Famous social entrepreneurs in India
India is home to some of the world’s most successful and inspiring social entrepreneurs. Below, we’ve put together a list of social entrepreneurs in India and the most notable individuals in this field – people who have done amazing things for their communities, and who are worth your time learning about.
Top Social Entrepreneurs in India
India is one of the most important countries when it comes to social entrepreneurship. The country has a diverse culture, and a significant amount of entrepreneurial spirit. Want to know more about those who are making an impact in this arena? Read on!
1. Saalumarada Thimmakka: Social Entrepreneur and Padma Shri Award Winner
Saalumarada Thimmakka, a social entrepreneur and Padma Shri award winner, is on a mission to make a positive impact on the lives of the marginalized and underprivileged in India.
She founded Saalumarada Foundation, an NGO that provides support to orphans, widows and vulnerable women.
Saalumarada also works with schools and colleges to sensitize students on issues such as gender equality and environmentalism
Saalumarada has received numerous awards including the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award, India’s National Award for Social Service in the Field of Women and Children, and the Global Social Venture Competition’s (GSVC) prestigious World Impact Award.
2. Urvashi Sahni – Founder and CEO of SHEF (Study Hall Education Foundation)
Urvashi Sahni is the founder and CEO of SHEF (Study Hall Education Foundation). She began her career as a corporate lawyer, but decided to leave law to pursue her passion for education.
SHEF is a social venture that provides scholarships and mentorship to students from underprivileged backgrounds who are interested in studying business or engineering. SHEF has helped more than 10,000 students acquire the skills they need to succeed in life.
Urvashi Sahni is a tireless advocate for social entrepreneurship. She has spoken at numerous conferences around the world, and her work has helped to inspire other people to pursue their passions and give back to their community.
Urvashi Sahni is a strong example of someone who has used his skills and background to create a positive impact in the world.
Her work at SHEF demonstrates how social entrepreneurs can use their knowledge and experience to create significant change in society.
3. Sharad Vivek Sagar – Founder of Dexterity Global
Sharad Vivek Sagar is the founder of Dexterity Global, a social enterprise that creates opportunities for marginalized youth in India. Sagar’s work focuses on creating sustainable jobs for the country’s poorest and most underprivileged citizens.
Born and bred in Patna, Bihar, this 26-year-old social entrepreneur is on a mission to connect children in remote areas with the best opportunities.
Sharad believes that the next generation of leaders is sitting in the classroom right now, and if given the right opportunity, can change the world.
Sharad is one of the few Indians to feature in the Forbes 30 under 30 list and is also one of the few Indians to have rejected a Masters degree from Harvard University. He has also been invited to the White House by former US President Barack Obama. For an opening ceremony. To further add to his achievements, the Rockefeller Foundation named him one of the 100 Innovators of the Next Century.
In addition to his work with Dexterity, Sagar has spoken at various events. Sagar’s work demonstrates the power of social entrepreneurship to improve the lives of marginalized people around the world.
4. Ria Sharma – Founder of Make Love Not Scars NGO
Ria Sharma is one of the most successful social entrepreneurs in India. She founded Make Love Not Scars, a rehabilitation center for acid attack survivors and an NGO that focuses on helping victims of acid attacking.
Sharma’s work has helped to rescue many women and girls and restored their dignity. Her work has also raised awareness in India and around the world.
Sharma is a tireless advocate for her cause, and she is determined to make a difference in the lives of the victims she helps.
She is a powerful voice for social justice, and you should definitely check her out if you’re interested in learning more about social entrepreneurship in India.
5. Karthik Naralasetty – Redcode Informatics
Karthik Naralasetty is a social entrepreneur who has worked to improve the lives of people in India. He is the founder and CEO of Redcode Informatics, a tech company that uses technology to improve the lives of people in India.
Redcode Informatics was founded in 2007. Its mission is to help people in India access information and technology tools that will improve their lives. This includes helping them to achieve economic independence and build better careers.
Karthik Naralasetty has worked tirelessly to make a difference in the lives of people in India. His work at Redcode Informatics is an important example of how social entrepreneurs can help to improve the lives of others.
6. Sunil Bharti Mittal – Bharti Foundation
One of the most prominent social entrepreneurs in India is Sunil Bharti Mittal. He is the chairman and founder of the Bharti Foundation, one of the largest philanthropic organizations in the country.
The Bharti Foundation works to improve social conditions in India by providing education and medical assistance to those who need it most.
They also focus on creating sustainable businesses that can help provide jobs and economic stability to communities in India.
Sunil Bharti Mittal is a powerful advocate for social justice and human rights. He has helped to change the lives of millions of people in India through his work with the Bharti Foundation.
If you are interested in learning more about social entrepreneurship in India, be sure to check out the Bharti Foundation website.
7. JEROO BILLMORIA – Founder of Childline
Jeroo Billmoria is the founder of Childline, a social enterprise that provides crisis support to children and their families in India.
Childline operates 24/7 and has a network of over 1,200 volunteers who provide support to over 120,000 children and their families.
Since its inception in 1995, Childline has helped to prevent child abuse and exploitation from taking place. Through its services, Childline has helped to change the lives of thousands of children in India.
8. Agnishwar Jayaprakash – Founder of Ignite-India
Agnishwar Jayaprakash is the founder of Ignite-India, a social enterprise that helps underprivileged people in India get access to education.
Ignite-India was founded in 2013 by Jayaprakash. He wanted to create a company that would help underprivileged people in India achieve their dreams and improve their lives.
Ignite-India offers scholarships and educational opportunities to students who are from low-income families. They also provide training and support to these students so that they can become successful entrepreneurs.
Jayaprakash is a self-made man who has done a lot for his country. He is an entrepreneur at heart, and he wants to help others reach their goals as well. Ignite-India is a great example of how social enterprise can change the lives of people in India.
9. Hanumappa Sudarshan – Founder of Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra
If you’re looking for an example of a social entrepreneur in India, look no further than Hanumappa Sudarshan. Sudarshan is the founder of Vivekananda Girijana Kalyana Kendra (VGK), a non-profit organization that works to improve the quality of education in rural areas of India.
VGK was founded in 2002, and its mission is to provide quality education to underprivileged children living in rural areas.
To date, VGK has implemented over 1,000 programs across 14 states in India. Its success is thanks in part to the innovative methods that it employs.
One of VGK’s most important objectives is to create a sense of community among students and teachers.
It does this by providing scholarships and other financial assistance to talented students and by sponsoring cultural events and sports competitions.
Sudarshan is also a passionate advocate for youth development. He has spoken at various international conferences on the topic, and he has written several articles on youth development topics for various publications. In addition, he is currently working on a book titled “Youth Empowerment: A Pathway to Prosperity.”
10. ANSHU GUPTA – Founder of Goonj, a social enterprise
Anshu Gupta is a social entrepreneur who is best known for his work with Goonj, a social organization that collects used clothes from the urban crowd, sorts them, repairs them and later distributes them to the poor and needy.
Born in a middle-class family in Uttar Pradesh, he took up media as a profession and as an intern saw the need for decent clothing for the poor in rural India. The relief work done by Gunj during natural calamities in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and Kerala has been highly appreciated.
He is currently working on a project that will provide renewable energy to low-income households in India.
11. Aarushi Batra – Founder of Robin Hood Army
Aarushi Batra is the founder of Robin Hood Army, an organization that helps the oppressed and needy in India.
She wanted to feed as many mouths as possible and for that sole purpose, along with her 3 friends she founded the Robin Hood Army.
The volunteers of Robin Hood Army collect food from restaurants and weddings, pack it with proper hygiene and distribute it to the poor.
There are over 850 million hungry people, but we can reach only a few of them. Helping a few dozen people was not enough for Arushi. As the name suggests, this volunteer-based organization aims to provide surplus food to the less fortunate.
Robin Hood’s Army is spread across 60 cities and provides food to more than 5 million people worldwide.
Arushi Batra is constantly setting new benchmarks with her 14000 Robins and she doesn’t believe in dwelling on her past success.
Batra’s work is important not only because it helps people in need, but also because it shows that there is always hope for change in a country that is often seen as dark and hopeless. She is an inspiration to all those who believe that anything is possible if you set your mind to it.
12. SANTOSH PARULEKAR – Founder of Pipal Tree
Santosh Parulekar is the founder of Pipal Tree. Santosh Parulekar worked to create job opportunities for unemployed youth in rural India.
He started ‘People Tree’, a company that aims to provide formal training to youth and prestigious jobs in companies across the country.
Operating since 2007, People Tree has trained more than 1,500 workers and plans to open training centers across India in the coming years.
Parulekar’s work with Pipal Tree is important because it demonstrates the power of social entrepreneurship.
Through his work, Parulekar has been able to help many young in India gain access to essential services. His work is also important as it helps to fill a gap in the country’s job market.
13. Nivesh Raj – Founder of Step Up For Healthy India
Nivesh Raj is a social entrepreneur who is passionate about helping to improve the health of people in India.
He founded Step Up For Healthy India, a nonprofit organization that works to increase access to quality healthcare for the poor.
Nivesh is a former Youth Assembly delegate to the United Nations who always believed that the problem of poverty can never be solved unless the problem of sanitation is first addressed, and with this belief he started Step Up for Healthy India, an organization that The objective is to provide the basics of health and hygiene to the underprivileged.
Nivesh has also launched a program called Leadership 30, which aims to nurture students who can become tomorrow’s leaders and shape the country around the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations. This program is the first of its kind in India and only the second in the world.
Step Up For Healthy India helps to provide healthcare services to low-income families in Mumbai and other areas of Maharashtra.
The organization also works to improve the quality of healthcare services provided by local hospitals. Nivesh Raj has dedicated his life to helping others, and he is committed to making a difference in the lives of others.
14. Shaheen Mistri – Founder of the Akanksha Foundation
Shaheen Mistri is a social entrepreneur who is the founder of the Akanksha Foundation. The Akanksha Foundation is a charity organization that works to improve the lives of children in India.
Shaheen Mistri was born in India and grew up in a poor family. He saw firsthand how children were treated poorly and how they were unable to achieve their full potential because of poverty and discrimination. This motivated him to start the Akanksha Foundation in order to help these children.
The Akanksha Foundation focuses on helping children who are living in poverty. It does this by providing them with education, health care, and financial assistance.
Shaheen Mistri believes that every child has the ability to be successful if given the opportunity. He is committed to helping these children reach their full potential, no matter what obstacles they face.
15. Sumita Ghose – Founder of Ashoka Changemakers & Rangasutra
Suma Ghose is the founder of Ashoka Changemakers, a social entrepreneurship organization based in India. Ghose is known for her work in creating opportunities for underprivileged women and girls and aims to revive the craftsmanship and talent that is unharnessed in rural India.
Ashoka Changemakers was founded in 2011 with the mission of promoting social entrepreneurship in India. The organization provides access to education, technology, and business resources to underserved groups in the country.
Ghose has worked extensively to promote entrepreneurship among women and girls in India. She has helped to create opportunities for them through her work with Ashoka Changemakers. She also supports their participation in policymaking processes and provides them with financial and technical support.
Ghose is a powerful advocate for social justice and gender equality. Her work with Ashoka Changemakers has helped to improve the lives of millions of people in India.
16. Dhruv Lakra – Founder of Mirakle Couriers
Dhruv Lakra is a social entrepreneur who has been working to improve the lives of people in India for over a decade. His company, Mirakle Couriers, provides a vital service to the community by providing courier services.
Mirakle Couriers was founded by Dhruv Lakra with the goal of providing a better way for people to get deliveries. The company has since expanded its services to include online shopping and other delivery options.
He went to Oxford University on a scholarship to pursue an MBA degree in social entrepreneurship and during this time he came up with the idea of establishing a place where deaf people could work and use their skills, and thus Miracle Couriers were born.
It started with three employees and now the company has more than 50 employees out of which only three are not deaf.
The impact that Dhruv Lakra has had on the Indian community is evident not only in his business decisions, but also in his personal life.
He understands the importance of giving back to the community and works tirelessly to make a positive impact on the lives of others.
Today, Miracle Couriers handles over 75000 deliveries every month to more than 50 companies. The exceptional work done by Dhruva’s company has not gone unnoticed as it has been honored with several awards in recent years such as the Helen Keller Award, the Echoing Green Fellowship Award and the National Award for Empowerment of People with Disabilities. President of India himself.
17. Ajaita Shah – Founder & CEO of Frontier Markets
Frontier Markets is a social commerce platform whose mission is to create ‘simple living’ or ‘simple living’ for rural households by providing them local access to high quality, climate friendly and gender inclusive products and services, including clean energy services. Last mile villages by investing in rural women entrepreneurs as our connector to rural communities.
The team has over 10 years of experience working in rural markets, from microfinance to telecom and rural marketing. The team aligns on a few key principles:
Rural India is not a challenging market, but a huge opportunity – rural consumers want reliable access to products and services, companies want to serve this market, we make it easy for both to connect
Gender inclusive business is essential to holistically impact rural markets – women are influencers, passionate about change, eager to work, and provide strong insights that are otherwise hard to access – in successful, customer-centric companies. Key components,
The combination of technology enables deeper engagement with the rural consumer, while driving innovation, with local trusted influencers.
By using rich rural data, manufacturing companies do not stop at serving the largely untapped rural customer base.
The insights allow them to firmly integrate into the rural consumer’s life through new, curated product lines and refined baskets aimed at improving quality of life, and finally
They believe in a systems change approach to accelerate key opportunities for all unique partners in value.
A chain that emphasizes impact, integrity, inclusiveness and sustainability in everything we do in frontier markets
18. Trilochan Shastry – Founder of Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR)
TRILOCHAN SHASTRY is the founder of Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR). ADR is a non-profit organisation that works to strengthen democracy in India by promoting transparency and accountability in government.
SHASTRY has also been instrumental in the creation of several other organisations that focus on promoting social justice and education reform in India.
These include the Centre for Social Research, Centre for Media Studies, and the think tank, The Observer Research Foundation.
SHASTRY is a noted political commentator and has written extensively on issues of democracy and political reform in India. He has also spoken out against corruption and bad governance throughout his career.
19. Olivia Deka – Founder of She for change
Olivia Deka is a social entrepreneur who has worked to create change in India for over a decade. She is the founder of She for change, a nonprofit organization that helps women and girls in India access education and health services.
Among her many accomplishments, Deka is particularly known for her advocacy work on behalf of women and girls in India.
She has helped to create awareness about the severe gender-based violence that takes place in India, and she has worked to bring about change by mobilizing society around these issues.
Deka’s work is important not only because it addresses pressing social issues, but also because it demonstrates the power of social entrepreneurship.
By using her skills and knowledge to create positive change in the lives of others, Deka has shown us what is possible when we put our minds to it.
20. Piyush Ghosh – Founder of Optimist Citizen, India’s first ever only positive newspaper
Piyush Ghosh is the founder of Optimist Citizen, India’s first ever only positive newspaper. Ghosh’s vision is to make a difference in the lives of Indians by spreading positivity and hope.
Optimist Citizen was founded in 2014, and has since become one of the leading voices of positivity in India. The newspaper is distributed free of charge at over 1,000 locations across India.
Ghosh’s goal is to help Indians see the good in life, even in the darkest times. His newspaper is an essential tool for helping people overcome depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues.
Ghosh has also worked tirelessly to promote social entrepreneurship in India. He is a member of the Prime Minister’s Youth Entrepreneurs Council, and he serves on the board of directors for several charities. Ghosh is an incredible example of how social entrepreneurship can change lives for the better.
Conclusion
In recent years, there has been a surge of social entrepreneurs in India who are working to solve some of the country’s biggest problems.
Whether it’s increasing access to education for underprivileged children or combating gender violence, these individuals are using their businesses as a platform to make a real difference in the lives of others.
If you want to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in social field, be sure to check out our list of social entrepreneurs in India that you should know about!
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