UC Berkeley SCET Forms Partnership with Purpose Academy to Prepare High School Students to Become Responsible Business Leaders

• UC Berkeley’s Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology (SCET) ties up with 1M1B’s Purpose academy. Applications invited for summer batch, June 2021
• Selected students will be paired with grassroots organization and NGO’s. The student teams will deliver practical solution to address a specific challenge with hands on learning on systems thinking and responsible AI
• 1M1B aims to reach out to 1 million students in India and Singapore next 3 years. Selection based on interviews with top students getting an opportunity to present at UC Berkeley

New Delhi, April 26, 2021: The Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology (SCET) at the University of California, Berkeley has announced a new partnership with The Purpose Academy, a program by 1M1B (One Million for One Billion) in partnership with the Innovation Acceleration Group (IAG) to engage the brightest young minds to solve the world’s most complex problems, enabling them to become responsible business leaders by giving a unique exposure to real-time problem solving to create real impact. SCET will help support the initiative by connecting students with the UC Berkeley campus and faculty, and by providing mentorship from UC Berkeley students.

With abundant guidance from world-renowned leaders, faculty and mentors with diverse portfolios – the program equips students with technology, ideas, creativity, resources, and motivation to build disruptive solutions. The Purpose Academy provides a real-life impact lab environment in which students discover not just what makes impact initiatives successful and scalable, but also what makes them fail. Students are then paired with a grassroots organization from the villages of India and are given real challenges to solve using systems thinking and responsible AI.

Ken Singer, Managing Director, UC Berkeley SCET said “Technology has the power to change the world for good. We need young leaders who are just not just skilled in technology but are also learning to use technology responsibly. We are excited to partner with 1M1B in this mission and we look forward to hosting the top students from the Purpose Academy at UC Berkeley"

Manav Subodh- Co Founder of 1M1B said that “Students today face an unpredictable future, full of complicated economic, social, and environmental issues. While schoolwork focuses on the general educational curriculum, The Purpose Academy enables high school and senior school students to gain crucial future skills that will assist them in becoming real problem solvers and create a pathway to become responsible business leaders”.

After a successful pilot batch, The Purpose Academy is inviting applications for the summers program (June- August 2021). The batch size is limited to 25 students and selections are based on interviews. Top Students are given an opportunity to showcase their work at SCET, UC Berkeley.

About UC Berkeley SCET

The Sutardja Center for Entrepreneurship & Technology is a global innovation hub headquartered at UC Berkeley’s College of Engineering, where aspiring entrepreneurs take deep dives into the world of technology entrepreneurship and embark on the path to developing exciting new ventures. The Center researches emerging technologies in its labs and offers a suite of courses and programs for students, executives, and global innovators. The Center has recently launched new labs focused on innovation in data science, artificial intelligence, blockchain and meat alternatives. Additionally, academics from around the world visit the Center to learn about the Berkeley Method of Entrepreneurship, a unique innovation pedagogy that focuses on mindset training for innovators and entrepreneurs. UC Berkeley is the world’s #1 public university and ranks as the #2 university for startups and entrepreneurs, according to Pitchbook. UC Berkeley has been at the forefront of innovation in emerging technologies such as blockchain and cryptocurrency.

About 1M1B Foundation:

1 Million For 1 Billion (1M1B), is a social innovation and future skills initiative aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Established in the United States of America in October 2014, 1M1B is a United Nations accredited 501c3 non-profit organization with special consultative status to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and associated with the United Nations Department of Global Communications. In India 1M1B Foundation has been given the GuideStar seal of transparency and was also awarded the prestigious Great Place to Work certificate. 1M1B programs are available in over 200 schools and 152 villages of India. Over the last 3 years 1M1B has trained over 15,000 youth on Responsible AI and leadership. Over 120 youth from India have presented their work at the United Nations, New York.1M1B exists to activate 1 million leaders who will impact 1 billion people to create a world with balanced prosperity.