IIT Kanpur Alumni from Class of 2000 Announce INR 100 Cr Pledge for New Academic Unit

The Class of 2000 alumni from the IIT Kanpur has committed INR 100 crore to establish a new academic unit called the Millennium School of Technology and Society (MSTAS) at the institute. The announcement was made during the batch's silver jubilee reunion held in Kanpur.

The proposed school will focus on the intersection of technology, public policy, ethics and societal impact, and is positioned as a complement to IIT Kanpur's existing strengths in engineering and science. The contribution is among the largest pledges made by a single graduating batch to an Indian academic institution.

Often referred to as the Millennium Batch, the Class of 2000 is known for its strong presence in entrepreneurship and global technology leadership. Alumni from the batch have founded or co-founded companies such as InMobi and Glance, NoBroker, Yulu, Knowlarity and Card91 and have also been involved in ventures like Cohesity and Martini. Some members were early employees at WhatsApp.

Several alumni from the cohort currently hold or have held senior roles at global organisations including Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, Intel, BCG, Morgan Stanley and GIC. The batch has produced three unicorns such as InMobi, Glance and NoBroker, the highest number from any IIT Kanpur batch so far.

As part of the collective pledge, Naveen Tewari, founder and CEO of InMobi and Glance, has committed INR 30 crore individually, while IIT Kanpur said the school will promote interdisciplinary education, leadership development and deeper understanding of the societal implications of technology-driven change as a long-term institution-building effort for future generations of students.