On January 11th, 2017, the Gopalakrishnan Deshpande Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship was launched at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras. The Centre will provide the global thought leadership that will help launch the next generation of solutions, from the Institute labs as well as from the fertile young student minds, to create significant economic …[more]

On October 31st, Queens University, in Kingston Ontario, announced the renaming of its university wide innovation and entrepreneurship initiative as the Dunin-Deshpande Queens Innovation Centre in recognition of a significant gift from Desh and Jaishree Deshpande together with fellow Queens’ alumni Andrew and Anne Dunin. Dr. Gururaj ‘Desh’ Deshpande graduated with a PhD from Queens …[more]

On October 28th, philanthropists Desh and Jaishree Deshpande were recognized for their support for education, innovation and entrepreneurship in the New England region and worldwide by the New England Choice Awards. The awards, instituted by the region’s oldest and largest print, online and video magazine, honored the couple for their community service and for helping …[more]

In December 2014, Forbes India announced the winners for its “Philanthropy Awards 2014.”  The prominent magazine awarded top business leaders who have used their skills and resources to solve some of India’s most pressing problems. Desh Deshpande, the Founder of the Deshpande Foundation, was awarded as the “Distinguished Non-Resident Philanthropist” for his efforts in helping Indian NGOs scale-up. Desh Deshpande has helped transform multiple …[more]

  From February 7 – 8, the Deshpande Foundation will be holding Development Dialogue 2015 in Hubli, Karnataka (India). The conference will feature site visits to innovative NGOs/social enterprises, panel discussions on the latest development trends in India, and networking opportunities with global thought-leaders. In addition, there will be a special keynote address from Kailash Satyarthi, …[more]

  On September 9, 2014 the Merrimack Valley Sandbox announced that it will be changing its name to Entrepreneurship for All (EforAll). This change was made for the following reasons: It embodies the organization’s core belief that people from all walks of life, with all types of venture ideas, can become entrepreneurs It gives the organization a platform to add …[more]

The Deshpande Foundation and UMass Lowell are proud to announce the 3rd Annual Deshpande Symposium for Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Higher Education. From June 10-12, this conference will be a gathering of like-minded higher education practitioners focused on accelerating innovation and entrepreneurship across the college and university environment. The Symposium will provide a venue for attendees to …[more]

  From June 9 – 10, the Merrimack Valley Sandbox will be holding Sandbox Summit 2014 in Lowell, Massachusetts (USA).   This conference will feature the opportunity to: Hear top keynote speakers including Desh Deshpande (Founder of the Deshpande Foundation) & Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick Network with leading business professionals, VC/angel investors, accelerator program directors, and economic development …[more]

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]