TinkerHub Foundation, a Kerala-based non-profit startup fostering a technology learning culture among students and youth, has received a grant of Rs. 1 crore from fintech giant Zerodha as part of their CSR activities. The funding comes through the FOSS United Foundation, a non-profit established by Zerodha and ERPNext to promote a free and open-source coding culture in India. This grant is for a period of three years to support the activities of the organization, deepen impact, and set up physical spaces for open learning.
Kailash Nadh, CTO of Zerodha, praised TinkerHub’s efforts, saying, “TinkerHub embodies the idea of community, tinkering, and problem-solving in young people, fuelled by the conviction that this spirit should definitely exist in society.” He further added that tech isn’t just about industry. “There must be community avenues for learning and collaboration. From these collaborations arise entrepreneurship and innovation. There are plenty of avenues online, but few to none offline. Community spaces envisioned by TinkerHub are an attempt to bridge this gap,” said Kailash.
Tinkerspace, a new initiative from TinkerHub, is a community learning space that offers anyone the opportunity to acquire and refine sought-after technology skills without any fees, facilitated by experienced industry mentors. It will improve employability, upskilling, and entrepreneurship and will open up in December 2022 at Kalamassery, Kochi.
“Beyond helping the organization grow, the support from one of the leading technology companies in India has lent credibility to the model that TinkerHub is creating,” said Moosa Mehar MP, Co-Founder & CEO, TinkerHub. “TinkerHub is currently operating on grants while exploring avenues towards sustainability through hiring and partnerships.”
TinkerHub began in 2014 as a small peer learning group within Cochin University, Kerala, and has since then expanded into a large community and non-profit organization. The TinkerHub model works through the creation of small, peer-to-peer learning communities within campuses where students help each other learn.
TinkerHub has over 14,000 registered members and operates in 75 college campuses throughout Kerala. They experiment with coding, future technologies, and tools, thereby imbibing industry-relevant skills through learning while doing. In the past year alone, it has engaged nearly 44,000 learners and recorded 3,900 hands-on learner projects on GitHub.
