ARTICLES

Gururaj Deshpande, Chairman of Tejas Networks has appointed as the Co-Chairman of 'National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, to support Obama's innovation strategy. Deshpande is one of the 26 members and only Indian to co-chair the council. Other members include serial entrepreneurs, university presidents, investors and non-profit leaders. Deshpande contributes in the areas of innovation, entrepreneurship and international development. He is funding Deshpande Center for Technological Innovations, which is helping the technology enthusiasts to come up with their innovations, at MIT.

Through its grants, the nde Foundation has helped launch innovative companies, helped NGOs develop an international presence and launched partnerships with some of the most remarkable change agents in the world today. Since 2000, Deshpande and his wife, Jaishree, have been involved in several non-profit initiatives that include support for MIT, IIT, TiE, Akshaya Patra Foundation, Public Health Foundation of India and the Social Entrepreneurship Sandbox in Hubli, India.