About
Think local. Hack global.
Code for India is a Silicon Valley 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We are a fast-growing community of volunteer software engineers, designers, and data scientists building scalable technology solutions with and for Indian non-profits.
Our founder
Code for India was founded in August 2013 by Karl Mehta — serial entrepreneur, former Founder & CEO of PlaySpan (acquired by Visa), founder of Mehta Trust, a member of the inaugural White House Presidential Innovation Fellows class under President Obama, and a former Venture Partner at Menlo Ventures.
The idea grew out of his work coordinating the technology response to Superstorm Sandy — proving that small, scrappy volunteer teams could ship real software for the public good.
How we work
- → Volunteer teams pair with named NGOs — Akshaya Patra, iCREATE and 30+ others.
- → Every line of code is open source on GitHub at github.com/code-for-india.
- → Chapters in California, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Gujarat run local hack nights and field work.
- → 100% volunteer time — no equity, no IP, no for-profit motive.
A short history
Hon PM Narendra Modi, Sundar Pichai, and Karl Mehta launching "Digital India" with Code for India at Google HQ in Mountain View, 2015.
In September 2015, Code for India hosted its inaugural Hackathon at Google headquarters in Mountain View, California, in the presence of Hon. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. The event brought together hundreds of engineers, designers, and civic leaders to build technology for Digital India and a Skilled India, launching a volunteer movement that now spans both nations.
Hackathon 2015 at Google HQ · Digital & Skilled India · September 26-27, 2015.
Gujarat chapter launch · Vibrant Gujarat Summit, January 2015.
Archive
Annual Report 2016
A look back at our projects, chapters and volunteer community.
- Aug 2013
Code for India launches on India's Independence Day. Founded by Karl Mehta — serial entrepreneur, White House Presidential Innovation Fellow, and Venture Capitalist — inspired by his work on the technology response to Superstorm Sandy.
- 2014
First flagship project: Routely for the Akshaya Patra Foundation — route optimization to deliver midday meals to millions of schoolchildren.
- Jan 2015
Gujarat Chapter launches at the Vibrant Gujarat Summit, joining California, Bangalore and Hyderabad as CFI's fourth chapter.
- Mar 2015
Skill Up India goes live in partnership with iCREATE, IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Gandhinagar — free online education portal.
- Sept 2015
Hackathon 2015 at Google HQ, Mountain View — addressed by PM Narendra Modi, Sundar Pichai and CP Gurnani. Theme: Digital & Skilled India.
- Today
1,500+ volunteer technologists across four chapters have shipped free software for 30+ NGOs.
Want to see what we ship?
Browse our open-source projects on GitHub or here on the site.