Yes, I'm unable to push forward this idea due to lack of funds as of now. Thank you for offering a good alternative measure. Even though I'm not entirely sure if universities would like to collaborate or sponsor the project without a working product first.
That depends on how you frame it: As a business or as a project in development in which they can take part, and which could possibly offer them other benefits as well. Such as the opportunity for scientific evaluation or just building a reputation for being innovative (with their ministry for education or other institutions, depending on the country).
I think the best approach would be to get in touch with friends, friends of friends and other contacts who work at a university and find out in a one-to-one conversation if this would be an interesting project for them and their department. You don't need to sign up a whole university first - one department or sub-department would be a good start.
Thank you for your suggestions. I had not taken into consideration that partnering with innovative platforms (like how blockchain startups are huge right now) will build reputation for those universities and they might see it as an opportunity to attract new students. I think this approach is a good way to find out if universities will actually support the platform.