The Indian-origin teenager, who has been a coder since the age of 7, developed her own AI platform and founded the startup, Delv.AI, in January 2022.
It is a startup dedicated to refining the process of data extraction for research. The company has
already attracted funding to the tune of Rs 3.7 crore.
One of the few youngest members in the elite club of prodigious entrepreneurs, Pranjali owes her passion for technology to her father, a computer engineer, who moved to Miami, Florida from India when she was 11.
Awasthi came into the limelight when at the Miami Tech Week event she revealed that the startup had secured a funding of about USD 450k from the likes of On Deck, Village Global, and AngelList Quant Fund.
She participated in a lot of hackathons, one of which (Miami Hack Week), introduced me to the Startup/VC ecosystem in Miami. Soon after, she got into the Hacker Fellowship (HF0), a residential startup accelerator based in Miami.
On successful completion of the internship at Florida International University research labs, Pranjali Awasthi felt more inclined to develop a disruptive business model harnessing AI technology.
This stint, along with her virtual high school experience during the pandemic, allowed her valuable insight into the latest tech trends and technologies.
During internship, Pranjali identified a gap in the market for efficient data extraction processes and sought to eliminate data silos, aiming to support researchers navigating through the sea of growing online information. She envisioned an AI-driven solution to make data extraction streamlined and accurate.
With unwavering support of her parents (unlike most Indian parents opposing the idea of taking a break from school), she put her high school studies on hold and dedicated her time to working on her business idea for an efficient data extraction process.
Pranjali won a place at an AI startup accelerator in Miami, facilitated by tech enthusiasts Lucy Guo and Dave Fontenot from Backend Capital. This step was pivotal, marking her decision to chase her dreams, momentarily stepping away from high school.
The company, now valued at an impressive $12 million (or Rs 99.8 crore), stands testament to not just her vision but also the significant potential the venture holds in the tech industry.