2010 symposium booklet

Enterprising Schools2010 Symposium

An Initiative of Gray Matters Capital

Name

Thank you…

Genia Topple | Executive Director Molly McMahon | Program Officer

FPO FPO

Welcome note

The sector of Affordable Private Schools (APS) has the opportunity to transform education for low-income children worldwide. Key stakeholders – you – are driving this transformation by addressing critical needs that will allow the sector to grow. Gray Matters Capital's Enterprising Schools Initiative strives to build this community of stakeholders and expand awareness of the work we are doing – from schools “in a box” to capital provision to advancing education quality. Together, as a community, we will develop best practices and seed new growth of schools and sector development.

This year’s Symposium program balances Innovation with the Latest Market Developments, as well as introduces PACTS; Progressive Action Commitments to establish industry-wide goals and standards. We hope that this program will strengthen the APS community and provide us with tools to enhance the important work we are doing.

If you have any questions or need assistance during the conference, please contact Sharayu Kamath at [email protected] or +91 9246151172.

Sincerely,

for joining the Second Annual Enterprising Schools Symposium, hosted by Gray Matters Capital.

October 26-28, 2010

Schedule at-a-glance

Tuesday, October 26

7:00-10:00PM CulturalShow&WelcomeDinner

Wednesday, October 27

6:30-7:30AM MorningYoga 8:30-12:00PM InnovationinActionTours 12:00-1:00PM Lunch 1:00-1:30PM OpeningRemarks 1:30-2:30PM KeynoteAddress:Innovation&SustainableEducation 2:30-3:00PM Networking&TeaBreak 3:00-5:00PM SparkingtheMarketforAffordableLearningTools 6:30-9:00PM SpeedNetworking&Dinner

Thursday, October 28

6:30-7:30AM MorningYoga 8:00-9:00AM SNAPSPhotoExhibit&Breakfast 9:00-9:15AM MorningRecap 9:15-10:00AM Keynote:Inspiring

MarketDevelopments 10:00-12:00PM GroundBreakingResearchfromAcrosstheGlobe *15minutebreakat10:45am 12:00-1:00PM Lunch 1:00-2:30PM PACTRoundtable

Sessions1&2 2:30-4:00PM PACTRoundtable Sessions3&4 4:00-4:30PM Networking&TeaBreak 4:30-4:45PM KeepingtheConversationAlive 4:45-5:00PM ClosingRemarks

October 27

Opening Keynote

Innovation & Sustainable Education

Jay Kimmelman, CEO Bridge International Academies

JayKimmelmanisCEOandco-founderofBridgeInternationalAcademies.Heisasuccessfulentrepreneurandapassionateadvocateforissuesrelatedtoglobalpoverty.

Mr.KimmelmanwasfounderandCEOofEdusoft,theleadingeducationalsoftwarecompanyprovidingassessmentplatformstoU.S.schooldistricts.Heledthecompanyfrominceptiontonationalsuccessprovidingcriticalservicesto3millionstudentin400schooldistrictsacrossthecountry,establishingthecompanyastherecognizedleaderinthemarket.

BridgeInternationalextendsaccesstoprimaryeducationinAfrica,demonstratingthepoweroffor-profitinnovationtotransformlives.Byemployingkeycharacteristicsofsuccessfulfranchises,BridgeInternationalprovidesacomplete“schoolinabox”thatallowslocaloperatorstorunschoolsonalow-cost,butprofitablebasis.BridgeInternational’smodelprovidesasustainableapproachtoeducationinAfrica,whereonaverage,childrenperformatthe3rdpercentilecomparedtochildrenfromdevelopedcountriesandisworkingtoclosethisgapthroughitsgrowingnetworkofschools.

October 28

Keynote

Inspiring Market Developments

James Tooley, Founder of The Beautiful Tree Foundation

ProfessorofEducationPolicy,NewcastleUniversity

JamesTooleyisProfessorofEducationPolicyatNewcastleUniversityandDirectoroftheE.G.WestCentreinEngland.HeisalsotheauthorofTheBeautifulTree:Apersonaljourneyintohowtheworld’spoorestpeopleareeducatingthemselves,(Penguin,2009),whichwonthe2010SirAntonyFisherMemorialPrize,andalsohitthebest-sellinglistsinIndia.Hisworkinlow-incomeareasaroundtheworldanddedicationtoprivateinitiativesineducationhavewonhimworldwideacclaim.

Forhisground-breakingresearchonprivateeducationforthepoorinIndia,ChinaandAfrica,ProfessorTooleywasawardedgoldprizeinthefirstInternationalFinanceCorporation/FinancialTimesPrivateSectorDevelopmentCompetitioninSeptember2006.From2007to2009,hewasfoundingPresidentofTheEducationFund,OrientGlobal,duringwhichtimehehelpedcreatethechainofschoolsnowcalledRumiEducation(formerlyAristotleEducationAlliance).

ProfessorTooleyiscurrentlychairmanofeducationcompaniesinGhanaandIndiacreatingembryonicchainsoflowcostprivateschools.

is Antony spelled correctly?

October 27 - 28

Sessions

October 26Pre-symposium Activities 7:00-10:00PM WelcomeDinner ExperienceHyderabadschools,culture,andhospitalityfromtheOglethorpeUniversity

IDEXFellowswhoareworkingonbusinessdevelopmentwithlocalAPS.

October 27 Innovation: Transforming Ideas into Practice

8:30-12:00PM SchoolTours Joinenterprisingserviceprovidersontoursoflocalschoolstomeetschoolleaders,

studentsandteachersandlearnhowtheirproductsandservicesareincreasingstudentlearningandoverallschooleffectiveness.

1:30-2:30PM KeynoteAddress:Innovation&SustainableEducationJay Kimmelman, CEO, Bridge International AcademiesJayKimmelmanwillintroducehis“schoolinabox”model,andexaminehowtoovercomethechallengeofbalancinglowcostoperationswithprofitabilityandstudentachievement.

3:00-5:00PM SparkingtheMarketforAffordableLearningTools Sandy Speicher, Program Lead, IDEO Design for Learning

ExplorethecatalogueofwinningconceptsfromIDEO’sAffordableLearningToolsChallenge,andengageinroundtablesdiscussionsonhowtosparkamarketforimpactfulproducts&servicesforAPS.

October 28 Market Developments: Taking Stock to Drive Future Growth 8:00–9:00AM SNAPSPhotoExhibit EnterprisingSchools.com & Beyond Profit DiscoverAPSfromaroundtheworldthroughinspiringimagesandstories!

9:15–10:00AM Keynote:InspiringStoriesfromtheField James Tooley, Professor of Education Policy, Newcastle University

JamesTooleywillprovideanoverviewofAPSglobalmarkets,shareinspiringstoriesfromhistravels,anddiscusshisworkwithcolleague,KenDonkha,fromtheOmegaSchools.

10:00–12:00PM GroundBreakingResearchfromAcrosstheGlobeLearnfromthelatestresearchstudiesaboutemergingtrends,andjoinaQ&AonmarketdevelopmentledbyJames Tooley.

1:00–2:30PM ACalltoAction:ProgressiveActionCommitmentsParticipateininteractivesessionsfacilitatedbymarketleaderswhowilldiscusstheircommitmenttostrengtheningtheAPSsector,andleadworkinggroupstoestablishindustry-wideProgressiveActionCommitments(PACTS).

PACTSRoundTable:ConcurrentSessions1&2 Government Engagement Moderated by Baela Raza Jamil, Director, Centre of Education and Consciousness (ITACEC)

School Funding & Finance Moderated by Brajesh Mishra Finance Director, Indian School Finance Company

2:30-4:00PM PACTSRoundTable:ConcurrentSessions3&4

School Management Moderated by Liesel Pritzker, Director of Program Development, IDP Foundation

Quality Teaching & Learning Moderated by Pradeep Sharma, Country Director, Gray Matters Capital

4:30-4:45PM KeepingtheConversationAlive Erika Norwood, Communications Manager, Gray Matters Capital

DiscoverhowEnterprisingSchools.comisexpandingawarenessoftheAPSsector, andhowyoucanjointhatnetworktokeeptheconversationaliveafterthesymposium.

October 27

Innovation in Action Tours

Butterfly Edufields Ltd.

ButterflyFieldsbelievesinlearningbydoing.Theirprogramsconsistofactivitiesandexperiencesspecificallydesignedtomakechildrenunderstandbasicconceptsorprinciples,whileenjoyinglearningatthesametime.ButterflyFieldshasbeenanenthusiasticentrantintotheAPSsectorandhassuccessfullyimplementedtheirinnovativeMathsandScienceprogramsin6APS.

Tour Lead: Mr. Anantharajan, Head-Marketing or Mr. Sharat Chandra, Founder

Escuela Nueva

EscuelaNueva(EN)means“newschool”inSpanish.ENisachild-centered,community-basededucationsystemledbyteacherswhoarefacilitatorsforactive,participatoryandcooperativelearning.Since1975,EscuelaNuevaeducationalprogramshavebeentransformingschoolsinColombiaandaroundtheworld,producingimpressiveresultsthathavebeenwidelyresearchedanddocumented.EscuelaNuevaIndia,asocialfor-profitcompany,launchedapilotwith10APSinHyderabadwheretheyaretestingandadaptingthemethodologytoimprovebasiceducationinIndia.

Tour Lead: Mr. Irfan Baig, Teacher Trainer

In the city of Hyderabad, there are an estimated 3,000 Affordable Private Schools (APS), and across the state of Andhra Pradesh, there are over 10,000. In this booming APS market, there is a growing number of service providers who have developed affordable products, learning tools and services that improve the quality of education schools deliver. This year’s school visits are hosted by enterprising service providers who are partnering with Hyderabad’s APS. During visits, you will have the chance to meet school owners, teachers and students, and understand how service providers and schools are working together to increase learning outcomes and school effectiveness.

Empathy Learning Systems

EmpathyLearningSystems(ELS)providesservicesforAPSandis

buildingachainofAPSinIndia.ELSspecializesinteachertraining,classroommanagement,remedialinterventionforchildren,monitoringandevaluation,conversationalEnglish,computerliteracyandschoolmanagementsystems.ItisinspiredbytheworkofProfessorJamesTooley,andcurrentlyrunsprogramsin28APSintheOldCityandNewCityareasofHyderabad.Tour Lead: TBA

Educomp Solutions

EducompisIndia’slargesteducationservicescompany.Itreaches26,000schoolsand15millioneducatorsandlearnersacrosstheworld.Educomp,inpartnershipwithMichaelandSusanDellFoundation,launchedProjectGyanShaktiin2009.Thegoalistobringlongtermchangeintheteachingprocessesandimprovelearningoutcomesinpoorurbanchildren.Workingwith6APSinHyderabad,theprojectwillassesstheeffectivenessofinnovativeteachingmethodologiesdevelopedbyEducompSolutionsforuseinAPS.Tour Lead: TBA

Micro Credit Ratings International Limited

MicroCreditRatingsInternationalLimited(M-CRIL)istheworldleaderintheratingofmicrofinanceinstitutions.M-CRILhaspartneredwithGMCtodevelopalightandcost-effectiveschoolassessmenttoolfortheAPSsectorthatanalysesGovernance&Strategy,Finance&Operations,StudentLearning,LearningEnvironmentandParentEngagement.M-CRILhasassessedover120schoolsto-date.

Tour Lead: Shraddha Jha, Head-Operations

Rumi Education

RumiEducationisIndia’sfirstchainofAffordablePrivateSchools.Establishedin2008with9foundationschoolsserving4000children,theyhavesincegrowntooperatingover80schoolsinitsfranchise.ItisawhollyownedsubsidiaryofRFChandler(formerlyOrientGlobal),aprivateinvestmentcompanybasedinSingapore.

Tour Lead: Ravi Misra, Marketing Manager

The Teacher Foundation

TheTeacherFoundation(TTF)wasestablishedin2002byMayaMenon,arenownededucator.TTFhasover6branchesinKarnatakaandoneinHyderabad.TTFworkswithschools,principals,school-administrators,teachersandteachereducatorsintheareasofschooldevelopmentandimprovement,teacherdevelopment,technology-enabledtrainingandsupport,designandproductionofteachingaidsandclassroom-resources.TTFispresentlyworkingwith20APSinBangaloreinwholeschooltransformation.In2010,TTFestablishedaresourcecentreinHyderabadandispresentlyworkingwithmorethan60APSteachersand11APSschoolownersinleadershiptrainingandcapacitybuilding.

Tour Lead: Prakash Nedungadi, Director-Development

The Indian School Finance Company

TheIndianSchoolFinanceCompany(ISFC)isanon-bankingfinancecompany(NBFC)whichextendsinfrastructureandworkingcapitalloanstoAPSchargingaveragestudentfeesofUS$5-12/mo.Itsgoalistohelpschooloperatorsreachmorechildrenwithimprovedacademicquality.ISFChasdisbursed154loansinHyderabadandBangalore,totalingUS$31,85,987.Tour Lead: TBA

Symposium Speaker & Presenter Profiles 2010

Sparking the Market for Affordable Learning Tools

Please describe your current role within your organization and how it related to APS (please limit than 75 words)

Sally Madsen is a designer and project leader at IDEO, and a leader of IDEO's Social Innovation

domain. She brings a holistic view to the design of products, services, and systems Ð believing

that good design usually touches on all of these, and more. Her experience at IDEO includes

programs for social and commercial clients in India, Ghana, Kenya, Bangladesh, Mexico, and the

US.

Please insert a short-bio (less than 75 words)

Before coming to IDEO she founded Cosmos Ignite Innovations, a start-up providing solar-

powered lights as a replacement for kerosene lights in India and other countries. She holds BS

and MS degrees from Stanford University in Mechanical Engineering. Outside of work Sally

spends much of her time indulging in craft. She’s an avid sailor, with a busy racing schedule in

the San Francisco Bay. And she’s an enthusiastic globetrotter, traveling with open eyes (and open

mouth) and a camera around her neck, immersing herself in the experience.

Your Profile

Company Name IDEO

Your Name Sally Madsen

Title Designer and Project Lead



At PI consulting, we provide our clients with innovative, pragmatic and bold insights to assist in

their decisions. Our every solution and service is envisioned/crafted to create lasting positive

impact. We pride ourselves in providing objective, honest and customized solutions for our

clients.

We will benchmark our mission through our impact on the education sector. Currently there is

no organization in India which is focused on all these needs and the synergy from serving them.

In the initial years we may partner with domain expertise agencies to provide solutions. Also

based on our experience of the first few months we may choose to a serve only a few needs in the

list above.


We are a core group of policy enthusiasts who are eagerly supported by a network of experts and

professionals hailing from varied sectors in the social, corporate, scientific and academic domain.

PI wants to create a deep and effective network of experts transcending knowledge domains and

geographies to apply their experiences to solve the problems posed to us, and some that we pose

to ourselves. If you are interested to be associated with PI, please do contact us and let us know

about you.

Your Profile

Company Name Policy Innovations

Your Name Sudarshan Gopalan

Title Consultant


Your Profile

Company Name CDC Consult Limited, Development & Management Consultants

Your Name Ernest S. Dzandu

Title Managing Consultant


Head of company’s Research and Knowledge Management Service line. Led a team of research

and financial consultants to conduct market research on access to finance and business advisory

service by low income private schools in Ghana. The research covered 136 basic schools selected

from 80 low income communities, 105 parents, 18 financial institutions and 22 business

development services providers. Facilitates the development of business plans and training on

financial management courses for school proprietors and managers.


Ernest is the Managing Consultant of CDC Consult, a development and management consulting

firm in Accra, Ghana. He has worked over the past 15 years in the areas of training; research;

financial management and entrepreneurship. Sectors of experience include education;

microfinance; tourism and agribusiness. He has previously served as team leader on “demand

assessment for finance and advisory service” covering 452 private schools in Ghana (2007).

Ernest is a Chartered Accountant and has an MBA in Finance.

What would you like to get out of this conference?

Learn from other participants on what works especially in the areas of low income school finance

and access to business advisory services; establish network with individuals and institutions

desirous of making real impact in sectors that improve the lot of mankind such as education;

share findings on the Ghana research into low income private schools and receive feedback on

available opportunities.


PACTS Round Table Sessions: School Finance

Your Profile

Company Name Indian School Finance Company

Your Name Brajesh Mishra

Title Finance Director


Brajesh joined ISFC in 2008. He is the Finance Director at ISFC and is in charge of Finance,

Operations, Compliance and Administration and credit risk assessment of loan proposals. Prior to

joining ISFC, Brajesh was at ICICI Bank for 14 years where he worked in the growing consumer

finance sector in his earlier years in retail consumer loans including car loans, two wheeler loans

and commercial vehicle loans.


Earlier in his career he worked in the Rural, Microbanking and Agribusiness group where he ran

a business providing loans for the retail end of the Agriculture supply chain. Specifically, Brajesh

has experience in Agri-Commodity based finance to Agri-SME's, Working Capital Finance, Tractor

Finance, Crop Finance and Rural Housing. He loves the outdoors and regularly participates in Half

Marathons and Himalayan treks.

Brajesh has a degree in Mechanical Engineering and holds an MBA from MS University, Baroda.



As the Managing Director, I provide overall guidance and leadership in all of Trident’s activities,

including the Loans for Educational Institutions Product. I directed the creation and the design of

this product, as I was convinced of the need and demand for it based on my previous experiences.


Puli Kishore Kumar is the founding MD of Trident Microfin. In just three years, he has built it up

to a Rs 180 crore company. He has ten years of experience in Corporate Finance, Microfinance,

Banking and Human Resources. He has previously worked in ICICI as the head of Rural

Microfinance for Karnataka. In BASIX, he started as Field Executive and rose to Area Manager. He

is an MBA from Osmania University.


Better knowledge of the state of the affordable private schooling sector, the chance to seek

partnerships, and ideas to expand the services we provide to this sector.

Your Profile

Company Name Trident Microfin Pvt Ltd

Your Name Puli Kishore Kumar

Title Managing Director



I manage research and product development; recruitment of new clients, growth of the loan book

and client education. Faulu has about 300,000 clients across Kenya, among who include

entrepreneurs running private affordable schools. We do not have MIS to quantify the exact

number at the moment. As such these group are served within the standard business loans


A graduate in Economics and MBA, Marketing, with 13 years working banking experience.

Started my banking career at KCB, the largest Retail bank in East Africa where I worked in

various capacities for 10 uyaers before proceeding to ABC Bank in 2006. Joined Faulu Kenya in

early 2008 to support the institution in transforming to a deposit taking MFI. Faulu was licensed

to take deposits in June 2006. At KCB and ABC Bank I made tremendous contributions in product

and services innovations and brand positioning.


Exposure to how other institutions have impacted on APS

Contacts for future collaborations and consultations

Your Profile

Company Name Faulu Kenya

Your Name Helen Kithinji

Title General Manager, Business



Sinapi Aba Trust has partnered with IDP Foundation, Inc. and Opportunity International-US to

implement the IDP Rising Schools Program. The Program is an initiative targeting very deprived,

non-government schools throughout Ghana by providing the proprietors, teachers and caterers

with capacity-building services and access to capital. I manage the staff of the IDP Rising Schools

Program in Ghana and the relationship between Sinapi Aba Trust and the Program partners.


Vincent Amponsah has been working for Sinapi Aba Trust, Ghana’s leading microfinance

organization, for more than 10 years. He holds an Executive Masters degree from Kwame

Nkrumah University of Sciences and Technology (KNUST), as well as a Bachelors in business

administration. Prior to directing the IDP Rising Schools Program, Vincent was head of the data

unit at Sinapi Aba Trust, as well as holding other senior management positions. Vincent has also

worked as a private school teacher in Ghana.


I would like to learn about other initiatives working with affordable private schools, to garner

lessons learned and best practices. I would like to speak at the Finance PACT Roundtable to share

my Program’s successes. I would also like to present the Program to interested parties.

Your Profile

Company Name Sinapi Aba Trust

Your Name Vincent Amponsah

Title Director, IDP Rising Schools Program


PACTS Round Table Sessions: Government Engagement


ITA = Director Programs - design programs; initiatives; public policy and research

SNPET= Managing Trustee – coordination with Trustees; new ideas /innovations and scaling up

from free school to an APS paradigm – financing; design and synergies with other organizations

for replication and tools for scaling up

SAFED= Coordinator – expanding partnerships and undertaking research knowledge sharing and

generation for policy influence and implementation


Baela Raza Jamil is a public policy specialist former technical adviser Ministry of Education,

Pakistan and activist in the education sector. She has worked extensively in the areas of quality,

community based initiatives for education access and quality , district education planning, local

governance and public private partnerships in three continents and across several countries.

Inspired by her identity formations in Pakistan, she has studied comparative education, public

policy, and economic history at the Institute of Education, University of London, Rosemont

College USA, Graduate School of Education at Harvard and the School of Oriental and African

Studies (SOAS) in UK.


Many new ideas which are implementable

Networks access for supporting our work in Pakistan

Engagement with Cross Country Research initiatives

Possible donor/financing linkages and/or information

Your Profile

Company Name

Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) & Sanjan Nagar Public Education

Trust (SNPET) ; South Asia Forum for Education Development

(SAFED)

Your Name Baela Raza Jamil

Title Ms.



Initiated school choice campaign whose slogan is ‘Fund Students, Not Schools!’


President of CCS www.ccs.in and Chief Mentor of School Choice Campaign www.schoolchoice.in

for writings see www.parthjshah.in


More people, media, opinion and policy makers understanding the role that APS plays and

supporting them to do better for the poor children of the country

Your Profile

Company Name Centre for Civil Society

Your Name Parth J Shah

Title President


PACTS Round Table Sessions: School Management


A major program of the Foundation is the IDP Rising Schools Program in which the goal is to

boost the development of existing, but very poor non-government schools through microfinance

loans (access to capital) and capacity building services (proprietor, teacher and caterer

trainings). IDP Foundation, Inc. has partnered with Sinapi Aba Trust and Opportunity

International-US to implement the IDP Rising Schools Program. Liesel manages the development

of the IDP Rising Schools Program.


Liesel A. Pritzker is the Vice President and Director of Program Development of the IDP

Foundation, Inc. After spending the summer of 2006 in rural India, Liesel resolved to address the

pervasive poverty she encountered within disadvantaged communities. She spent the summer of

2008 volunteering with a microfinance institution in Tanzania and has traveled to Africa several

times to better understand Opportunity International’s work there. Through her work with

Opportunity International, Liesel co-founded Young Ambassadors for Opportunity (YAO). YAO’s

mission is to engage young people in microfinance.


Liesel would like to learn about other initiatives in the affordable private schools realm to share

best practices. In addition, Liesel would like to present the IDP Rising Schools Program as a PACT

Roundtable Moderator to spark discussion about different models targeting affordable private

schools in the developing world.

Your Profile

Company Name IDP Foundation, Inc.

Your Name Liesel A. Pritzker

Title Vice President and Director of Program Development



The commitment is to build a long term sustainable business and organization serving the quality

education need at affordable price. The goal is “improved learning outcome” that is relevant,

measurable, affordable and accountable. The approach is inclusive and participative, engaging all

stakeholders in the process.


An experienced chief executive with strong marketing, operations and strategic skills. True

passion lies in transforming an idea into an industry and build profitable business, brands and

organizations around it. Has worked on Indian and global assignments with prestigious

organizations like Nestle, Wrigley’s, HMV and the Rupert Murdoch group.”


Deeper understanding of the APS segment

Your Profile

Company Name Rumi Education Private Limited

Your Name Raj S Grover

Title Chief Executive Officer



Jay Kimmelman is CEO and co-founder of Bridge International Academies. He is a successful

entrepreneur and a passionate advocate for issues related to global poverty.

Bridge International extends access to primary education in Africa, demonstrating the power of

for-profit innovation to transform lives. By employing key characteristics of successful franchises,

Bridge International provides a complete "school in a box" that allows local operators to run

schools on a low-cost, but profitable basis. Bridge International's model provides a sustainable

approach to education in Africa, where on average, children perform at the 3rd percentile

compared to children from developed countries and is working to close this gap through its

growing network of schools.


Mr. Kimmelman was founder and CEO of Edusoft, the leading educational software company

providing assessment platforms to U.S. school districts. He led the company from inception to

national success providing critical services to 3 million student in 400 school districts across the

country, establishing the company as the recognized leader in the market.

Your Profile

Company Name Bridge Academies

Your Name Jay Kimmelman

Title CEO


PACTS Round Table Sessions: Quality Teaching and Learning


Pradeep Sharma is the Country Director for Gray Matters Capital in India. Based in Hyderabad,

Pradeep manages programs in the education sector to develop the education ecosystem in India

with a focus on affordable private schools (APS). His responsibilities include developing a rating

system for APSs and scaling it to multiple cities within India to enhance market transparency, to

create market intelligence and to set quality standards. By partnering with innovative solution

providers, who typically do not find APS segment attractive, he intends to create a sustainable

market by aggregating the schools and by creating a platform for commerce such that it leads to a

paradigm shift in pedagogy & school management.


Pradeep has his Masters in Business Administration from Asian Institute of Management, Manila,

Philippines and York University, Toronto, Canada. Pradeep has his Bachelor of Engineering

degree from R.V College of Engineering in Bangalore, India.

Your Profile

Company Name Gray Matters Capital

Your Name Pradeep Sharma

Title Country Director



Tiffany is the Executive Director and Co-Founder of Dignitas Project, a non-profit organization

focused on improving education quality in marginalized communities through leadership

training and empowerment. Previously, Tiffany worked on a Harvard research initiative studying

leadership and performance in urban school districts. She began her career as a teacher, college

admissions counselor, and school developer in Oakland and Boston public schools. Tiffany holds

an M. Ed from Harvard University and a B.A. from Wellesley College.


I would like to cultivate relationships with parallel organizations, funders, and peer leaders to

enhance my professional support network for learning and leadership. I am especially interested

in seeing education entrepreneurship first-hand and discovering how we can amplify one

another’s impact in this sector.

Your Profile

Company Name Dignitas Project

Your Name Tiffany Cheng

Title Executive Director, Co-Founder


As Executive Director, Tiffany is responsible for strategy development, implementation, and

operations management for Dignitas. A major part of her role includes developing and training a

wide variety of community members including principals, teachers, community leaders, parents

to improve the quality of teaching and learning within affordable private schools. In addition,

Tiffany devotes time to advocacy efforts to educate the ministry of education and donor

community about the importance and need for APS in marginalized, low-income communities.



Opportunity Exploration & Business Development in APS.


B Tech IIT Bombay & PGDGM from IIM Ahmedabad.

He was into Management Consulting for about 4 years before being actively involved in the

Education Sector since last 5 years.


Interact with APS and get new insights.

Networking with Partners (Donor agencies) & explore New opportunities.

Any other surprises.

Your Profile

Company Name Butterfly Edufields Pvt. Ltd.

Your Name K Sharat Chandra

Title Founder Director

2200 Century Parkway Suite 100 I Atlanta GA 30345 I 678 365-4706 I graymatterscap.com

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2010 symposium booklet

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