Lakshmi Pratury, CEO and founder of INK, brought TED to India in 2009, when the first TEDIndia conference was held in Mysore. In December 2010, she curated and hosted the first INK Conference, in association with TED, which carried forward the momentum created by TEDIndia.

“We’re moving from an industrial economy where our success depended on faster, better and cheaper production, to a creative economy, where our success depends on how fast we can reinvent ourselves and be masters of multiple disciplines. The very education that took us to heights of success is now dragging us away from the altar of innovation,” Lakshmi says.

INK began with the understanding of this need gap and is all about providing the young and aspirational with a platform dedicated to exchanging innovative ideas full of passionate people who believe in the concept of building communities for collective and greater success.

The way kids consume information has changed from chalk-and-talk and regimented classrooms to short videos and a world of YouTube role models.  While schools can continue to train the kids in basics like science, arts and sports, it becomes important that children are also taught to dream and think beyond traditional paradigms through platforms that enable creativity and provide necessary exposure to students and budding entrepreneurs.

INK is a pioneer for the exchange of cutting-edge ideas and groundbreaking innovation, enabling the launch of ideas that ultimately result in creative action. Acting as an accelerator for ideas and people, the INK network brings together people through different impact-driven programs, engaging events and an annual conference, to help people turn their ideas to reality.

INK under its umbrella has designed and implemented various impact-driven programs like INK Makers, INK Youth, Teenovators, INK Salons and INK Fellows - all of which provide a forum for artists, innovators, industry leaders, students and entrepreneurs to learn from and with each other.

The Fellows Program annually identifies and nurtures a cohort of young achievers who are redefining their fields of work or the world around them. The INK Makers Program is an initiative designed to celebrate invention and innovation. Undergraduate students are encouraged to explore innovations and technologies across the spectrum of science, engineering, art, and design and mentors help these students turn their ideas into tangible products and concepts.

The Teenovators Program conducted in association with Manipal University works to equip future generations with not only strong basic skills and specialist technical knowledge, but also the attitudes and wider skillsets required to generate new solutions and adapt to our rapidly changing world.

The flagship and much acclaimed IINK Conference is where thinkers from diverse walks of life come together for a 3-day immersive experience that is live streamed to colleges across India, as well as broadcasted across social media and other digital channels.

INK Salons are short format events hosted at corporates, special venues, and campuses throughout the year. Lead by INK’s founder and CEO, Lakshmi Pratury, these events provide an opportunity to address large corporates and organizations to instill INK's moonshot style of thinking to bring innovative practices into the company.

And all this information is available free to the world through short, engaging, online videos and through interactions that occur with schools and colleges when they join us at our events.  With its thought-provoking programs, INK provides an experiential platform, which is inspiring for both students and entrepreneurs. While the classrooms teach you the basics, it is your life rooms that expose you to content from around the world. We want to ensure that we present content that has new role models with engaging stories that spark the imagination of our youth.  And once they learn how to imagine and create, watch out - we will be entering a world of unknown possibilities and welcome breakthroughs.