Binny Bansal gives Rs 70 crore for the Institute

UC Berkeley partnership to drive AI+X solutions

India, April 1st 2025: – Plaksha University, a technology university reimagining higher education and research in India, has launched the Binny Bansal Institute for Inventing the Future (IIF). This pioneering research institute, backed by Binny Bansal, Co-founder Flipkart and Founder Xto10x, is focused on developing innovative solutions to tackle global challenges using frontier technologies like AI, blockchain, and robotics. Binny Bansal has given a startup funding of Rs 70 crore to set up IIF.  
The Institute will further Plaksha’s commitment to frontier technologies like AI by  

• Leveraging AI+x to address challenges in sectors such as healthcare, agriculture, energy, and environmental sustainability.  
• Foster collaborations between academia and industry, allowing for the commercialization of innovative ideas.
•  Transforming research findings into scalable, real-world applications that address both local and global challenges.  
• Fostering AI talent in India, addressing the nation’s significant gap in AI expertise.  
  
  By translating research into practical applications and developing AI+x solutions, IIF is set to be a transformative force providing further impetus to Plaksha University as a hub for the next generation of technology leaders. 
  
  IIF will also leverage Plaksha’s long standing partnership with University of California, Berkeley. Berkeley Artificial Intelligence Research (BAIR) Lab is the world’s most advanced academic AI research lab. Joint research projects, faculty and student exchanges, and best practices in AI education and research methodologies will be undertaken as a part of this collaboration. 
  
  Commenting on the launch, Binny Bansal, Co-founder Flipkart and Founder xto10x, said, “The future of technology lies in solving real-world problems. This Institute reflects my belief that the power of frontier technologies can radically improve lives, from healthcare to clean energy. I am excited to see how this initiative will develop scalable solutions for global challenges and equip the next generation of innovators with the skills they need to lead the way.” 
  
  Prof. Shankar Sastry, Founding Chancellor of Plaksha University and Thomas Siebel Distinguished Professor of Computer Science at UC Berkeley added, “The launch of the Binny Bansal Institute for Inventing the Future marks a critical milestone in our mission to transform research and innovation in India. The Institute will be a hub for combining technical and societal considerations into the design of our emerging infrastructure systems. Plaksha is deeply committed to fostering interdisciplinary research and creating solutions that can have a tangible impact on society, and this Institute. The partnership with Berkeley will bring world-class expertise, cutting-edge research collaborations, and a global perspective, helping position India as a leader in deep-tech innovation.” 
   
  About Plaksha University: 
  Founded by a global community of more than 100 technology and business leaders, Plaksha envisions reimagining technology education and research for India and the world. With strong partnerships with UC Berkeley, Purdue, UC San Diego, Penn Engineering, IIT Kanpur and IISc Bengaluru, Plaksha aims to nurture and empower a generation of catalytic leaders and create an ecosystem of research and innovation. The university collapses the traditional boundaries of engineering and promotes interdisciplinary learning by combining technology, design and entrepreneurship. 
  
  Plaksha is guided by an eminent academic board including Vijay Kumar, Nemirovsky Family Dean of Penn Engineering, University of Pennsylvania; Prof. S Shankar Sastry, Thomas Siebel Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Venkatesh Narayanamurthi, former Dean of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences; Sriram Rajamani, Managing Director, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Research India; Julia Ross, Dean of Engineering, Virginia Tech; Krishna Palepu, Ross Graham Walker Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School; Sanjay Sarma, Fred Fort Flowers and Daniel Fort Flowers Professor of Mechanical Engineering, MIT; and business leaders such as Neeraj Aggarwal, Chairman – Asia Pacific, BCG; Rakesh Bharti Mittal, Vice Chairman, Bharti Enterprises ;Hitesh Oberoi, Co-promoter & CEO, Info Edge (Naukri.com); Srikanth Velamakanni, Co-founder, Fractal Analytics; Manas Human, Co- Founder, Nagarro; Navin Chaddha, Managing Director, Mayfield Fund; Sujeet Kumar, Co-founder, Udaan.com; Dalip Pathak, Special Limited Partner, Warburg Pincus LLC; CP Gurnani, former MD & CEO, Tech Mahindra; Pramod Bhasin, Chairman, Clix Capital among others. Corporate donors include companies like Bharti Foundation, Havells, HT Parekh Foundation, Mphasis, Axis Bank and Motilal Oswal. The global community of business leaders who founded Plaksha can be seen here.