It has been 15 years since Kirthiga Reddy was chosen for the most prominent leadership position at a US tech company in India. Becoming the first employee and Managing Director of Facebook India (now Meta) and later the first female investing partner at the AI-focused over $130B SoftBank’s Vision Fund has been much more than a validation of her capability. Always a believer in the power, purpose and potential that women, who hold half the sky, bring to the table, Kirthiga Reddy has held out the hope on the possibilities that are possible when there are empowered women and an ecosystem that promotes inclusive leadership.
Reddy, now the CEO & co-founder, Verix, a global trust-tech platform, is the brain behind a unique platform ‘AI Kiran’ that aims to put women in AI in India on a global stage, enable connectivity, funding and mentorship. ‘AI Kiran,’ whose creation she attributes to the power of partnerships, is to be launched on Monday, April 21st . This is in conjunction with UN creativity and innovation day. It is apparently at a crucial time. For despite women outnumbering men in STEM courses in India, it is estimated that women account for only 33 per cent of GenAI roles at the junior level in India and this drops to 19 per cent at the senior level. She tells E Kumar Sharma that ‘AI Kiran’ is meant to shine a light on women in AI in India. The edited excerpts:
What has been the inspiration behind this AI Kiran initiative?
India’s artificial intelligence (AI) market is poised to reach $17 billion by 2027. To ensure that women are a leading force in shaping and operating transformative technologies, a collaborative approach is required between the government, private sector and civil society organisations.That’s why, in collaboration with the office of the principal scientific adviser to the government of India and INK Women, we are launching AI Kiran — a national initiative to recognise, empower, and celebrate women in AI.
Can you share some insights on AI Kiran and the difference it can make?
It is towards building a cross-functional AI community. The initiative is hosted on the Manthan Platform, enabling access for a wide and diverse audience of professionals, students, and researchers across India. All recognitions under AI Kiran are digitally verified using blockchain-powered credentialing, ensuring authenticity, transparency, and global shareability. This initiative combines a vibrant membership community with access to mentorship, curated learning programmes, branding support, and high-impact events – creating valuable opportunities for growth, visibility, and leadership. It is also about connecting women across geographies. Throughout my career, I have seen the power of building ecosystems and its ability to drive sustainable growth. We are thrilled to be joining forces with passionate like-minded partners to drive this initiative. With India projected to be a global AI powerhouse, empowering its women in this space isn’t just local impact — it’s global transformation.
If we were to meet a year from now, how would you want to look back at what AI Kiran has achieved?
On April 21, 2025, the AI Kiran initiative will be officially announced, marking the beginning of this transformative movement. As part of the initial announcement, the initiative shines a light on over 250 prominent women in AI who are redefining India’s AI landscape. These leaders span key domains including education, healthcare, sustainability, and enterprise tech, bringing interdisciplinary perspectives that are crucial to responsible and impactful AI. This launch will set the stage for a multi-year process of recognising, growing and nurturing women leaders in AI.
Over the next year, in conjunction with our partners, we aim to reach a million women in AI across our programmes.
How do you plan to ensure the sustainability and growth of AI Kiran initiative in the coming years?
AI Kiran is designed as a long-term movement. In addition to government support, the initiative is underpinned by strong partnerships with influential organisations in India like Nasscom, 100 GIGA, AspireForHer, Udaiti Foundation, Youth Ki Awaaz and Karya. We are also designed for global connectivity from the start in partnership with organisations like AnitaB.org, SheTO and Neythri. With these partners, we are creating avenues for ongoing learning and collaboration, mentorship programmes, funding pathways, and building a global network of women leaders.
This launch kickstarts a fundraise drive with corporate, VC partners and Government organizations, via the INK Women Foundation non-profit. Our initial target of $3M supports the ambitious AI Kiran initiative with the resources for large-scale summits, academic and industry partnerships, scholarships, and sharing stories of women in AI in India on a global stage.