National Entrepreneurship Network (NEN) has appointed Manish Dalal as President, strengthening its leadership as it expands efforts to help entrepreneurs and businesses across India start, grow and scale.
Dalal brings more than 25 years of experience in general management, business development and international expansion across AI, SaaS and cloud businesses in the US and Asia-Pacific markets.
Leadership experience
Dalal joins NEN after senior leadership stints at technology companies including Motorola, Yahoo, Verisign, Endurance and Nextiva. His previous roles include SVP & Managing Director of APAC, SVP & Global Head of Strategy, and VP of Business Development & Channels.
In his new role, Dalal will focus on strengthening NEN’s entrepreneurship ecosystem and expanding access to expertise, mentorship and support for entrepreneurs at different stages of their journeys.
“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.
“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,” he added.
Expanding entrepreneurship portfolio
As President, Dalal will lead NEN’s entrepreneurship portfolio, which includes Wadhwani Ignite, Wadhwani Liftoff, Wadhwani Accelerate, WadhwaniEntrepreneur.ai, Wadhwani FPO Entrepreneurship and Wadhwani SHG Micropreneurship.
These initiatives support entrepreneurs across different stages and contexts through entrepreneurship education, mentoring, AI-enabled platforms, enterprise development and growth advisory.
Focus on AI and government programmes
Dalal will also lead Wadhwani Government AI Platforms, which uses artificial intelligence to help governments improve livelihoods and strengthen beneficiary-focused programmes.
NEN is an independent not-for-profit organisation focused on advancing entrepreneurship and enterprise development in India. It is supported by Wadhwani Operating Foundation and aligned with the global mission of Wadhwani Foundation.