Anand Kumar is a celebrated Indian mathematician and teacher, renowned as the visionary founder of the revolutionary #Super30 programme. His life's work is a powerful demonstration of social entrepreneurship, dedicated to finding and training meritorious students from economically backward sections of society for India’s most prestigious institution, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT).
The Super 30 programme, which he started in Bihar with a batch of just 30 students, has achieved remarkable success: by 2017, 396 out of 450 coached students made it to the IITs. This unparalleled track record in education reform has earned him global attention, including a one-hour documentary on the Discovery Channel and half a page devoted to his work in The New York Times. The programme was also included in Time Magazine's Best of Asia 2010 list.
His teaching story began humbly, growing from a rented classroom with just two students to a large institute. The pivotal moment came in the early 2000s when a student who couldn't afford fees inspired the creation of the Super 30 programme, offering free coaching classes to the truly impoverished. He is listed in the Limca Book of Records for this contribution and has been awarded the Rashtriya Bal Kalyan Award by the President of India.
As a highly sought-after speaker, Anand has been invited by prestigious universities worldwide—including MIT, Harvard, and the University of British Columbia—to speak on his model for mentoring underprivileged students. His keynotes draw on his powerful personal journey to inspire audiences on Entrepreneurship, Motivation & Storytelling, CSR & Social Empowerment, and the crucial importance of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion for the future of India and the world.
