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About us
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Our Story
Aspire India was launched in 2024 to take forward the vision of empowering youth from underserved communities in India through a leadership program which was founded by Harvard University faculty Tarun Khanna and Karim Lakhani.
One year ago, we set out on a bold mission: to unlock the boundless potential of India’s underserved youth. As proud partners of the Aspire Institute in India, we’ve built a 100% fully funded leadership program that reaches deep into communities often overlooked by mainstream opportunity streams. From the moment our first cohort stepped through our virtual doors, we’ve been driven by a single conviction: when young people are equipped with courage, confidence, skills, and vision, they don’t just change their own lives—they transform families, communities, and the nation’s future.
India stands at a historic crossroads. Yet true progress can come if and only if we dismantle the barriers that lock too many promising lives into cycles of inequality. When youth from every corner of our country—regardless of post code or family income—are armed with the tools to chart their own economic and social trajectories. By tackling the root causes of inequality in opportunities, our program ensures that the next generation isn’t limited by past constraints, but propelled by newfound confidence and capability to transition seamlessly from school to meaningful careers.
Our immersive curriculum blends leadership theory with real‑world application. Participants gain mentorship, digital literacy, career coaching, and access to an expansive alumni network—all at no cost. We measure success not just by graduation rates, but by the stories of young leaders who return to their towns, launch community enterprises, take on new roles, or pursue academic advancement. Every new job secured, every small business launched, every volunteer initiative led is a testament to what’s possible when aspiration meets action.
As we look ahead, our vision remains unwavering: progress for India must be progress for all Indians. By empowering today’s youth to become tomorrow’s changemakers, we’re sowing the seeds for stronger families, resilient communities, and a nation that fulfills its promise. This is our story—and it’s just the beginning. Join us in turning aspiration into achievement, and watch as a new generation leads the way!
#Mission
Through a fully funded transformative leadership programme we empower youth from underserved communities across India to be leaders by nurturing their learning pathways and enhancing employment readiness
#Vision
A world where every talented young person, regardless of socioeconomic background, can pursue their true calling.
Board Members
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Alok Kshirsagar
A strategy consultant for close to 30 years, Alok remembers his first ‘work’ at the National Association for the Blind in Bangalore. As a child, his grandparents would take him there to pitch in as a scribe, an aide and do whatever odd jobs were needed. This interest was nurtured in college through the exposure he had to principles of social justice. He remains engaged with public policy around livelihoods. Alok serves as a board member on PRS, NAB, Aangan Trust, amongst other not-for-profits.
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Swati Apte
Swati has 25 years of experience across strategy consulting, leadership development, the social sector and the arts. Currently the Founder Director of The Arts Quotient, a leadership development firm, she started her career at McKinsey & Co in New York and has since worked in microfinance, Junoon, etc. Swati is a senior advisor to Educate Girls and World Monuments Fund. She regularly publishes thought pieces in Harvard Business Review, IDR, and Business Standard. Swati holds a Masters in Politics, Philosophy and Economics from the University of Oxford and an MBA from Harvard Business School. She is also a trained Odissi dancer and works actively on capacity-building in multiple social sector organisations.
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Naveen Tewari
Naveen Tewari is the founder of InMobi, a global leader in mobile advertising, driven by his vision to create user-first, innovative solutions. A graduate of IIT Kanpur and Harvard Business School, he has received prestigious honors including the Dean’s Award and Distinguished Alumnus Award. Naveen has backed over 30 Indian startups and co-founded iSPIRT to strengthen India’s tech ecosystem. He also founded the India School Fund, supporting rural education. A board member at Paytm, he has been recognized by Fortune, Forbes, and Business Insider. Naveen is also a fitness enthusiast and a passionate advocate for entrepreneurship in India.
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Neeraj Bharadwaj
Neeraj Bharadwaj is Managing Director at Carlyle India Advisors, focusing on growth capital and buyout opportunities across sectors. Prior to Carlyle, he held leadership roles at Accel Partners and Apax Partners, where he led India operations. Earlier, he was an engagement manager at McKinsey & Co. A graduate of Harvard Business School (MBA with distinction) and Wharton (summa cum laude), Neeraj serves on several corporate boards including Hexaware, Delhivery, and Metropolis Healthcare. He’s also a Young Global Leader (WEF), ISB board member, and involved in initiatives like OGQ and FICCI PE/VC Committee, shaping India’s investment landscape.
Leadership Team
Executive Director
Nithyambika Gurukumar
Nithya is a seasoned leader with over 17 years of experience in international development and the corporate legal sector. Having started her career as a corporate legal counsel working on issues ranging from copyright infringement to dispute resolution, Nithya has been entrepreneurial with an eagerness to push boundaries. This began with a r o l e as a founding team member of the teacher development program at Dream A Dream building empathy, trust and resilience in teachers working with children in low-income contexts across Karnataka, India. That program has scaled to work across multiple states in India. She then went on to head a successful fundraising and strategic communications function at STiR Education raising over USD 20 million to support its works on transforming education systems by reigniting teacher motivation. As a Thomas Buergenthal Scholar, she holds a Masters degree from the George Washington University Law School. Nithya sits on the board of https://care-trade.org/ which supports and prepares autistic people for employment in the UK. She’s a trained Kathak dancer and Carnatic singer.
Director Operations
Sashi Gundala
Sashi Gundala, a seasoned leader with over 20 years of experience in education, co-founded Techno-Comp Inc, a global staffing and consulting firm. She also served as the director of curriculum development at NanoSkool and the director of community development at Belakoo Trust. Holding a Master's in Education from Rutgers University in USA and an associate degree in educational leadership, she's been a vocal advocate for educational initiatives in India and USA. She is the recipient of the 'Lemonick Science Award' from Princeton University and also completed 'Mindfulness Training for Educators' at Harvard University. Beyond her professional achievements, Sashi is a passionate lyricist, traveler, photographer, and yoga enthusiast.
M&E and Alumni Engagement, Consultant
Vignesh Gudi
Vignesh P, who joins Aspire India as our Program Consultant leading Alumni Engagement as one of his roles. With a strong background in product management and a passion for leveraging technology in learning, Vignesh brings a unique blend of strategic insight and community-centric thinking to our alumni initiatives. He has built his career at innovative organisations — most recently serving as Product Manager specializing in AI-driven learning solutions at The/Nudge Foundation in Bengaluru, where he focused on designing meaningful experiences that enhance learning impact and engagement.
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Manager - Outreach & Partnerships
Vineet Kumar
Vineet Kumar is a startup mentor, entrepreneur, and changemaker with a strong focus on innovation and technology-led impact. An Aspire Alumni (2022), he is the CEO & Founder of Jevix Technologies and the recipient of the Youngest Entrepreneur Award. Vineet won the Smart Ideathon 2023 organized by GITAM University and has represented India at multiple national and international platforms for science and technology innovation, including participation at NEXPO, Northeastern University (Boston, USA).
Intern, Aspiring Leaders India Foundation
Faiza Shaikh
Faiza Shaikh is an Administrative Intern at Aspire India, committed to purposeful leadership and community-driven impact. With a background in Information Technology and prior experience as an Associate at Cognizant Technology Solutions, she brings a structured, detail-oriented, and solutions-focused approach to administrative and coordination functions.An alumna of the Aspire Leaders Program, Faiza’s journey has shaped her commitment to values-based leadership, empathy, and service. At Aspire India, she supports operational efficiency and collaboration while contributing to an environment that empowers future leaders and enables meaningful social impact.
Intern, Aspiring Leaders India Foundation
Keerthana L
Keerthana is a Communication and Query Management Intern with Aspire Team India at the Aspire Institute. Based in Chennai, she focuses on bridging the gap between the institute and its global community. Her daily work involves a mix of social media strategy and hands-on query management, ensuring that every interaction is meaningful and every question finds an answer. Keerthana is passionate about using digital platforms to tell stories that matter. By combining a creative eye for content with a structured approach to communication, she helps maintain a vibrant, responsive online presence that reflects the Aspire Institute’s mission to drive educational impact.
Advisory
Aditya Sharma
Aditya serves as the Chief Operating Officer of Accelerion Partners - a firm focused on "Global-India exponential opportunities" in 3 sectors: clean energy, AI & technology solutions, and advanced industrials driven by decarbonization, digitalization and deglobalization. The firm partners with global private equity and structured financing firms in supporting them on capital deployment and strategic ventures opportunities. Prior to this, Aditya served for over 30+ years globally across the US, UK, Australia and Asia-Pacific - both in corporate leadership responsibilities (having served at McKinsey & Company, JP Morgan Chase & Capital One); as well as in technology solutions entrepreneurship (with 2 successful exits, 1 in which he was a Co-Founder of the company). Aditya has an MBA in Finance & Marketing and an MS in Computer & Systems Engineering (both from New York) and a BE in Electrical Engineering from Mumbai. He is a recipient of multiple prestigious scholarships such as JN Tata National Scholarship in India and full tuition scholarship throughout his higher education in the US. He was awarded a US patent for technology innovation.
Bhaskar M G
Assistant Professor with a decade of experience in the higher education industry, involved in all phases of curriculum development, content delivery, training needs analysis and Training delivery.
Swapnil Barhate
Swapnil Barhate is a Business and Marketing Strategist who helps businesses achieve measurable growth through smart systems and data‑driven strategies. With over six years of experience, he has worked extensively on strategic growth planning, performance marketing, and digital transformation initiatives, helping brands generate qualified leads, optimize customer journeys, and scale revenue efficiently. Swapnil is known for bridging the gap between strategy and execution—from market research and positioning to building CRM workflows, automating marketing processes, and running high‑impact campaigns. His approach combines creative problem‑solving with data‑backed decision making, ensuring every effort translates into tangible results. Passionate about AI‑driven marketing and scalable business systems, Swapnil focuses on helping companies grow smarter, faster, and more sustainably in competitive markets.