Young Tinker Foundation

Young Tinker Foundation builds "Skill Consciousness" and promotes "Problem-Solving through Hands-On STEM" (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) among high school students. The organisation is working towards building an equitable world through STEM education and skills of the future, enabling makers and innovators.

Youtube Video

Founded by Anil Pradhan and Vaishali Sharma, Young Tinker focuses on empowering high school students, particularly in rural areas, with the right skills and problem-solving mindset, nurturing the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs who will drive change and create lasting impact in their society.

Headquarters: Hyderabad, Telangana (with a US office in Colorado)

Major Areas of Work

• STEM Space Setup: Helping institutions set up and operate Young TinkerSpace (YTS), dedicated STEM learning environments.

• Mobile STEM Learning: Bringing hands-on STEM education directly to schools through Tinker on Wheels (ToW), a mobile learning unit equipped with AI, IoT, coding, 3D printing, and rapid prototyping tools.

• Teacher Training: Helping governments train teachers on scale through the Teachers of Practice (TOP) Training program.

• Innovation Incubation: Running IDEAS, an Incubator for Design, Engineering & Applied Solutions, supporting student innovators from ideation to prototyping.

Major Initiatives & Programmes

• Young TinkerSpace (YTS): Dedicated STEM learning spaces set up within partner institutions to enable hands-on innovation.

• Tinker on Wheels (ToW): A mobile learning unit that transforms outdoor spaces into fully functional AI-powered STEM labs, with the potential to impact 10,000+ students annually per unit, using the FATAC (Feel, Align, Think, Act, Check) design thinking approach.

• TinkerFest: A large-scale student innovation event, with 3,000+ students joining the most recent edition in Soro.

• NASA Rover Challenge Team: Selecting and mentoring student teams to compete in NASA's Human Exploration Rover Challenge (HERC), including a historic World Rank 3 finish in 2021 as India's first Under-19 team to achieve this.

Impact

Young Tinker Foundation's transformative initiatives — Young TinkerSpace and Tinker on Wheels — have impacted over 270,000 students across India, with 15,000 students impacted through STEM programs in schools and 50 million people reached via educational content on YouTube. The organisation has supported 12 NGOs and mobilised 100 volunteers, while its students have achieved global recognition, including a Berlin Science Summit win, participation at the Global Junicorn Summit in the USA, and selection for the ISRO CANSAT Launch Competition. Founder Anil Pradhan has received the National Youth Award from the Government of India and was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia, alongside recognition at the Falling Walls Berlin summit and The Hindu BusinessLine Changemakers Award 2025.

Partners and Clients

STPI, ISRO Space Tutor, Government of Odisha, NMDC, IIT Delhi, IIT Bhubaneswar, NSRCEL (IIM Bangalore), Delhi Capitals, GMR Foundation, ServiceNow, and district education offices across India.

Leadership

Co-Founder – Anil Pradhan

Co-Founder – Vaishali Sharma

Young Tinker Foundation is an excellent fit for professionals passionate about STEM education, rural innovation, youth entrepreneurship, and grassroots impact who want to help nurture India's next generation of problem-solvers and innovators.