Abhilash is a final year MISM (Masters in Information Systems Management) student. He was born and raised in Mumbai, India. He firmly believes that one of the greatest untapped resources in developing countries is the pool of undergraduate students. He and his team plan to utilize technology to facilitate a process where the academia can contribute to non-profit initiatives. Their first target country is India.

Yuj is a non-profit program initiated and designed by alumni of Indian Universities. Most of the Engineering colleges in India have a syllabus structure where approximately 30 percent of the marks are allocated to practical exercises which include projects and reports. Through Yuj we plan to harness the academic projects that are a part of the curriculum into meaningful development projects that can be put into real-life use.

We are designing a portal where various organizations such as non-profit organizations, small business initiatives, etc. can submit RFPs (Request for Proposals). Examples of RFPs include building a website, a library management system, an intercom, etc. RFPs are not restricted only to information technology, it can span across all fields of engineering. Students now can log in to the Yuj portal and search for RFPs. Once they find a RFP that satisfies their level of interest, then they can form a team. A team consists of one or more students, a professor to lead them, and a consultant. A consultant is a working professional (typically alumni) who can bring in industry experience to the project. The team interacts with the client and builds up the project.

Website: http://www.yuj.in/