Manisha Gupta

Founder, Start Up!

Manisha was a journalist before she joined the social entrepreneurship sector. For 22 years, she has studied, chronicled and shaped the eco-system for 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. She also launched the first media and communication campaign to promote social entrepreneurship in India. In 2009, Manisha founded Start Up! – an incubator, impact accelerator and consultant to social entrepreneurs. Under her leadership, Start Up! has seeded and scaled more than 40 social ventures across 15 states. It has trained 200+ individuals and organizations to create high-impact and sustainable change models.