BENGALURU: Cognitii, an Indian startup developing an AI-led system for public special education, has won the $100,000 Unlock Her Future Prize 2025. The prize, launched by The Bicester Collection, drew more than 2,900 applications from over 40 countries across South Asia. Eleven founders were shortlisted for the final pitch in London, where Cognitii was named one of six winners.Founded by Jhillika Trisal from Gurugram, Falguni Shrivastava from Raipur, and Souvik Ghosh from Kolkata, Cognitii is building what it calls India’s first AI plus human infrastructure layer for special education. The founders, who have lived experience of autism and ADHD, began the company to address gaps they had seen in India’s systems. The team points to a critical national challenge: more than 80% of children with disabilities remain unidentified before age eight, limiting access to education, rehabilitation, and employment.Cognitii’s platform combines early screening tools, a mobile-first learning system, an educator co-pilot, and policy-grade dashboards for state agencies. The tools integrate with public data systems such as UDISE+ and Samagra Shiksha, allowing govts to track disability prevalence, inclusion outcomes, and the use of budgets. The company says it is designed for low-resource classrooms, with offline capability and multilingual support.The startup’s pilots are ongoing in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and other school systems. With the award, Cognitii plans wider govt deployments, deeper rural outreach, and the creation of what it calls India’s first disability data layer. The team says this will help shape policy and guide hiring and budget decisions in the coming years.“This win is a turning point, not just for Cognitii, but for millions of children who remain invisible in our systems. The Unlock Her Future Prize gives us the platform and resources to scale our work with governments and low-income schools, and to build the national infrastructure India needs for early screening, support, and inclusion,” the founders said in a joint statement, shared with TOI.The Unlock Her Future Prize supports women entrepreneurs working on solutions for people and the planet. Winners receive funding, leadership development, mentorship, and access to networks of investors and policymakers. Cognitii aims to use this support to strengthen India’s special education ecosystem and expand its work across the Global South.
