Tarun Mehta, Co-Founder of Ather Energy, an organization committed to sustainable mobility, is the recipient of the honor this year
London, September 18, 2019: The Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG), in collaboration with Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) today announced the winner of its annual Millennial Honor, which recognises global impact entrepreneurs under 30 years of age. Tarun Mehta, co-founder of the Indian firm Ather Energy, was unanimously selected as this year’s awardee.
The GSG Millennial Honor celebrates the next generation of impact entrepreneurs who have founded or co-founded scalable enterprises with measurable impact and which offer creative solutions to tackle global development challenges.
Judges reviewed nominees from across the globe which included young entrepreneurs who have founded businesses that prioritise social impact along with making profits. The nominees came from organizations working in diverse fields – from production of alternate nutrient rich superfoods and introduction of smart automobiles to child health and infection prevention in populations.
This year’s awardee, Tarun Mehta, an inspiring young entrepreneur, has revolutionized sustainable mobility through intelligent, electric vehicles. His social enterprise, Ather Energy, develops electric scooters and provides a charging ecosystem for these vehicles. The organization has been hugely successful in its advocacy of electric vehicle adoption. This is significant, not least in a country like India, which battles with one of the highest levels of pollution in the world and tackling the issue is a top government priority.
The jury based its decision on criteria of strong impact evidence as well as financial sustainability of the organization.
Sir Ronald Cohen, Chairman, GSG, noted, “We are celebrating a new generation of impact entrepreneurs who understand that they can pursue social and environmental impacts with creative and scalable business models; that impact can drive profitability and need not impair it. As entrepreneurs like Tarun Mehta from Ather Energy, integrate impact with innovation and risk-taking and go on to achieve scale, they will lead the path to realising an Impact Economy.”
Randall Kempner, Executive Director, ANDE added, “We are pleased to partner with GSG on celebrating the impact of social entrepreneurs in creating prosperity in emerging markets while solving social and environmental challenges. We congratulate Tarun Mehta on his success with Ather Energy and hope that he inspires many more to follow in his footsteps.”
On being announced the winner, Tarun Mehta, Co-Founder, Ather Energy expressed his delight, “I am humbled by the choice of the jury and extremely delighted that our efforts received interest. The impact that widely deployed EV technology can have on pollution is the most important driver of our work at Ather. It's heartening to see GSG and the Aspen Network acknowledging the same with this recognition.”
The winner will be congratulated by Sir Ronald Cohen, Chairman, GSG at its annual Impact Summit 2019 which is being held on November 18-19 in Santiago, Chile. This will be the first time that the GSG Summit will go to Latin America; Chile was unanimously chosen as the ideal destination for the GSG Impact Summit, since Santiago will also be hosting the APEC and COP25 meetings in November and December 2019.
The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE)
The Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) is a global network of more than 260 organizations that propel entrepreneurship in emerging markets. ANDE members provide critical financial, educational, and business support services to small and growing businesses (SGBs) based on the conviction that SGBs will create jobs, stimulate long-term economic growth, and produce environmental and social benefits. Ultimately, we believe that SGBs can help lift countries out of poverty. For more information, please visit: https://andeglobal.org/.