Education • Technology • Social Impact

Storyteller turned social technologist.

From Hindi newsrooms to digital learning labs, Satish Jha has worked across journalism, technology, and social enterprise to expand choices for people who have the least.

Learn about his journey Explore key work

Building digital learning ecosystems.

Through initiatives like OLPC India, Ashraya, and Edufront, he has championed child-centred, technology-enabled learning in government and low-resource schools.

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Linking energy, enterprise & equity.

Ventures such as Tarahaat.com, Digital Partners India, and DESI Power helped bring ICT, finance, and renewable energy closer to rural communities and small entrepreneurs.

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Satish Jha

Indo-American Arts Council

Lifetime Achievement Award, 2022

About

From Bihar’s heartland to global digital inclusion

Satish Jha is an Indian entrepreneur, former journalist, and social technologist whose career spans Hindi media, corporate technology, and social enterprise. He studied economics at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in New Delhi and later earned an MBA from EDHEC Business School in France, followed by executive programs at institutions including The Fletcher School, Harvard Kennedy School, the Institute of Social Studies in The Hague, and the University of Maryland.

Early in his life he worked with movements inspired by Jaya Prakash Narayan, deepening his engagement with questions of democracy, equity, and access. Those concerns continue to shape his work in media, technology, and education—especially for children and communities who remain excluded from high-quality learning opportunities.

40+ years across media, technology & social impact

He has moved from co-founding the Hindi daily Jansatta and editing Dinaman, to leading global information systems at Hoffmann-La Roche, and then into social entrepreneurship with initiatives such as Tarahaat.com, Digital Partners India, DESI Power, and the e-Healthcare Foundation.

Journalism

Co-founder of Jansatta; Editor of Dinaman

Social Enterprise

Tarahaat.com, Digital Partners India, DESI Power, e-Healthcare

Education

OLPC India, Ashraya, Edufront & digital learning ecosystems

Work & Achievements

Journalism, technology & social entrepreneurship

His work moves across newsrooms, boardrooms, and village schools, with a consistent focus on giving people the tools, infrastructure, and voice to transform their own lives.

Journalism & Media

As a co-founder of Jansatta and later Editor of Dinaman, Satish Jha helped shape a conversational, people-centred style of Hindi journalism, while co-founding the PUCL Bulletin, often described as India’s first civil rights journal.

Corporate & Consulting

After his MBA he led global information systems for the vitamins division of Hoffmann-La Roche in Switzerland and later founded James Martin Consulting (India), now part of Genpact, advising enterprises on IT strategy and digital transformation.

Social Enterprise & Rural Development

Through Tarahaat.com, Digital Partners India and DESI Power, he has supported rural ICT networks, microfinance, and hybrid power systems across villages, linking electricity and connectivity to enterprise, education, and basic services.

Education & Digital Learning

As Chairman of the OLPC India Foundation, and through organisations such as Ashraya and Edufront, he continues to advocate for foundational learning, STEM and AI education, and tablet-based ecosystems that give each child a personal learning pathway.

Media & Recognition

Conversations, forums & awards

Satish Jha speaks and writes on education, technology, and social innovation, participating in ICT-for-development forums and media conversations on the future of learning and digital inclusion.

Award

Indo-American Arts Council Lifetime Achievement

Honoured in New York in 2022 for contributions to journalism, technology, and social entrepreneurship, particularly through education and digital-learning initiatives in India.

ICT for Development

Policy roles & World IT Forum

As Special Advisor to the Kofi Annan Centre for Excellence in ICTs and Co-Chair of the World IT Forum (WITFOR), he has contributed to global debates on how digital technologies can support inclusive development.

Interviews & Essays

Education, mobility & the learning crisis

In talks and essays, he has argued that only a small fraction of Indians receive the kind of education that enables real upward mobility, calling for sustained investment in early-grade learning and teacher support.

Contact

Get in touch

For speaking engagements, collaborations in education and social innovation, or media enquiries, please use the form below.

Areas of collaboration

  • • Foundational education & digital learning
  • • ICT for development & rural innovation
  • • Social entrepreneurship mentorship
  • • Talks, interviews & panel discussions

Connect

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