Mr. Venkatesh M. Raghavendra
Director, Global Partnerships for Asia, Ashoka: Innovators for the Public

Venkatesh Raghavendra is currently part of Ashoka's Global Development team, with particular focus on
Asia . Ashoka's mission is to shape a citizen sector that is entrepreneurial, productive and globally integrated, and to develop the profession of social entrepreneurship around the world. Ashoka identifies
and invests in leading social entrepreneurs —extraordinary individuals with unprecedented ideas for
change in their communities—supporting the individual, idea and institution through all phases of their career. Ashoka has invested in more than 1,500 Ashoka Fellows in 53 countries. Those Fellows have transformed the lives of millions of people in thousands of communities worldwide.

Raghavendra works with the Ashoka Asia team, bridging the Asia program with the global activities of Ashoka. He is focusing on building relationships with the business sector, the diaspora population and other key investors of Ashoka. Venkatesh is also a part of Ashoka's global training team. Venkatesh has managed Ashoka's Asia program since 2000. Prior to this position, he was the Ashoka Representative for South India (his native area).

He is the co-founder of The Adventurers, an outdoor and environmental organization working in the rainforests of South Western India—also known as the Western Ghats , one of the top bio-diversity hotspots of the world. The Adventurers uses the outdoors and adventure activities to draw people to this fragile eco-system and then engage them in social change projects. Venkatesh worked closely with and trained people from the government, educational institutions, media, business and local communities to implement a comprehensive development plan for this region. This strategy has been hailed as a new paradigm in the protection of natural and human heritage in threatened ecosystems and has been replicated in several other parts of India and beyond.