Founder, OrzyneX Innovations. Project Coordinator, Net Zero Schools, 1M1B. Project Manager, GreenCar. School Sustainability Leader and Co-founder of the Capital Investment Club, Brighton College Abu Dhabi.

Hrithik Manikandan

Hrithik is a high school student at Brighton College Abu Dhabi and the founder of OrzyneX. It began with two questions he could not let go of: why workers with steady incomes and years of everyday payments, from rent to money sent home, are still invisible to banks, and why schools that want to cut emissions have no simple way to measure what they do.

He studied each one with data, published his research and a book on financial inclusion, Beyond the Score, and then built something people could use: the Finangl app, to widen access for people the financial system overlooks, and the ChonX app, with the Climate Action Toolkit he designed for schools, to make sustainability measurable. Partnerships with employers, NGOs and schools take that work to the people it is meant for, from training and welfare programmes for workers to climate action in classrooms. More products and solutions are on the way.

His interests run across finance, the environment and the wider UN Sustainable Development Goals, and in each he brings technology and business together so the solutions can last.

“Science tells you what the problem is. Technology lets you do something about it.”

“I kept seeing the same gap,” he told Gulf News. “Everyone agrees we should cut emissions, but schools and families have no simple way to measure” what they do.

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Areas of work

Financial inclusion

His book Beyond the Score asked why reliable people stay invisible to credit bureaus. A published study on alternative-data credit scoring followed, and then Finangl.

Measurable sustainability

A Year 9 carbon-capture project started the journey. A team air-purification design at Cambridge Judge Business School, a CO₂ emissions predictor and a published review of carbon calculators followed, and then ChonX.

Net Zero Schools with 1M1B

As Project Coordinator in the UAE for 1M1B, a UN-accredited youth organisation, he designed the Net Zero Schools model: a schools forum, a Climate Action Toolkit and the ChonX app. He presented it at the United Nations in Geneva and at UN House, New Delhi.

Sustainable mobility with GreenCar

Project Manager for Development and Finance at GreenCar (greencar.ngo), India’s largest not-for-profit carpool, and its Global Youth Ambassador since 2024. Reporting to the founder, he has built more than 10 CSR partnerships, managed budgets, led outreach to over 1,000 young people and contributed product logic and feature design to GreenCar’s app.

Honors, awards and recognition

Grand Prize, Wharton Global Youth “Comment & Win” Competition 2025

A three-round global competition run by Wharton Global Youth.

CREST Gold Award

British Science Association, for his independent research on carbon-footprint calculators.

3rd Prize in Economics, InnoSphere 2025

High School Research and Innovation Conference organised by Sigma Xi, for his credit-scoring research.

Commendation, John Locke Institute Global Essay Prize 2026

Economics category. Awarded in October 2026 at Grosvenor House, London.

Patent applied (UAE)

Patent application P2025-01506, “AI-Driven Fintech Platform with Unified Remittance Access, Adaptive Credit Scoring, Financial Literacy, and Personalized Financial Products”, filed with the UAE Ministry of Economy in 2025. It has passed legal examination and completed the first round of substantive examination.

Policy proposal on Delhi’s air pollution, forwarded for action by the Delhi Government

His policy paper proposing a carpooling system was presented to the Minister of Environment, Delhi Government, and forwarded to the relevant authorities for necessary action. October 2026.

Yale Young Global Scholars 2026

Selected for the programme. Executive Director of his capstone team, on restoring mangroves in Indonesia’s Mahakam Delta.

1M1B Youth Champion

Named by 1M1B, a UN-accredited youth organisation, for his Net Zero Schools work.

Pearson Edexcel High Achiever Award

Awarded for his GCSE results.

He also holds the Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award at Silver (2025) and Bronze (2023), and letters of recommendation from Dr James L. Green, former NASA Chief Scientist, and Ken Kahn, former Oxford researcher.

What people say

From the press, and from the organisations and professionals he has worked with.

“Abu Dhabi student Hrithik Manikandan is taking on climate change and financial exclusion at the same time, and he already has two live apps to show for it.”

Gulf News
“Oh! Yeah” youth magazine, October 2026

“Now, most people wait until university to start solving real-world problems. Hrithik started much earlier.”

Gulf News
“Oh! Yeah” youth magazine, October 2026

“…a proof-of-concept developed by Hrithik Manikandan, 1M1B Youth Champion and Sustainability leader at Brighton College Abu Dhabi.”

Zawya
UAE–India Sustainable Schools Leadership Forum, February 2026

“A key highlight of the forum was the launch of the 1M1B Climate Action Toolkit and Tracking App.”

GCC Business News
ADSM and 1M1B Net Zero Schools partnership, 2026

“Hrithik takes criticism as useful information and acts on it quickly, and when the work is praised he names his teammates first.”

Manav Subodh
Founder, 1M1B (One Million for One Billion)

“What stayed with me was that he read the rejections as information about the pitch and not about himself. I do not often see that in a student.”

Rajiv Arora
Founder & CEO, GreenCar.ngo

“Hrithik prepared carefully for each camp, adjusted his explanations to the audience in front of him, and handled every question with patience and respect.”

Tirupathi Buddi
Director, Alhulm Alabiad Technical Services L.L.C

“He has stayed in touch with our welfare team and has changed the app when workers asked for something different. Hrithik was patient and polite with our workers and with our schedules.”

Addanki Upendra
Director, Qwat Albarq Technical Services

“He asked questions of professionals twice his age without pretence, he took our answers seriously, and he built, wrote and tested until the work was sound.”

Tanu Mehta
Certified Financial Advisor

“His ability to merge technical expertise with innovative problem-solving was evident in his work on projects exploring the use of AI for sustainable space missions and data analytics.”

Dr James L. Green
Chairman, Metavisionaries; former Chief Scientist, NASA

“I was impressed by his project, particularly his goal of using AI and Machine Learning to provide a service for the community.”

Dr Ken Kahn
Senior Researcher, Department of Education, University of Oxford

“His combination of discipline, knowledge, and curiosity makes him well-suited for advanced studies and professional roles in finance.”

Mrudul Shah
VP, JP Morgan; mentor, GradCircle Finance Cohort

Talks and events

9th 1M1B Impact Summit, United Nations, Geneva. Presented the ChonX Green School Toolkit and app at the Palais des Nations.
UN India “1.5 Matters” forum, UN House, New Delhi. Presented in the session “Building Net Zero Schools”.
1.5 Matters UAE–India Sustainable Schools Leadership Forum, Abu Dhabi School of Management. As 1M1B’s Project Coordinator, organised this forum, hosted by ADSM with 1M1B, and launched the Climate Action Toolkit and tracking app, now ChonX, to six Abu Dhabi schools and more than 50 participants.
Yale Young Global Scholars, Yale University. Led his team’s investor pitch for the Akar Tambak mangrove plan.
Princetonian Institute International Conference of High School and College Research. Presented his credit-scoring research.
New Delhi World Book Fair 2026. Both of his books were showcased.