DesiOPT, a startup from
T-Hub has cracked a deal with
Uber - US in order to provide STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) talent for a year starting January 2017.
On his recent visit to T-Hub - India’s fastest growing start-up engine catalysing innovation, scale and deal flow, Mr. Travis Kalanick, CEO – Uber had met Mr. Naren Y, founder of DesiOPT, while addressing a session named ‘If I were your CEO’. During the session Naren asked him about the scope of Asian STEM talent in USA, post which Uber gave DesiOPT a one year contract to provide STEM talent.
Shweta Rajpal Kohli, Public Policy Head - Uber India, commented on the occasion, "We are happy to be contributing to promoting and supporting innovative ideas out of spirited start-ups in India like DesiOPT. Telangana is one of the most progressive states and has set up a culture of ‘regulatory incubation’ — allowing new ideas and business models to thrive. The vision behind setting up T-Hub is a testament to their commitment.
Today more and more people around the world want to build something themselves. Through initiatives like Uber EXCHANGE, our mentorship program for Indian startups, we hope to encourage more people to come up with the next big idea and spur entrepreneurship."
Mr. Jay Krishnan, CEO - T-Hub also commented, “We are delighted about the fact that DesiOPT, a T- Hub startup has been selected by Uber to boost their source of STEM talent. At T-Hub, our model has always been to help innovative startups scale, and our global networking helps these companies in scaling their businesses and making them efficient to deliver at a global level.
What is more significant is the fact that this deal from Uber came in a matter of mere 3 minutes. Statistically speaking, US has over 1 million international students travelling for higher education from around the globe every year. Last year from India alone there were around some 2, 06,000 students who ventured to the states which itself shows the kind of gifted pool our country actually is.”
The challenge however lies in getting the talent channelized in the right direction. Naren Y, founder of DesiOPT, opines, “Today we have surplus of raw talent from India in US that is waiting to be explored. DesiOPT itself provides services to over 2500 companies however we are not able to reach out to the bigger companies who are in need of STEM talent in US. The association with Uber was indeed a much needed break that we were looking for. And being a part of T-Hub has really helped us in getting there. ”
A large number of Asian students especially from countries like India and China migrate to the states in order to pursue further studies which includes OPT (Optional Practical Training) and CPT (Curricular Practical Training) under F1 Visa rules. Asian Americans stand out for their success in education and career. A lot of them also believe that the US offers more opportunities and freedom than their countries of origin. While some also say that hard work pays off and put strong emphasis on higher education, a striking number of students feel that back home parents putting added pressure on children to succeed really helps.
In US, students have much more open choices when it comes to higher education. They can select a major while also taking a lot of other courses. This however makes it difficult for them to specialize in a particular field. In India students have to narrow down their choices in the last two years of high school and then further narrow it down by the time they get admitted to college. Once in college, students take very few courses which are outside their domain. This plays a crucial role in gaining specialization much earlier and perhaps makes them more valuable workers.
