At an age when most kids are still playing with toys, Pranjali Awasthi was already learning how to write code. Encouraged by her engineer father, she started exploring computer programming when she was just seven years old. What started as an early introduction to technology later became the foundation of her entrepreneurial journey.By the time she turned 13, Awasthi was gaining exposure to research projects at Florida International University (FIU). A few years later, the young girl founded Delv.AI, a startup designed to help researchers find and extract relevant information from vast amounts of online content.Let’s find out more about her inspiring journeyIn 2023, when she was 16, her firm attracted widespread attention after reports of its $450,000 funding and an estimated $12 million valuation emerged during Miami Tech Week.An inspiring father
Pranjali Awasthi (PC: Medium)
Awasthi’s interest in technology started at home. Her father, also an engineer, believed computer science deserved a place alongside other core subjects in school. He encouraged his young daughter to learn programming when she was only seven.In an account published by Business Insider in October 2023, Awasthi described how her father’s passion for computer science influenced her interest in coding. It was because His encouragement helped her approach technology as something she could understand and create with, rather than simply use.Moving to FloridaShe was just 11 when her family moved to Florida from India. There she gained access to computer science classes and competitive mathematics programmes. The transition proved important for her career as what began as a childhood interest gradually developed into an opportunity to work on more advanced projects.At 13, she entered Florida International University for researchAwasthi’s next major milestone came when she began an internship at research laboratories at Florida International University at the age of 13.While continuing her schooling, she worked on machine learning projects and experienced the demands of academic research. The COVID-19 pandemic had shifted her high school education online, enabling her to devote time to the internship.The experience further exposed her to a challenge that researchers frequently encounter: finding useful information within large collections of documents, extracting relevant data and preparing literature reviews.And this was Awasthi’s opportunity. It gave her time to think differently about the process. Could artificial intelligence help researchers locate and summarise relevant information more efficiently?The founder of Delv.AI, her startup
Pranjali Awasthi, founder, Delv.AI (PC: Enterprenuer India)
In January 2022, Awasthi founded Delv.AI, an AI-powered platform intended to make research and information extraction easier. The idea was to help users find specific information across online resources without having to sift manually through large volumes of material.A ₹100 crore firmBuilding a startup, however, required more than developing an interesting product. It also meant finding support and convincing others that the idea had potential.Her entrepreneurial journey attracted international attention in October 2023, when reports revealed that her AI startup had raised approximately $450,000 (around ₹3.7 crore) in funding. The company was reportedly valued at $12 million, or approximately ₹100 crore, at the time. She was only 16 years old.These figures made headlines.The challenges behind the headlinesAwasthi’s journey also highlights the responsibilities that come with turning an idea into an organisation.In her interview with Entrepreneur India, she identified team management and maintaining morale as challenges associated with building a startup. Working in artificial intelligence also means operating in a competitive environment where products and capabilities evolve quickly.For a young founder, these demands in itself were demanding.But they say, ‘where there’s will there’s a way’. Pranjali was just seven-years-old when she learned coding and a teenager who founded an AI start-up which attracted international attention. Her story is the best example of how early exposure to a subject can develop into something meaningful with practical experience.