Upward Labs
Learn at the frontier. Build for India.
We take you to the places building the frontier, so you can learn from them and build for India. We design travel-led learning programmes for students.
Past immersions
Where our students have been
Companies and universities visited
Where we have been
From India to the places building it
- Starting point
India
- 2025 · Past immersion
Beijing
- 2026 · Past immersion
Greater Bay Area
- Feb and Mar 2027 · Next cohorts
Shenzhen and Hengqin
Our idea
Go out. Learn. Come back and build.
Go out
Some skills are learned by going where the future is being built.
Learn from the world
Students meet engineers, see products up close, and learn how the world is already solving problems.
Build for India
They come back and apply what they learned to problems that matter for India.
The loop
- 1Exposure
- 2Build
- 3Present
- 4Come back and apply
Why we do it
Why we do it, how we do it, what we do
2 in 5
By 2030, employers expect nearly 2 in 5 of today's skills to change or go out of date. Keeping up takes exposure beyond the classroom, but college structure leaves little room. So we create that space: students learn from the best places in the world and build for India.
How we do it
We bring the exposure to the students. We design and run short, focused immersions that take them to the companies and startups building next-generation technology and businesses.
What we do
Every programme combines travel that moves students out of their comfort zone, exposure across companies, startups and ecosystems where they meet engineers, explore products and ask questions, and a buildathon where they apply what they saw.
Open now
The China immersion
Student experiences
In their words
Ritika DahiyaRishihood University"I thought I might feel uncomfortable or alone, but I never felt that way. Instead, I felt free, safe, and completely included. This immersion gave me confidence, independence, exposure to new places and cultures, and memories that I will cherish forever."
Vansh DagarNewton School of Technology"I remember standing in the BYD gallery, surrounded by cars of every category. I brought back a lot of learnings, but the ones I have actually applied are rapid prototyping and market research. Using what I learned at the entrepreneurship centre, I changed my own working system and improved my own products."
Tanubhav KatiyarNewton School of Technology"One of the best moments was when we got to witness actual technological developments and, more importantly, meet the minds behind them. At DJI Headquarters, I learned that they don't doubt their ability to do things. I have made sure I don't come in my own way by assuming I am incapable of something."
Gargi SrivastavaRishihood University"One moment from my China Immersion trip that I remember very clearly is sitting inside a Level 4 autonomous car at Baidu Apollo. Looking back, I think the biggest thing I gained was confidence and the realisation that stepping into an unfamiliar environment can lead to some of the best experiences."
Applications open
See what the seven days look like.
The Frontier Community. Every student who goes on one of our immersions becomes part of it.