Priya Khimji

A visionary Indian entrepreneur who pioneered accessible education technology for rural girls through her startup 'EduNest'

Priya Khimji is a 34-year-old innovator from Bangalore whose work in educational technology has transformed access to learning for over 500,000 girls in rural India since 2020. Through her startup EduNest, she developed solar-powered tablets preloaded with gender-sensitive curricula that address cultural barriers to education. This initiative directly challenges systemic inequities - in regions where only 38% of girls complete secondary education, EduNest's programs have achieved 92% retention rates through community partnerships with local NGOs like Save the Children India.

Khimji's breakthrough came after a 2019 UNICEF fellowship where she prototyped low-bandwidth educational apps. Her TEDx Bangalore talk (2021) went viral, securing $2.1M in grants from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. She recently partnered with Arduino to introduce coding modules, creating a pipeline for girls into tech careers. Her work was featured in Forbes' 30 Under 30 Asia 2023 and inspired similar programs in Bangladesh and Nepal.