Shivanand Somannavar

Deshpande Foundation

Rural India forms the backbone of the nation. Focusing on its socio-economic growth would ensure holistic development. Since 2007, Deshpande Foundation (DF) has constantly worked towards recognizing and addressing the challenges of rural and semi-urban India. Interventions in rural India are largely made in the areas of livelihood, healthcare, education, and policy-making. Our approach to rural transformation involves enhancing livelihoods and creating sustainable economic prosperity for rural communities. DF focuses on creating better, faster, inclusive and economical solutions in the areas of Agriculture, Micro-Entrepreneurship, Skilling, and Startups. We believe in navigating a unique path as a social enterprise, harnessing a blend of business excellence and compassion of not-for-profits. While the goal is to eventually create tangible impact at the national level, we have begun ourjourney with a step towards rural transformation. - Sustainability first, scalability next - Technology as an enabler for scaling solutions - Entrepreneurial approach in creating a demand-driven, cost-sharing ecosystem - Partnership with the rural community and all its stakeholders, based on trust