On February 4th, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick visited the Merrimack Valley Sandbox to award a $150K grant to strengthen and scale up the organization’s mentorship program in the region. The Sandbox will use the funds, which will be administered through the Mass Tech Collarboarative’s Innovation Mentoring Institute, to hire two additional part-time Managers of Mentorship, …[more]

The seventh annual Development Dialogue will be held in Hubli, Karnataka from January 20 to 22, 2014. The Development Dialogue is an international conference, organized in Hubli, Karnataka that brings thousands of people including world leaders, visionaries, grassroots activists, social entrepreneurs and innovators together to celebrate success and discuss issues that are relevant to the …[more]

On October 14th, Desh Deshpande received the National Association for Community College Entrepreneurship (NACCE) Lifetime Achievement Award. NACCE is the nation’s leading organization focused on promoting entrepreneurship through community colleges. “The NACCE Lifetime Achievement award is presented to an individual who has achieved entrepreneurial success and played a pivotal role in the community through involvement and support of …[more]

From June to August of this year, sixteen early-stage entrepreneurs took part in the Merrimack Valley Sandbox Summer Accelerator Program to move their businesses and non-profits forward through workshops, mentors, work space, and funding. On September 10th, the 2013 Sandbox Summer Accelerator Awards Celebration was held to celebrate the conclusion of the program. During the event, …[more]

Congressman Joe Kennedy recently launched a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Tour of Massachusetts where he has been visiting businesses, schools, and programs across the Commonwealth that highlight the state’s leadership in STEM education and workforce development.     On August 21st, Congressman Kennedy visited SPARK Academy in Lawrence to see the STEM innovation happening in the city. He …[more]

The Deshpande Foundation announces the 6th annual Development Dialogue to be held from January 30th to February 1st, 2013 at the Deshpande Center for Social Entrepreneurship, BVB Engineering College Campus, in Hubli, Karnataka. Development Dialogue is a platform for social entrepreneurs to showcase their proven ideas and programs that have transformed the local and international …[more]

The Deshpande Education Trust (DET) announces the launch of its Master of Social Entrepreneurship program. The Master of Social Entrepreneurship (MSE) is a two-year residential program affiliated with Karnatak University Dharwad and approved by the Government of Karnataka.  With more than twenty-five courses and 100 credits, MSE offers students essential skills in social innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership …[more]

The Merrimack Valley Sandbox (MVS) will host their annual Development Dialog at the UMass Lowell Inn and Conference Center on April 25th and 26th. The conference showcases the work of the student entrepreneurs from the area schools, colleges and youth programs and provides an opportunity to learn about the innovative programs being driven by the …[more]

The Pond-Deshpande Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship welcomed its new Executive Director, Karina LeBlanc who took over on February 27th. The Pond-Deshpande Center, supported by prominent University of New Brunswick alumni Desh Deshpande and Gerry Pond, will act as a catalyst to advance innovation and entrepreneurship in the province of New Brunswick. LeBlanc brings over …[more]

Over 500 attendees packed an overflowing auditorium at sunny Arizona State University’s Galvin Playhouse to hear a dozen leading thinkers speak about “Disruptive Innovation in Higher Education.” Among the speakers to the “by invitation only” TEDxAshokaU event on February 10, 2012 was Deshpande Foundation founder Desh Deshpande. Speaking to the audience about “Getting Thinkers to …[more]