Welcome to My World 🌍

I'm Nilesh Jain / Arnaiya

Research Associate at Yale University & Founder of multiple tech ventures including Pybooks and Bibby AI.

NJ

What I'm Up To

Yale University

Working at Yale as a research associate 🎓

The Residency

Running The Residency (a hacker house) in Bangalore

Educational Consulting

Mentoring on Topmate and Mentorcruise and Consulting Founders

BibbyAI & Upcourse.io

Working on BibbyAI and Upcourse.io, pushing the boundaries of AI and education

My Journey 🚀

A winding path of learning, failing, adapting, and growing

Ages 1-17

The Beginning

I was just a regular kid without early exposure to coding or tech. Late by today's standards, I began my programming journey at 17, sparking a lifelong passion for learning.

The Education Phase

Self-taught Explorer

After failing 12th grade, I bounced back by teaching myself through platforms like edX, Udacity, and Coursera when they were just starting! I pursued internships and built my tech skills independently.

The Bangalore Years

Tech Community Immersion

Bangalore became my second home, where I soaked up knowledge, collected swag, and ate a lot of free pizza at tech meetups. This period shaped my networking skills and technical foundation.

Career Experiments

Professional Shapeshifter

I've held various roles – some successful, others not so much. From teaching to full-stack development, Android apps to data science, each experience shaped my path. I've also been fired and also quit one

South Africa

Teaching & Learning

I taught IB subjects to rich students for a semester in South Africa while pursuing my Master's degree, an experience that broadened my global perspective and reinforced my passion for education.

Present Day

Founder & Researcher

Now at Yale as a research associate while running multiple tech ventures including Pybooks, Bibby AI, and others. Constantly seeking new challenges and ways to make an impact.

Things I Love 💡

Hobbies

  • Yoga
  • Reading
  • AI Art
  • Astronomy
  • Public Speaking

Activities

  • Traveling (solo & with friends)
  • Mentoring
  • Volunteering
  • Cricket
  • Rafting

Passions

  • Teaching
  • Content Creation
  • Gift-Giving
  • Cycling
  • Learning new skills

Interests

  • Human Behavior
  • Economics
  • Neuroscience
  • Education innovation
  • Cultural diversity

Past Ventures 🚀

A glimpse into my entrepreneurial and creative endeavors

BuildawnLabs

Computer assembly startup co-founded with Sagar Kotian.

Airbnb Listing Improver

Service for property owners to enhance their listings.

NotSoHuman.AI

Instagram account featuring math simulations and AI content.

Random Fun Facts 🎉

I change accents based on where I am.

I'm terrible at cooking but love gifting food to others.

I was once scared to take my first flight – now I'm a serial conference traveler.

I have stopped sugar completely for 30 days.

Recommendations

Some of the movies, books, music, etc that I like.

A brief history of intelligence

2023

BY Max Bennett

A wonderful read on how neuroscience guides the way forward in the ever growing interest in AI, all the capabilities that we are inspired by come from learning about the brain and how it works and its fascinating how the brain works.

Algorithms to live by

2016

BY Brian Christian

How computer science algorithms help us in our day to day life, living an optimal life using the algorithms we designed. Interesting things - 37% rule, Epsilon Greedy Policy, Caching, etc.

Behave

2017

BY Robert Sopolsky

This one is for the behaviorists, from the guy at Stanford who gives crazy lectures to this crazy book of evolution and behavior - check out his course playlist on youtube. I would read this book instead of that overhyped book Sapiens with hundreds of factual mistakes.

How the mind works

1997

BY Steven Pinker

Cannot emphasize enough on this amazing book of everything inside you works, the power of the brain, you think you understand people? Read this book to clear your misunderstanding.

My Writings

Thoughts, insights, and explorations on technology, education, and human behavior

NeuroscienceFebruary 15, 2025

The Multilingual Mind: Cognitive Benefits of Speaking Multiple Languages

Exploring how my journey through Hindi, Marwari, Gujarati and other languages has shaped my neural pathways and cognitive flexibility.

CareerJanuary 22, 2025

From Teaching to Tech: Lessons from a Non-Linear Career Path

How embracing diverse professional experiences creates a unique perspective when approaching complex problems.

EdTechDecember 10, 2024

Building Educational Tech That Actually Works

Insights from creating Pybooks and other educational platforms that truly enhance learning outcomes.

AI & EducationNovember 5, 2024

The Future of Learning: AI-Assisted Education

How artificial intelligence is transforming the educational landscape and what it means for students and teachers.

CultureOctober 18, 2024

Cultural Intelligence: What Working Across Continents Taught Me

Reflections on adapting to different cultural contexts from Mumbai to Johannesburg to New Haven.

My Talks

Conference presentations, keynotes, and workshops I've delivered around the world

2024

The Future of AI in Education

EdTech SummitBangalore, India

Discussed how artificial intelligence is revolutionizing educational methodologies and accessibility.

2023

Cross-Cultural Software Development

Developer ConferenceCape Town, South Africa

Shared insights on building global teams and creating software that works across cultural contexts.

2024

From Student to Founder: The Entrepreneurship Journey

Yale UniversityNew Haven, USA

A personal account of transitioning from academic studies to building multiple tech ventures.

2023

Democratizing Data Science Education

DataCon AfricaJohannesburg, South Africa

Presented strategies for making data science education more accessible to students from diverse backgrounds.

2022

Building Educational Technology for Global Impact

Global EdTech ForumVirtual

Explored how educational technology can bridge gaps in access to quality education worldwide.

My Recommendations

Books and movies that have shaped my thinking and perspectives

Psychology

Thinking, Fast and Slow

by Daniel Kahneman

A fascinating exploration of two systems that drive the way we think. Changed how I understand decision-making and cognitive biases.

History

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind

by Yuval Noah Harari

This book transformed my understanding of human history and our place in the world. Essential reading for anyone curious about humanity's journey.

Business

Zero to One

by Peter Thiel

The best book on startups and innovation I've read. Thiel's contrarian thinking pushed me to reconsider conventional wisdom about business.

Neuroscience

The Brain: The Story of You

by David Eagleman

An accessible yet profound look at neuroscience that inspired my interest in how the brain shapes our experiences and reality.

Self-Improvement

Atomic Habits

by James Clear

Practical strategies for forming good habits and breaking bad ones. I've applied these principles to transform my productivity and learning.

Why You Should Date Me

A slightly tongue-in-cheek but mostly honest pitch

The Multilingual Nomad

Mumbai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and now the USA - my passport is basically a world tour diary.

Language skills: Hindi, Marwari, Gujarati, broken Marathi, a sprinkle of Kannada, and enough Spanish to order tapas. Think United Nations, but with more chai.

Neuroscience fun fact: Each language you learn creates new neural pathways, essentially giving your brain a cognitive workout. My brain's basically an Olympic gymnast at this point.

💬 Anecdote: Once tried explaining quantum physics in Marwari. Spoiler: It didn't go well, but hey, at least my brain tried!