Emergent Ventures India has announced its 18th cohort of grant recipients. The program, created by economist Tyler Cowen and based at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, provides grants to individuals pursuing ambitious, high-impact ideas that may not fit traditional funding channels. The India tranche, led by Shruti Rajagopalan, has supported over 150 grantees since its launch in 2020, spanning technology, science, healthcare, energy, and the arts.

Adithyan Madhu, 14, an independent researcher, received a grant to study early writing systems by applying computational linguistics, pattern analysis, and structural methods to the Indus Valley script.

Aparajeet Shadangi, 17, received a grant to explore conceptual approaches to cosmic expansion and dark energy while continuing formal academic preparation in cosmology.

Kevin Gibson, a student developer, received a grant for Crsynk OS, a Python-based operating system integrated with an AI assistant and focused on lightweight user interfaces and accessible computing. He is also developing WiseChat AI and an AI Voice Engine.

Vaishnavi Dilip, 13, received a grant to identify fire-resistant plants native to Indian ecosystems and plant them strategically as natural firebreaks in fire-prone areas.

Prince T. Philip, an independent cybersecurity researcher and product architect focused on high-impact, future-facing risks in modern software systems, received a grant to build a security audit tool that surfaces vulnerabilities and design assumptions missed by traditional scanners.

Michaela Cross, a writer and content creator, received a grant for Rose Chasm, a video project on the history of India and its relationship to America and the wider world.

Vivekanand Bhat and Rijesh Panicker received a grant for Pathika, to create immersive, augmented, multilingual onsite guided tours for heritage monuments across India.

Devanarayan, 15, received a grant for Open Horizon Observatory, a small open-access observing setup that produces and freely shares real astronomical data. He is developing low-cost workflows for time-series photometry and open data sharing for students and the public.

Roshan Kumar Gupta, 19, a computer science undergraduate, received a grant for TARS, a deterministic, physics-aware machine-learning pipeline for exoplanet discovery using TESS data. He aims to reduce false positives and identify physically credible habitable-world candidates in noisy observations.

Yajan Adhikari, 19, a materials researcher, received a grant to build an operating system for digitizing and scaling the management of recyclable materials.

Pranet Kheten, 17, received a grant to develop a novel, low-cost architecture for refreshable tactile graphics supporting STEM education for visually impaired students.

Karthik, 18, a space engineer, received a grant to research the use of remote sensing in agricultural insurance.

Alexander Hogeveen Rutter, an energy expert, received a grant for analysis and advocacy of least-cost resource adequacy planning and other market-based measures in India's power sector.

Akshit Arora, an Engineering Physics student at IIT Delhi, and Bhavey Sehgal, a BITS Pilani student, received a grant for NeuroBridge. It uses eye tracking, computer vision, and AI to predict intent, giving people with ALS fast, confirmation-based speech instead of slow letter-by-letter eye typing, at a fraction of existing device costs.

Cartoonist Sumit Kumar and Vivekananda Roy Ghatak received a grant to advance their animated series Aaapki Poojita and produce short animated sketches, and to redesign and relaunch the Bakarmax webtoon platform.

Progyan Das, 24, received a grant to develop fault-tolerant systems capable of using consumer devices for large-scale foundation model training.

Yash Chitte, an MBA student, received a grant to build a wall-climbing robot that autonomously cleans glass facades.

Khushi Jain, 23, an aerospace engineer, received a grant for NadirX Space, to build space-grade test infrastructure and hardware-in-the-loop systems that enable reliable testing of advanced space technologies and support future interplanetary missions.

Rishit Kapoor, an AI/ML researcher and engineer, received a grant for Periscopic Labs, which turns systematic reviews into living, AI-native infrastructure that keeps scientific claims traceable, verifiable, and continuously updated.

Koushik Das received a grant to build an explainable clinical decision-support system that helps primary-care doctors interpret complete blood count reports and detect anemia patterns more quickly and safely.

Shashank Sanjay, a medical student, received a grant to develop an affordable coronary stent.

Abrar Shahid, a systems designer using AI to reduce accessibility gaps, received a grant for Project Lumen AI, to build an AI translation layer connecting external eye photographs with retinal fundus scans and make eye-disease diagnosis easier.

This cohort reflects the program's focus on backing individuals at various career stages, from teenagers to seasoned professionals, working at the intersection of science, technology, and public goods.

Those unfamiliar with Emergent Ventures can learn more here and here. The EV India announcement is here. More about the winners of EV India second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth, fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth cohorts is available through the linked archive. To apply for EV India, use the EV application, click the "Apply Now" button, and select India from the "My Project Will Affect" drop-down menu.

Here is Nabeel's AI engine for other EV winners. Here are the other EV cohorts.

If you are interested in supporting the India tranche of Emergent Ventures, please write to me or to Shruti at [email protected].