THIS IS US
We are just getting started. But, we are fortunate to be surrounded by an ecosystem of advisers, supporting organisations and well-wishers. We believe that our ecosystem is our everything.
Anish Malpani
Anish brings over 11 years of experience in finance, strategy, operations, impact and data across three continents.
At Ashaya, he drives operations, finance and strategy, while supporting our research and development.
Jitendra Samdani
Jitendra has completed his PhD in Energy Science and Engineering from DGIST in Daegu, South Korea, and has contributed to 14 peer-reviewed publications in electro-chemistry and materials science.
At Ashaya, he leads research and development focused on waste-to-value solutions.
Jayshri Chambhar
Jayashree has over 9 years of experience optimizing offices and industrial spaces.
At Ashaya, she works as an optimizer, and supports the overall research process.
Suraj Bansode
Suraj has over 9 years of experience in operations across multiple industries, including experience working in start-ups.
At Ashaya, he manages our lab and oversees operations, making all our lives easier in the process.
Shreyas Kulthe
Shreyas has his Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering from Vidya Pratishthans Kamalnayan Bajaj Institute of Engineering & Technology, Baramati. He is the youngest on the team, and an eager learner, looking to make a difference with his skills.
At Ashaya, he supports the design and manufacturing function.
Rajesh Patil
Rajesh has his Masters in Analytical Chemistry from MJ College, and essentially loves chemistry. He is also passionate about ayurveda and medicine and sometimes play’s the role of Ashaya’s doctor.
At Ashaya, he supports our research and development on upcycled materials.
Rani Umesh Adsul
Rani has many years of experience working in waste segregation and collection. She worked at a local scrapshop here in Pune before joining us at Ashaya.
At Ashaya, she works as an optimizer, and supports the overall research process.
Sandya Babu Wadmare
Sandya also has many years of experience in waste management, having managed corporate waste in the MIDC area here in Maharashtra.
At Ashaya, she works as an optimizer, and supports the overall research process.
Arshad Shaikh
Arshad brings in operational and mechanical experience to our work here at Ashaya.
At Ashaya, he works as an operations associate, supporting the overall functioning.
Rohan Shinde
Rohan’s parents were waste-pickers. He’s breaking out of that cycle and has previously worked with TATA in operations.
At Ashaya, he works as an optimizer, and supports the overall research process.
Mohammed Rizwan
Mohammed is getting his Bachelors in Industrial Design from DOT School of Design and working with us to hone his design skills.
At Ashaya, he works as as a Design Intern, supporting product and mould design operations.
Rahul Dake
Rahul’s parents were waste-pickers. He’s breaking out of that cycle and has previously worked at the local mall in operations.
At Ashaya, he works as an optimizer, and supports the overall research process.
Nalin Ranade
Nalin has his MBA, but more importantly, oodles of experience in accounting and finance. He brings 5 years of experience in accounting, payroll, and import-export, and also loves to play the flute on the side.
At Ashaya, he makes everyone’s life easier leading the accounting, HR and finance functions.
Seema Rode
Seema is a former waste-picker who used to work as a house-keeper at a University.
At Ashaya, she works as an optimizer, and supports the overall research process.
Sangita Waghmare
Sangita comes from a family of waste-pickers and has experience working at an insurance company.
At Ashaya, she works as an optimizer, and supports the overall research process.
Sakshi Singh
Sakshi’s hustle got her this position. She brings years of experience in growth marketing and SEO, even after majoring in Biotechnology.
At Ashaya, she remotely supports our Director of Growth in all things product, sales and marketing.
OUR ADVISORS
Our advisors keep us sane. Their minds give us the direction and truth we constantly seek.
Dr Vaibhav Gaikwad
Vaibhav has a PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Newcastle in Australia, and currently works as a Sustainability Consultant at Edge Environment in Sydney. His insights on our science have been invaluable.
Jayant Pai
Jayant Uncle is the founder of Protoprint, a social enterprise in Pune that also converts plastic waste into 3D-printing filament. His knowledge around all that in the local context has been super helpful.
Richa Agarwal
Richa is finishing her Masters in Environmental Sustainability from UPenn. We’ve not met anybody else who knows so much about the waste management space in India and the world. But more importantly, she keeps us honest.
Shailendra Singh
Shailendraji is the CEO of SustainMantra and brings with him a wealth of knowledge and wisdom around the plastics recycling and the waste management space.
Adv Pradeep Malpani
Adv Pradeep Malpani has over 40 years of experience in corporate law and public affairs. He is also an honorary director of Ashaya and keeps our principles sound.
Dr K.R. Malpani
Dr Malpani has over 30 years of experience in medicine, including helping set up two hospitals in two countries. He understands the psyche of the founder like nobody else.
OUR SUPPORT SYSTEM
The work we do is complex, and we would struggle without our support system. So these aren’t just logos that fill a page, these are supporters / recognition we are genuinely grateful for.
Diversity of thought is important to us and we will always seek it. We are always looking for people who can challenge us and add value in areas we don’t have expertise in. If you think you fit that mould, don’t hesitate to email us.
OUR VALUES
Truth, Grit and Optimism are what we aspire to embody. And those aren’t just words, they mean a lot more to us:
The pursuit of truth drives our vision and our mission. It drives the way we work on both a macro and micro level.
On a macro level, a core truth that drives us is that we, as humans, yearn for justice. Poverty is one of the greatest man-made injustices. We seek knowledge to better understand, challenge and process this and other core truths. We challenge the status quo if the status quo goes against the truth we believe. Fairness is of the essence.
On a micro, operational level, it means that we believe and practice radical transparency. We are highly self-aware of our strengths and our weaknesses. We are data-driven, measuring what is measurable while being cognisant of its limitations. We believe in fostering an environment of respectful disagreement.
We are compassionately honest.
We work hard and we work smart. We are obsessed with long-term productivity and constantly strive towards optimal decision-making.
We believe in innovation that drives outcomes, and not in innovation just for the sake of innovation. So, in that, we are outcome-focused as an entity while embracing our mistakes as stepping stones towards progress – we aim to foster psychological safety coupled with accountability. Outcomes matter, and processes also matter.
We believe in calculated risk-taking with a focus on long-term gratification.
We strive for excellence, we are constantly learning and we don’t give up easily.
We believe that we can create positive change. We trust and give people the benefit of the doubt because we believe most humans are decent.
We find joy in the work we do while addressing the seriousness of the goal we strive to achieve. We are not limited by norms.
We believe optimism is a “can-do” mentality based in reality, not blind faith.
There is always room for hope.
WORKING AT ASHAYA & WITHOUT
Ashaya | WITHOUT is not just another social enterprise or non-profit or start-up. We are an amalgamation of all that and a lot more.
Our why, our values, our guiding principles and our mission are absolute pillars in our journey to make deep, meaningful impact. We have just launched a new brand and our first product, and are trying to build on that.
Right now, we are a small but passionate team, so our work culture is evolving as we speak. We don’t believe in hierarchy and are attempting to build an environment of self-management.
We believe the following traits are currently fuelling our evolution:
PACE
We know we are moving quickly, but it still feels too slow. We want to move faster. We want to compress many years of research into one. But at the same time, we don’t want to break things along the way. Help us find our pace.
OUTCOME
We are outcome-focused. By that we mean it doesn’t really matter how many hours you work, it’s what you do with those hours that matters. Work hours are flexible. Our outcomes, not as much.
EXPLICIT
We are super transparent. There’s no point in sweeping conflicts under a rug. We don’t have much to hide from each other and are consistently evaluating our work, our feelings and our differences. We are our biggest critics.
GROUNDED
No task is too small or too big for any of us to do. At the same time, we play to our strengths, optimizing for the greater goal we are seeking to achieve, all the while keeping our minds open to diverse perspectives.
