Chennai: National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) today announced the appointment of Manish Dalal as President, strengthening its leadership as it expands its work to enable entrepreneurs and businesses across India to start, grow and scale, creating sustainable jobs and economic opportunity.
Manish brings over 25 years of experience in general management, business development, and international expansion across AI, SaaS, and Cloud businesses in the US and APAC. He joins NEN from leading technology companies such as Motorola, Yahoo, Verisign, Endurance and Nextiva, where he has held senior leadership roles such as SVP & Managing Director of APAC, SVP & Global Head of Strategy, VP of Business Development & Channels, and many others.
“India is at a defining moment for entrepreneurship, with the opportunity to build businesses that not only scale but also create meaningful economic and employment impact,” said Manish Dalal, President, National Entrepreneurship Network. “NEN supports entrepreneurs across the journey — from students taking their first steps towards entrepreneurship, to founders building ventures, to established business owners looking to scale. My focus will be on strengthening this continuum, deepening ecosystem partnerships and enabling more entrepreneurs to access the expertise and support they need to build stronger, sustainable businesses.”
As President, Manish will lead NEN’s entrepreneurship portfolio, including Wadhwani Ignite, Wadhwani Liftoff, Wadhwani Accelerate, WadhwaniEntrepreneur.ai, Wadhwani FPO Entrepreneurship and Wadhwani SHG Micropreneurship, supporting entrepreneurs across different stages and contexts through entrepreneurship education, mentoring, AI-enabled platforms, enterprise development and growth advisory. He will also lead Wadhwani Government AI Platforms, which uses AI to support governments in improving livelihoods and strengthening beneficiary-focused programmes.
NEN is an independent not-for-profit organization advancing entrepreneurship and enterprise development in India, supported by Wadhwani Operating Foundation and aligned with the global mission of Wadhwani Foundation.
About National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN Trust)
National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN Trust) is an independent, not-for-profit organization advancing entrepreneurship, innovation and enterprise development across India. NEN works with educational institutions, entrepreneurs, startups, SMEs, mentors, investors, ecosystem partners and government agencies to strengthen entrepreneurial capabilities through entrepreneurship education, capacity building, AI-enabled platforms, business acceleration, research and ecosystem development.
Headquartered in Bengaluru, NEN collaborates with partners across India to help build resilient businesses, create sustainable jobs and accelerate economic growth.
NEN Trust is supported and funded by Wadhwani Operating Foundation to support the advancement of entrepreneurship in India.
