Zenia Tata leads the global expansion efforts and the global development prize portfolio at XPRIZE. Over the last 23 years, her work has spanned 25 countries across Asia, Africa and Latin America leading non-profits and creating social enterprises that have directly impacted the lives of millions of individuals. She has worked with diverse issues ranging from water and food scarcity, economic enhancement, climate change, land rights, healthcare, education and child welfare. Her unique contribution has been to infuse these traditional development solutions with an entrepreneurial approach, where all stakeholders can draw tangible value from these programs and services.
Prior to XPRIZE, Zenia’s consulting clients included academic institutions like MIT’s D-Lab, private sector social enterprises like Medeem, technology incubators such as D-Rev, impact investment groups like Beyond Capital, funders like Nike, Soros’ Open Society Foundation and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundations and large international NGOs such as Concern Worldwide. Before that, she was the Executive Director of International Development Enterprises (iDE) USA. iDE pioneered market-based approaches to increase income for impoverished farm families in Asia and Africa and doubled the incomes of 20 million people living in abject poverty.
Originally from Mumbai, India, Zenia is passionate about her work with economically disadvantaged populations, believes in the innate entrepreneurial qualities of the poor and is constantly searching for innovative solutions to global problems.
Zenia is an accomplished speaker who has spoken at many global conferences and has taught classes on social entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School, Stanford, MIT, University of Colorado and New York University.
Zenia lives in Denver, Colorado and is an avid hiker, scuba diver and licensed pilot.
