Avanthi Shah

Avanthi is a technology and microfinance entrepreneur who has founded and led innovative businesses from Silicon Valley to India. She is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area as the co-founder and President of NextBrick Solutions Limited, a technology consultancy firm with clients that include NASA, Oracle, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and MetLife. Avanthi is also a Venture Partner at NextGen, a Washington, DC-based venture capital firm and serves on the Board of FINCA International in Washington DC as well.

Earlier, Avanthi founded Akshaya Microfinance, a social enterprise based in Rajasthan, India that promotes financial inclusion by offering microcredit services to low-income and rural women. During this time, Avanthi also founded NextGreen Infrastructure, Ltd., an Indian energy company that provides ESC services and investments in renewable energy utilities like solar.

In 2008, Avanthi was named a winner of the CRISIL-ICICI-CNBC TV18 Woman Entrepreneur of The Year Award. She is an active member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), and Women Corporate Directors (WCD) and serves on the Board of Directors for several nonprofit organizations.

Avanthi holds a graduate degree from the premier Indian Institute of Management in Lucknow, India and an undergraduate degree from Osmania University, also in India