Upaya’s Partnership with Chicago Booth School of Business on Display at 2013 Social New Venture Competition

As part of the organization’s partnership with the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, Upaya’s Executive Director Sachi Shenoy recently joined a distinguished group of Booth alumni as final round judges for the school’s Social New Venture Competition (SNVC). While in Chicago, she also participated in the annual advisory board meeting of the school’s Social Enterprise Initiative.

The judging panel – which included leadership from organizations such as the Arabella Advisors, TransUnion Corp., CDW and Shorebank International – evaluated 16 finalists based on the strength of their business models and ability of their work to realize a positive social benefit. Upaya was well represented at the event.

The SNVC is lead by Chicago Booth Deputy Dean Robert Gertner, who also serves Upaya as an Advisor. Additionally, Upaya Board member Sonny Garg was involved in the planning of this year’s competition.

Upaya Well Represented at the First Indiaspora Forum in New York

Upaya's Sachi Shenoy and Sonny Garg were two of the 100 Indian and Indian American leaders who gathered September 14-16, 2012 outside New York City for the first annual Indiaspora Forum. The event was designed to facilitate discussion of the critical issues that impact the global Indian community and lay the groundwork for actionable solutions.

Indiaspora's Forum establishes an epicenter for the diverse array of Indian American perspectives. Representatives from all constituencies of the community – from technologists to activists, sage academics to "Rising Stars" – engaged in a mix of strategic discussion and candid conversation over the course of the intimate, three-day forum.

For more information about the event, please visit indiaspora.org.

Upaya Welcomes Sonny Garg and Dipika Matthias to its Board of Directors

Upaya Social Ventures is proud to welcome Sunil “Sonny” Garg and Dipika Matthias to the organization’s Board of Directors.

“We are very excited to welcome Sonny and Dipika to Upaya and are looking forward to working together to realize great change for families living in extreme poverty,” said Kate Cochran, Upaya’s Interim Board President. “Both bring tremendous experience and insights to the organization, and I am confident their leadership will be invaluable to Upaya as it continues to grow,” Cochran said.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Board,” said Garg. “Upaya can and will make an enormous difference in the lives of those who are typically ignored and deemed to be hopeless, and I am excited to contribute in whatever small way I might be able,” said Garg.

“I’m excited to contribute to Upaya’s pioneering approach of marrying venture capital with poverty reduction as it has the potential to be a game-changer in the field of international development,” said Matthias. “I’m also excited to be part of an organization that tracks real metrics of social progress at an individual unit level – which is at the heart of the impact we are trying to make,” said Matthias.

For more information on both new members and the entire Upaya board, please visit our Board page.