Board the boat
What you get, what we expect, and how the whole journey works.
Examples for:
What is TinkerFund?
Cohort 1 of TinkerFund is a fund of ₹1,00,000 for students of Class 8 & 9 at Creane Memorial School, Gaya. 10 crews get ₹10,000 each to run a 2-week test of an idea, out in the real world. Last date to apply: 24 November.
This isn’t a quiz or an essay competition. We’re looking for crews who notice a real problem, go and talk to the people who have it, and try something small to fix it. The money is for doing, not for planning.
What you get
- ✓ ₹10,000 for your 2-week test
- ✓ A mentor on call every week
- ✓ Your first real project for your profile
- ✓ Skills you can’t learn from a textbook
- ✓ A shot at ₹15,000 more: the best crew in each track wins it
What we expect
- → An honest application, in your own words
- → Every rupee spent on the test, with bills kept
- → Weekly calls with your mentor
- → A short update on your team dashboard every week
- → A final report after 2 months: numbers, photos, what you learned
Two tracks, one river
TRACK 1 · SOCIAL IMPACT IN GAYAMake life better for people around you. Success means people’s lives get measurably better.
TRACK 2 · ENTREPRENEURSHIPBuild something people will pay for. Success means real customers paying real rupees.
Use the switch at the top of each stop to see examples for your track. You can change your mind any time before you apply.
A hero from near GayaDashrath Manjhi spent 22 years cutting a road through a hill with a hammer and chisel, so people in his village could reach a doctor. He didn’t start with an idea. He started with a problem he couldn’t ignore.
The journey
1. Start with a problem, not an idea
Ideas are cheap. Real problems that real people have are gold.
2. Ask “why?” until you hit the root
The first answer is almost never the real problem. Dig.
3. Talk to real people
Founders don’t guess. They ask. Here is how to ask well.
4. Plan a 2-week test
Don’t plan a company. Plan the smallest experiment that proves something.
5. Build a mixed crew
Four copies of the same person can’t row a boat. Mix it up.
6. Find someone who’s done it before
One outside mentor is a must. A teacher and a parent are bonus crew.
7. Make a 2-minute video
A phone camera is enough. Show the problem, don’t just talk about it.
8. Packing list
Tick everything off, then start your application.
For your application, you’ll need:
- A crew of 3 to 5 students from Class 8 & 9 at Creane Memorial School
- A track: Social impact or Entrepreneurship
- Your application submitted by 24 November, 11:59 pm
Go deeper
Kids, take charge
Watch · Kiran Bir Sethi · TED · 9 min
Design for Change
Try · Kids solving local problems, worldwide · Browse
How I harnessed the wind
Watch · William Kamkwamba · TED · 6 min
Dashrath Manjhi, the Mountain Man
Read · Wikipedia · 5 min
Stay Hungry Stay Foolish
Read · Rashmi Bansal · Book · Book