I'm Lavanya Gupta, a student at Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai and the founder of Ground Up, a social entrepreneurship venture that develops affordable, human-centered solutions for underserved communities.

Driven by the belief that innovation should be accessible to everyone, I work at the intersection of technology, research, and social impact. My flagship innovation, TagAlong, is an offline, AI and IoT-enabled personal safety device designed for women, children, and the elderly in resource-constrained environments. The project has been recognized globally as a Top 25 Finalist in the Conrad Challenge, earning the Conrad Innovator Award, a Diamond Challenge Semi-Finalist, a Top 100 Emerging Innovator of 2026, and the recipient of the CREST Gold Award for research in AI and IoT-enabled personal safety. My research has also been presented at the National IEEE Contemporary Computing Innovations Conference (2026).

Beyond safety technology, I founded Nourish, an initiative focused on improving nutrition equity for low-income families in Maharashtra. Working alongside registered nutritionists, I developed practical, multilingual nutrition resources and led community workshops for domestic workers to promote affordable, healthy eating using locally available foods. My research on food affordability and local agricultural supply chains including the published article “The Price of an Onion’s Journey” reflects my broader commitment to designing solutions that address everyday challenges through research, education, and community engagement.

Through Ground Up, I hope to build innovations that don't simply introduce new technology, but expand access, reduce inequality, and create lasting social impact where it is needed most.