E171 - Millionaire Investor turned Philanthropist ft. Ashish Dhawan - Chrys Capital, Ashoka, CSF | ISV

Indian Silicon Valley with Jivraj Singh Sachar

In this episode, we speak to the Millionaire Ashish Dhawan, who is the CEO of Convergence. He is an institutional builder at its core, the best India has ever seen. He has built Chrys Capital, India's largest PE Firm (backed companies like Infosys, Axis Bank, YES Bank). He then exited the PE world at the age of 43 to pursue philanthropy and started the Central Square Foundation (CSF) - transforming the world of Indian philanthropy. He has now started the Convergence where he is the CEO - building the 2nd phase of his philanthropy career. He has also started Ashoka University along with 160 phenomenal trustees, being at the centre of raising 2000Cr for premier education in the country. He is also the only Indian on the Gates Foundation' Board. Through this episode we discuss how Indian philanthropy will rise and how youngsters can participate, while understanding how to build long-term successful institutions. 0:00 - Teaser 01:35 - Introduction 02:00 - Building Institutions 04:56 - Phenomenal Career Decisions 11:48 - From Capitalism to Philanthropy 17:35 - Unlearning & Growth 19:28 - Transitioning to Philanthropy 24:05 - Building Ashoka University 29:37 - Evolution of Philanthropy 32:49 - Global Philanthropy Perspective 36:22 - Driving Forces 37:28 - Aspirations 38:47 - Advice to Younger Self by Ashish 41:45 - Conclusion