InMobi, NoBroker, Yulu founders commit Rs 100-crore for new school at IIT Kanpur
Unicorn founders and seasoned entrepreneurs such as Naveen Tewari, founder of InMobi and Glance, Amit Kumar Agarwal, cofounder of NoBroker, and Amit Gupta of Yulu, along with their batchmates, have committed Rs 100 crore to establish a new Millennium School of Technology and Society (MSTAS) at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.
The proposed school will focus on the intersection of technology, policy, ethics, and societal impact. It aims to complement IIT Kanpur’s core engineering and science programmes with interdisciplinary teaching and leadership development, the institute said in a statement.
The Class of 2000, often referred to as the Millennium Batch, is considered one of IIT Kanpur’s most accomplished alumni groups. Members of the cohort have founded or co-founded several category-defining companies and produced three unicorns – InMobi, Glance, and NoBroker.
The batch has also built companies such as Knowlarity, Card91, Cohesity, and Martini, while some alumni were among the early employees at WhatsApp. Alumni from the group have gone on to hold senior leadership roles at global firms including Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, Intel, BCG, Morgan Stanley, and GIC.
Tewari, who has personally pledged Rs 30 crore, said this was the batch’s way of giving back. “IIT Kanpur gave us far more than a degree — it gave us the courage to think big, question assumptions, and build with purpose. This pledge is our collective way of ensuring future generations receive the same, if not greater, opportunities to learn and lead.”
The announcement was made during the batch’s silver jubilee reunion. IIT Kanpur said the initiative reflects a growing emphasis on building future-ready institutions capable of addressing complex societal challenges emerging from rapid technological change.
The move mirrors a broader trend across top schools. Earlier this year, Indian Institute of Technology Madras launched a Rs 200-crore alumni-backed fund to support early-stage startups emerging from the institute, encouraging alumni engagement for growth of the startup ecosystem.
The proposed school will focus on the intersection of technology, policy, ethics, and societal impact. It aims to complement IIT Kanpur’s core engineering and science programmes with interdisciplinary teaching and leadership development, the institute said in a statement.
The Class of 2000, often referred to as the Millennium Batch, is considered one of IIT Kanpur’s most accomplished alumni groups. Members of the cohort have founded or co-founded several category-defining companies and produced three unicorns – InMobi, Glance, and NoBroker.
The batch has also built companies such as Knowlarity, Card91, Cohesity, and Martini, while some alumni were among the early employees at WhatsApp. Alumni from the group have gone on to hold senior leadership roles at global firms including Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, Intel, BCG, Morgan Stanley, and GIC.
Tewari, who has personally pledged Rs 30 crore, said this was the batch’s way of giving back. “IIT Kanpur gave us far more than a degree — it gave us the courage to think big, question assumptions, and build with purpose. This pledge is our collective way of ensuring future generations receive the same, if not greater, opportunities to learn and lead.”
The announcement was made during the batch’s silver jubilee reunion. IIT Kanpur said the initiative reflects a growing emphasis on building future-ready institutions capable of addressing complex societal challenges emerging from rapid technological change.
The move mirrors a broader trend across top schools. Earlier this year, Indian Institute of Technology Madras launched a Rs 200-crore alumni-backed fund to support early-stage startups emerging from the institute, encouraging alumni engagement for growth of the startup ecosystem.
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