House of Experts Ep18: Vibha Kagzi in Conversation with Neera Nundy
Vibha Kagzi, the host, is the Founder and CEO of ReachIvy.com, a premium study abroad and career consultancy organization. Vibha, a Harvard alumna, is a successful entrepreneur and believes in helping others chalk out their future careers.
In Episode 18 of House of Experts, we were fortunate to host the Co-Founder and Partner of Dasra, Neera Nundy. Dasra is an India based strategic philanthropy foundation works with a field building approach to create systems change in India. Dasra’s work involves creating collaborative systems change platforms in the fields of Adolescents, Urban Sanitation and Democracy and Governance. Reinforced through a research-backed approach and institution building for non-profits, Dasra focuses on transforming India, where a billion thrive with dignity and equity.
She has been instrumental in enabling capacity building for non-profits through the launch of Dasra Social Impact Leadership Program with Harvard Business Publishing, a first-of-its-kind executive education program for social sector leaders in India and has supported the development of over 70 social sector research reports, driving USD 50 million in funding for hundreds of non-profits.
Neera Nundy has been recognized for her work through Dasra by several prestigious awards. Neera was awarded for “Special Contributions by Woman” at the 15th Indo-American Corporate Excellence Awards by the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce. She has also received the “Agent of Social Change” Award at Vogue Women of The Year 2019. She is also a recipient of the Canadian Governor General’s Medallion for her dedication to addressing India’s critical development challenges, and the Forbes Philanthropy Award in the Crossover Leaders category in 2016 and Forbes India W-Power Self-Made Women in 2020.
1) Tell us about your early years and your education.
I was born and raised in Canada. My parents had moved due to the brain drain. I had strong women from the Science background in my family, and I grew up in a traditional India middle-class family where education was everything. My parents sent me back to India when I was 10 so that I could learn about my culture. I always wanted to follow the path and I think every little experience in life shaped me in a different way, and I’m clearly not on a traditional path now.
2) When did you make the decision of switching to social enterprise?
I finished HBS and then there was a continuous sense of privilege. I asked myself, ‘Could I take my experience and play a bridging goal?’ I didn’t have anything to lose, so I decided to give it a try. I believed that I could make a difference in the world. Having an MBA gave me a kind of a fallback. There was a turning point, and it also has a lot to do with those around you. It’s difficult for families when you’re taking risks, but that is how the switch happened.
3) How did you envision Dasra at the beginning?
Dasra is a Sanskrit word that means ‘enlightened living’. Initially,we wanted to support non-profits. Later, we moved to influencing the funding aspect. This is when the venture philanthropy movement came about. We started off with 2 people, and then hired more people. Now, we’re a team of 104 people!
4) What, according to you, are the key social problems in India?
I think access to high quality education, healthcare facilities, and child marriage. Child marriage causes a vicious cycle where we have young mothers who cannot support the family in terms of livelihood, and live in very difficult conditions. That’s one side of what we see. The country also has broken govt systems. The challenge is to link education with learning employable skills, because we are in a demographic dividend where a large part of the population needs to be in the workforce.
5) It seems like the problems in India are never-ending. What keeps you motivated day-to-day?
Though it feels like a drop in the ocean, it’s the little things that add up- the fact that we are making some kind of a difference in the lives of people. It’s empathy, and recognizing how you can leverage your privilege for others; not just financial, but all kinds of privilege. We strive for more inclusiveness, greater access, and a world where everybody thrives with dignity and equity, which is our motto!
We are truly thankful for Neera for sharing her inspiring journey with us!
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