Kirthiga Reddy, CEO and Co-founder of Verix, and former Managing Director of Facebook India, and the first female investing partner at SoftBank’s $130B Vision Fund, has launched AI Kiran, a $3 million non-profit initiative aimed at accelerating the participation of Indian women in artificial intelligence.
Launched on 21st April 2025, in alignment with UN Creativity and Innovation Day, AI Kiran is supported by the Office of the Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India and is hosted on the Manthan platform. The initiative will provide mentorship, leadership development pathways and blockchain-verified recognition to cross-functional women leaders in critical sectors such as healthcare, sustainability, and technology.
AI Kiran has garnered the backing of influential organisations including nasscom, AspireForHer, Youth Ki Awaaz, Karya, AnitaB.org, SheTO and INKWomen Foundation. With a mission to reach and empower 1 million women over the next year, the programme seeks to build a robust pipeline of female talent in AI and related fields.
Set against the backdrop of India’s rapidly growing $17 billion AI industry (projected by 2027), AI Kiran represents a significant step toward inclusive innovation, aiming to amplify the global representation of Indian women in tech leadership and AI advancement.
