IIT Madras Foundation teams up with 5 start-ups to boost AI, Data Science training

Pravartak Technologies Foundation, based at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, has announced collaborations with five start-ups to enhance training in artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and data science.  
 
The Foundation has formalised partnerships with Crion Versity, Dataswitch, Neekan Consulting, Rudram Dynamics, and Skill Angels. These alliances aim to equip participants with practical industry-oriented skills and project expertise in specialised domains like AI, ML, and data science.  
 
Individuals interested in enrolling in the courses facilitated by these partnerships can register on the official website, as per the release.  
 
The signing ceremony was attended by V Kamakoti, director, of IIT Madras; Mangala Sunder Krishnan, professor emeritus, IIT Madras; MJ Shankar Raman, CEO of IIT Madras Pravartak Technologies Foundation, and Balamurali Shankar, general manager of Digital Skills Academy, IIT Madras.  
 
Kamakoti said, “Start-ups must become leading employers and look at IIT Madras for their talent requirements. Start-ups in the skilling sector should intervene early with students and impart cognitive ability, foundational maths, and science skills for their success in higher education.”  

Raman said, “We will work with these start-ups on niche areas like Drone pilot training, Data analytics, AI/ML, and Generative AI. Our clients come to us for insights on their complex and sensitive unstructured data. We leverage startups like DataSwitch for such requirements.”   
 
Shankar, general manager, of Digital Skills Academy of IITM Pravartak, said, “These start-ups have a combination of academic and industry expertise thereby giving a good learning experience to the students. One of our partners, Crion Versity, was founded by IIT Madras Alumni and comes with rich experience in running a digital twin organisation Crion Technologies at IITM Research Park. Their flagship career experience programs provide engaging short-form learnings on job skills in areas such as Data Analytics.”  
 
Shankar also mentioned that Rudram Dynamics offers specialised programs such as drone pilot training, business-to-government analytics programs as well and cyber law.