Venture for Innovation and Social Wellbeing through AI for the Marginalised

Pioneering AI Solutions for the Global South

A group of open source enthusiasts, community builders, technologists and researchers working towards tech for social good. We bring together expertise from research institutions, industry partners, and community organizations to create innovative AI technologies, and foundations to help building solutions for the Global South.

Our Journey

2004

Swecha Foundation

Launch of Swecha, the first Telugu OS, marking our commitment to localized technology solutions

2014

BalaSwecha Initiative

Development of educational software ecosystem, training over 500 teachers

2020

AI Initiative Launch

Beginning of our focused AI development for the Global South

2024

VISWAM.ai Establishment

Formation of the Centre of Excellence on AI for the Global South

Our Leadership

YK

Y Kiran Chandra

Centre Head

PJ

Prof PJ Narayanan

Research Director

JR

Jayesh Ranjan

Advisory Board

Key Achievements

G

Gonthuka

Telugu ASR system with 1.5 Million voice samples and 45,000+ contributors

A

AI Chandamama Kathalu

First Small Language Model for Indic language story generation

S

Swecha AI OS

First AI-enabled open source operating system

Our Impact

45K+
Contributors
1.5M+
Voice Samples
500+
Trained Teachers
10K+
Story Contributors

Our Focus Areas

Language & Culture

Preserving and promoting linguistic diversity through AI

Education

AI-powered learning solutions for diverse communities

Agriculture

Smart farming solutions for small-scale farmers

Healthcare

Accessible healthcare solutions through AI

VISWAM.ai - Pronounced 'viswamayee'

Venture for Innovation and Social Wellbeing through AI for the Marginalised

A Joint Initiative of Swecha and IIIT Hyderabad