Women in Philanthropy: Sapna Saxena Shares How Young Professionals Can Give Back
“You could say I dream of the day where they don’t give BACK, because they just… give.” Today’s woman dreamer, Sapna Saxena, is a dynamic female venture capitalist and entrepreneur, with a passion for giving back. She is the co-founder of Neel Capital Management. She is also an active philanthropist, working with her family’s philanthropic arm, The Saxena Family Foundation, and a strong supporter of The Akshaya Patra Foundation. In this inspiring interview, she shares her professional and philanthropic journey, her advice to young professionals on getting involved with charities and giving back, and her next big dream. Enjoy!
1. As a woman in the entrepreneurship and venture capital space, what was the biggest lesson you have learned? How do you continue to apply it in your career today?
Being new to this space, I am always relearning life’s lesson about how you spend your time: it’s not only important to trust your decision on the deals that you make, but the people with whom you make them. There are a lot of smart, motivated people out there - but that doesn’t mean you need to work with all them.
Ideas are interesting and execution strategies are all over the map - but who is leading these companies, who is able to pivot, are these people you want to work with in times of crisis or company shifts, can you be transparent with them and vice-versa - these are equally important to the deals themselves.
Neel Capital has been focused on people we actually like. Even though these entrepreneurs are primarily focused on the success of their companies, we still want to surround ourselves with partners with whom we can be most authentic. A successful exit AND a successful partnership - that’s like winning the lottery!
2. You are passionate about philanthropy. Tell us more about your work with Akshaya Patra (AP) and the Saxena Family Foundation (SFF), your family’s philanthropic arm.
Education and related initiatives have been an important part of our Foundation’s donation thesis. A partner that focuses on creating access to education in India, AP has been our pillar in that regard, to the extent that we’ve moved past general donations to a very targeted initiative: building an entire kitchen in Panvel, a suburb of Mumbai, on behalf of the Foundation. To take technology and use it to create something that is scalable - a million meals a day - localized, and accessible, all while getting more kids to school every day - that is something.
3. What is your advice to other young professionals aiming to give back/get involved? Anything and everything helps. Literally, anything.
Folks in my network have told me they don’t give because, at our age, they think “it’s not enough.” They’ll do it when they have more/time/money. And I’m always left wondering, what’s “enough”? Giving can be by way of introductions and networking, offering your time through volunteering, reposting information on Instagram or Facebook to promote awareness, anything. It can be a group activity such as wrapping presents for the holidays, or serving food at soup kitchens during Thanksgiving.
I lead a 5k run/1k walk for the SOMA Jolly Jaunt every December. All I request is for people to register and show up, learn about what the organization does, and walk/run around the city for a day.
A less creative (but wildly successful) option: charitable donations as part of your wedding registry. If you’re in a position to be able to request few or no gifts for your wedding, you’ll find that some guests still want to do something for the special occasion. We created personalized campaigns with three organizations (one obviously being AP) and we were able to raise over $100k in guest contributions. Getting married already feels pretty great, but to be able to generate that kind of raise for initiatives important to you - it's both incredible and impactful all at once. We also understood that giving is deeply personal, and so for the folks who chose not to contribute directly and to give us the money instead, we set that cash aside to contribute to our organizations in the future. It’s - excuse the pun - the gift that keeps on giving.
4. As the platform for women dreamers, what is your next big dream?
Not sure if it’s a “big dream,” but I do have hopes for the post-pandemic future when it comes to social responsibility. I look forward to the day when philanthropy becomes a ubiquitous thing, when it’s no longer something people do to feel good at one event or during a time of specific crisis, because it’s already part of their everyday thought and planning.
I am excited when I read financial institutions and wealth advisors permanently adding, in their clients’ wealth planning, a percentage for giving. The 50/30/20 budgeting framework continues to evolve, and I’m slowly seeing folks carve out money and time for continuous charitable efforts and donations at earlier stages in their lives
I am equally excited when I see my friends and family with young adult children include volunteering as part of a weekend activity, helping kids to recognize the impact of a day well spent giving to others.
Most folks are well-intended, and have plans to ‘give back’ in the future. You could say I dream of the day where they don’t give BACK, because they just… give.
Thank you Sapna for sharing your inspiring story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network
Bio: Sapna is the co-founder of Neel Capital Management (NCM), a second-generation single family office. Together with serial entrepreneur/angel investor, Jit Saxena, Sapna focuses on early-stage/Series A direct investments as well as NCM’s partnerships with venture capital/private equity/fund management teams. Sapna’s goals involve establishing a real estate investment portfolio as well as strengthening the philanthropy pillar of the office via The Saxena Family Foundation. Holding BA, MBA, and MIS degrees from Boston University, Sapna’s an active supporter of Akshaya Patra and the Special Olympics of MA, organizations which create more access to education and activity for children around the world.