Hunting jobs for the underprivileged

While still at the cusp of college and exploring opportunities for himself in a highly competitive world, Sai Abhinay Chepuri, a 20–year-old student from Karimnagar, Telangana, is helping talented but not educated people find jobs.

Sai Abhinay Chepuri is a final-year B.Tech student in computer science engineering from Lovely Professional University (LPU), whose 2017-incorporated venture ‘Make it Memorable (MIM)’ has helped over ninety-two photographers and videographers, among others, find gainful employment. Not surprisingly, the enterprising and empathetic youngster has won several awards for his efforts and ventures, including the Emerging Entrepreneur Award from SWI International Awards in 2019, Youngest Ideal Entrepreneur 2018, Emerging Entrepreneur 2019 and Best Youngest Innovative Entrepreneur 2020.

The genes that serve

Abhinay’s MIM is a start-up that organises events for people with vocational skills — primarily in photography and videography — but aren’t well educated enough to present their works to big corporates and get hired.
The youngster organised his first such placement event at LPU with the support of the university and his professors, helping around forty people fetch jobs with packages going up to Rs 5.5 lakh per annum. Till now, Abhinay has organised three events in Punjab and Hyderabad. He is in touch with welfare organisations such as the Photography Welfare Association and several NGOs, which help him organise such events.

Talking about his initiative, Abhinay tells us that he’s been working towards helping others from his first year in college. “I have seen my grandfather and father going out of their way to help people. It’s like helping the needy is in my genes,” he says with a chuckle.

Many causes at once

Other than MIM, Abhinay has also founded ENVIROPROMISE in 2020 to help farmers with new-age agriculture practices. The team, which comprises agriculture students of LPU, travelled to twenty farms in Punjab with the aim of helping farmers understand new-age practices. The team has already helped over eighty farmers with urban farming techniques and sell their organic produce through their sub-brand FRESHSPOUT’s website and phone application. The app helps farmers understand organic farming techniques through AI and is available in over fifty native languages.

“The main aim of creating this app was to enable the farmers to train through Artificial Intelligence about the benefits of organic farming. Once they learn the nuances, the farmers can increase their production and rise above their below poverty line (BPL) stage,” explains Abhinay who loves to read autobiographies and journals in his free time. In addition to helping the talented get gainful employment, Abhinay plans to expand his ventures to tap into the recycling technology space. He wants to blend the concept of recycling through technology by showcasing village innovations, recycling innovations, waste regeneration etc. He is currently in talks with T-Hub (Telangana Startup Hub) and is also trying to raise funds for his start-ups.

“I plan to expand my work to rural villages in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, where I can educate the children and elders about the importance of learning,” says Abhinay, signing off.