IIT Kharagpur
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IIT Kharagpur Foundation (USA) NEWSLETTER

Volume: 3.23.2024

Dear Reader,

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

Support Entrepreneurship and Innovation at IIT KGP

IITKGP Alumni Vinay Kumar (1991/B.Tech) Appointed as next Ambassador of the Russian Federation

Vinay Kumar, current Ambassador of India to Myanmar, has been appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Russian Federation. He is expected to start his new assignment shortly. Upon graduation from IITKGP, Mr. Kumar joined the Indian Foreign Service (IFS) in 1992 after completing his B.Tech (honors) from IITKGP in 1991. Vinay has also been India’s Ambassador to Afghanistan from 2018-20 and India’s Political Coordinator in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in 2011 and 2012. He has also served in Indian Missions at Tashkent, Bishkek, Ottawa, Warsaw Tehran, Permanent Mission of India in New York and Kathmandu. 

Kumar will be responsible for steering India’s relations with Russia at a delicate juncture. India has faced considerable pressure from the West over its stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine while working behind the scenes to help end the conflict. 

2016 IITKGP Alumnus Anupam Pedarla named to Forbes 30 under 30

IITKGP alumnus Anupam Pedarla (2016/B.Tech/MME) met his cofounders Sashank Reddy Gujjula and Rahul Attuluri (both IITians) while working at their first jobs at a startup incubator in Hyderabad. As part of their job role, Pedarla and Gujjula would go to tier 2 and 3 colleges to create awareness among the students about the latest technologies, the skills they should be acquiring, and entrepreneurship, recalls Gujjula. Pedarla and Gujjula identified the need for a bridge between academia and industry and created a startup that aligns curriculum to what companies expect from students. With 1.5-2 lakh (150,000 - 200,000) students on WhatsApp groups, their startup, NxtWave, has helped over 1,700 companies hire their tech talent.

Anupam is on the left with his cofounder Sashank Reddy Gujjula of the startup NxtWave Disruptive Technologies

NxtWave offers transformative learning experiences that empower learners for high-demand roles in technology. “We try to understand what companies are expecting from the students and align the curriculum to that. So we coined a term called reverse-engineered curriculum,” says Pedarla. In the last three years, NxtWave has helped close to 1,700 companies hire their tech talent and is in touch with more than 3,000 companies across India and other countries. They aim to produce 1 million job-ready, new-age developers every year.

In February 2023, NxtWave raised ₹275 ($33 million) crore led by Greater Pacific Capital, a leading international private equity firm. The startup is also backed by Orios Ventures, Better Capital and marquee angels, including founders of some of India’s unicorns. 

NxtWave is an official partner for NSDC, under the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship, Govt. of India, and recognized by NASSCOM, Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Govt. of India, and Startup India. By offering vernacular content and interactive learning, NxtWave is breaking the entry barrier for learning tech skills. Learning in their mother tongue helps learners achieve higher comprehension, deeper attention, longer retention, and greater outcomes. NxtWave now has paid subscribers from 450+ districts across India. In just 2 years, CCBP 4.0 learners have been hired by 1250+ companies including Google, Amazon, Nvidia, Goldman Sachs, Oracle, Deloitte, and more.

URGENT REQUEST FROM IITKGPF 

The IITKGPF database has nearly 16,000 alums registered, yet 10,000 of those alums have not included important background information like residence hall, graduation year, or major in their profile. For us to be effective in connecting and engaging alumni across years and halls, it is important to have an accurate and complete database. With a number of important initiatives underway to help IITKGP stay world class, like updating the aging residence halls, we are seeking to update our database with this information.

We kindly request that you add your residence hall, graduation year, and major to your account. To do so,

1. Login to the foundation website

2. Once logged in, click on "Welcome" and then "Update My Profile"

3. Scroll down and update the IIT Kharagpur Background section

It will only take 2-3 minutes of your time.

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