Manisha was a journalist before she joined the social entrepreneurship sector. For 27 years, she has worked to build the ecosystem of social entrepreneurship in India.
Manisha worked with Ashoka: Innovators for the Public for nine years as the India Country Representative and International Director for Ashoka’s youth programs. In 2009, she founded Start Up! – an incubator, impact accelerator and leadership springboard for social entrepreneurs. Under her leadership, Start Up! has seeded and scaled more than 100 social ventures across 17 states. It has trained 500+ early-stage social and cultural entrepreneurs to build high-impact change models.
For over a decade, Manisha has led the India Social Entrepreneur of the Year Award on behalf of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship and the World Economic Forum. She has served as the regional representative of the Ford Global Fellowship Program. As a faculty member of Artsthink South Asia (ATSA), Manisha trained arts managers across South Asia in strategic thinking and design.
Manisha has co-authored two books, 1098-Childline Calling and Opening Doors:Ten Years of Ford Foundation’s International Fellowships in India.
Manisha is a passionate believer of creating deep impact through collaborations with communities on the ground.
