NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Based in Mumbai, India, Mark Hand is an investment associate at First Light Ventures, a seed fund affiliated with Gray Ghost Ventures. Prior to First Light, Mark worked for four years in community development organizations in the US and developing countries, including serving as the founding Director of a community development site in Ecuador for Manna Project International. He will attend Said Business School at Oxford this fall as a Skoll Scholar and Rotary Scholar.

Nikhil Dandavati is an investment associate at First Light Ventures, previously co-founded the Unreasonable Institute, an incubator for high-impact entrepreneurs. He gained his initial exposure to venture capital in Hyderabad, India, through his work with the NASSCOM-ICICI Innovation Fund and began to pursue his entrepreneurial aspirations by setting the groundwork for a medical device company in Boulder. He continues this pursuit with a company that helps make higher education more affordable for students in the Rocky Mountain region.