In today’s rapidly evolving tech landscape, women are poised to play a transformative role in Generative AI. Leading this charge are Vikas Sagar and Sanjay Varma, the visionary founders of Kalido & SAWiT. With a bold mission to empower ten million women as leaders and innovators in AI over the next decade, their platforms is set to redefine the future of technology and entrepreneurship in India. In a conversation with Platform, Vikas and Sanjay share their insights on harnessing AI to drive women's advancement and build a thriving, inclusive tech economy.
Introducing Kalido & SAWiT
From the beginning, our mission has been to democratize opportunities. Over the last few years, we have built a technology using AI and machine learning that enables people to match with opportunities with minimal bias which is Kalido. For members of SAWiT; South Asian Women in Technology, this technology leverages the full spectrum of an individual’s strengths and interests, even if they are not fully aware of them. Our focus is on enriching and supporting members of SAWiT. To address this, we have developed and launched a "GPS for opportunities” which is Kalido. Just as Google Maps provides the most optimal route based on your destination and timing, Kalido aims to guide users to the best career opportunities. By creating a profile on Kalido, users are matched with jobs and provided with tailored recommendations to enhance their prospects. As skills and market conditions evolve, our dynamic engine continuously adapts to ensure that women can access the best opportunities available.
We help articulate these strengths and connect people with suitable matches, whether it’s a job, a mentor, or a micro-community with shared interests. This is where the sparks fly when you click with someone. Taking this idea forward, we see the best use case for our technology in enabling communities, especially where there is a vast amount of untapped talent. This talent often remains untapped due to cultural and societal conditioning. When we look around the world today, the largest such pool is Indian women. There is an enormous pool of talented women in India. For instance, in some states, women’s college enrolment exceeds 50%. However, when it comes to jobs in tech, this number drops from 50% to 30%, and five years later, it further declines to 15%.
So, there is a huge supply of talent, but on the other side, technology like generative AI is creating massive demand, much of which will flow to India. Additionally, the female workforce in Stem in India is much lower compared to other developing countries. Now, more than ever, there is a focus on ensuring more opportunities flow to women. By taking all this into account, we find democratizing opportunities for this vast pool of untapped talent crucial, especially considering the various societal and cultural factors at play.
The Vision
We envision a dynamic economy with ten million women who are leaders, entrepreneurs, and top candidates in Generative AI within the next decade in India. Our goal is to transform women’s empowerment and their roles in technology, positioning women at the forefront of the third tech revolution. We aim to create a thriving environment where women can connect with co-founders, access resources to start remarkable businesses, build unicorns, and drive innovation stimulated by Generative AI.
We have only begun to scratch the surface of what Generative AI can achieve. Our aspiration is to harness it as a catalyst for a vibrant, powerful economy driven by women coming together. This is why our community focuses on networking and mentorship, not just in technical skills but also in essential success skills like creative problem-solving and communication.
In addition, we plan to offer a wide range of services to women at competitive rates. Inspired by Alibaba’s model, these services will include financial services, microfinance, venture capital, technology gear, mobility solutions, job interview preparation, and peer-to-peer support.
Next up by SAWiT
Our learnathon event with 5 Lakh women on the 21st of September is like a revolution coming, and women are at the forefront. It is an exclusive women-only Generative AI event that empowers women with foundational AI skills through a 24-hour Learnathon of immersive learning and collaboration. Irrespective of your current profession and qualifications, SAWiT.AI will equip you with a skill set that will help you secure a job in AI in the next five years.
Words Hansika Lohani
Date 16.09.2024