Ashish Dhawan

Ashish Dhawan (born March 11, 1969) is an Indian philanthropist and former private equity investor who co-founded one of India's leading private equity funds, Chrysalis Capital (ChrysCapital). He is the Founder-Chairperson of The Convergence Foundation and Central Square Foundation, and Founding Chairperson of the Board of Trustees of Ashoka University. He is a graduate of Yale University, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in applied mathematics and economics, and Harvard Business School, where he earned his MBA.

In 1999, he co-founded ChrysCapital in Mumbai with Raj Kondur, a classmate from Harvard Business School.

Philanthropy In 2012, Ashish left his career as a private equity investor to establish Central Square Foundation (CSF), a non-profit organisation focused on ensuring quality school education for all children in India. CSF's mission is to create effective, scalable, and sustainable change in the school education system in India, by focusing on Foundational Literacy & Numeracy (FLN); EdTech & AI; Early Childhood Education (ECE); School Governance; and High Potential Students.

In 2014, he spearheaded the launch of Ashoka University, billed as India's first "Ivy-league-caliber" liberal arts university,

His focus then expanded to include institutions for building leadership (India Leaders for the Social Sector), curbing air pollution (Air Pollution Action Group), enhancing government effectiveness (Centre for Effective Governance of Indian States), and driving strategic philanthropy (Accelerate Indian Philanthropy).

In 2021, The Convergence Foundation (TCF) was established to give form to Ashish and Manisha Dhawan's philanthropic vision. TCF is an Indian philanthropic foundation. It incubates and partners with mission-driven nonprofit organisations working on job creating economic growth, human capital development, and growing the development sector. The TCF network now includes more than 20 non-profits dedicated to addressing India’s biggest challenges. These organisations address critical capacity gaps, inform policymaking, and introduce solutions, working in close partnership with governments at various levels.

Accolades In 2012, Ashish was recognised as the NextGen Leader in Philanthropy by Forbes India for his charitable work. He also placed 15th on the 2014 Hurun India Philanthropy List, a ranking of the most generous individuals in India produced by Hurun Research Institute.