Patna: Born in a small village in East Champaran, the district associated with Mahatma Gandhi’s historic Satyagraha movement of 1917, 19-year-old Adarsh Kumar is leading a new campaign aimed at promoting entrepreneurship among rural youth and expanding access to skill development opportunities.Raised by a single mother who worked tirelessly to support his education, Adarsh taught himself coding, startup development and entrepreneurship after receiving a laptop purchased from his mother’s savings. His journey eventually led to the creation of Skillzo, a digital mentorship and skill development platform that has reached more than 20,000 underserved students across India.Adarsh gained international recognition in Oct last year when he won the Global Student Prize, carrying an award of one lakh dollars. Often described as the “Nobel Prize for students”, the honour was awarded to him from a pool of 11,000 nominations from 148 countries at a ceremony in London.Rather than using the prize money for personal gain, Adarsh invested the entire amount in expanding Skillzo. The AI-powered, low-bandwidth platform is designed for rural areas and connects students with mentors from around the world. Through the initiative, students in remote regions can access guidance in emerging fields, including artificial intelligence, without leaving their hometowns.Over the past year, Skillzo has expanded significantly. One of its notable initiatives involved a student-led fundraising programme designed to teach entrepreneurship through practical experience. The campaign brought together school students to learn, build projects and raise funds, generating more than Rs 10 lakh for free entrepreneurship education for underserved students. The organisation now has a network of more than 1,100 active members.Adarsh has also broadened his efforts beyond education. Through Udaan Market, a venture he co-founded with a cyber hub, first-generation entrepreneurs and small business owners are provided premium retail space free of cost. The initiative enables young entrepreneurs to showcase and sell their products at a leading commercial destination, helping them access markets that would otherwise be difficult to reach.At the same time, he is working to revive Mission Badlao, a grassroots initiative he co-founded during his early teens. As part of the effort, he and his team are leading a plantation drive involving 3,000 Gulmohar trees across East Champaran, linking environmental sustainability with education and community development.“Through Skillzo and its upcoming initiatives, I am striving for impacting the lives of one million students across India with entrepreneurial skills, problem-solving mindsets, and leadership training. The vision extends beyond traditional workshops. It includes classroom engagements, digital content, mentorship programs, entrepreneurship challenges, community-building initiatives, and partnerships with schools and educational institutions across the country,” Adarsh said.He added that entrepreneurship should not remain limited to privileged students or elite institutions but should become a life skill for every young person.
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