, such design prototypes are being built by school kids with the support of Inqui-lab
Inqui-lab Foundation, a non-profit organisation, aims to design and create platforms and interventions that help government schools become hubs of creativity and innovation.
Inqui-lab Foundation is currently incubated at NSRCEL, the entrepreneurship and innovation development centre at IIM Bangalore, as a part of the Social Cohort Program 2019. Sahithya Anumolu, Co-founder, Inqui-lab Foundation, says the sessions at NSRCEL helped her develop a framework for her venture and exposed her to aspects such as design, finance, sustainability and impact. The team at Inqui-lab comprises Eshwar, Vivek, Abhishek and Shramanth. Sahithya says it’s important for the founder of a start-up to never lose sight of why she/ he launched a business irrespective of the challenges that come with building an organisation.”
Some examples of innovations by students that Inqui-lab works with include a shirt with magnetic buttons designed by ten-year-old Arif so that his disabled friend can independently dress himself. Jayanthi, a student in a government school, aspires to make a solar cooling helmet, so that motorists don’t avoid wearing helmets in the summer.
“Our mentors at NSRCEL push us to think differently, carve out a unique proposition and work more effectively. The NSRCEL team and the cohort of incubatees become our go-to people when we have a challenge at hand—from decision-making to social media strategies to fundraising tips. The 10+ opportunities we received to pitch to review panels, funders, and mentors have helped us articulate our work better and crystalize our external communications.”
This year, as an incubatee, Inqui-lab has made long strides in productizing their program into workbooks and kits, which is currently being piloted across the schools they work in. The team visited The Timbaktu Collective, an NGO in Andhra Pradesh last month, which revealed interesting possibilities when an NGO works at depth consistently, even if the geographical location is small. NSRCEL has helped Inqui-lab collaborate with graduates from HEC Paris and has also arranged for an international exposure visit to Israel in December 2019.
Inqui-lab is currently working towards designing a two-year weekly innovation program that can be adopted in government high schools or tinkering labs to encourage problem-solving skills and induce creative confidence, design thinking, collaboration and prototyping abilities in students.
This year, the team working across 25 schools in Telangana and Bangalore, has reached 1800+ students.
Be it magnetic buttons on shirts for those with disability or helmets that keep the wearer cool in scorching weather, such design prototypes are being built by school kids with the support of Inqui-lab
Inqui-lab Foundation, a non-profit organisation, aims to design and create platforms and interventions that help government schools become hubs of creativity and innovation.
Inqui-lab Foundation is currently incubated at NSRCEL, the entrepreneurship and innovation development centre at IIM Bangalore, as a part of the Social Cohort Program 2019. Sahithya Anumolu, Co-founder, Inqui-lab Foundation, says the sessions at NSRCEL helped her develop a framework for her venture and exposed her to aspects such as design, finance, sustainability and impact. The team at Inqui-lab comprises Eshwar, Vivek, Abhishek and Shramanth. Sahithya says it’s important for the founder of a start-up to never lose sight of why she/ he launched a business irrespective of the challenges that come with building an organisation.”
Some examples of innovations by students that Inqui-lab works with include a shirt with magnetic buttons designed by ten-year-old Arif so that his disabled friend can independently dress himself. Jayanthi, a student in a government school, aspires to make a solar cooling helmet, so that motorists don’t avoid wearing helmets in the summer.
“Our mentors at NSRCEL push us to think differently, carve out a unique proposition and work more effectively. The NSRCEL team and the cohort of incubatees become our go-to people when we have a challenge at hand—from decision-making to social media strategies to fundraising tips. The 10+ opportunities we received to pitch to review panels, funders, and mentors have helped us articulate our work better and crystalize our external communications.”
This year, as an incubatee, Inqui-lab has made long strides in productizing their program into workbooks and kits, which is currently being piloted across the schools they work in. The team visited The Timbaktu Collective, an NGO in Andhra Pradesh last month, which revealed interesting possibilities when an NGO works at depth consistently, even if the geographical location is small. NSRCEL has helped Inqui-lab collaborate with graduates from HEC Paris and has also arranged for an international exposure visit to Israel in December 2019.
Inqui-lab is currently working towards designing a two-year weekly innovation program that can be adopted in government high schools or tinkering labs to encourage problem-solving skills and induce creative confidence, design thinking, collaboration and prototyping abilities in students.
This year, the team working across 25 schools in Telangana and Bangalore, has reached 1800+ students.