Social entrepreneur and co-founder of Rocket Learning, one of India’s largest early childhood development non-profits, impacting 4 million low-income children in India. He serves on the Indian government’s and Karnataka state's Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Taskforces and has served on UNICEF’s working groups. Azeez is an Ashoka Fellow, BusinessWorld’s 40 under 40 Disruptor, Bloomberg New Economy Catalyst, Gates Foundation Goalkeeper and DRK Fellow. Rocket Learning and innovations in promoting early learning have been profiled in Harvard Business School, UNESCO and Forbes case studies, researched by MIT-JPAL and Brookings, and awarded by MIT Solve, Elevate Prize, WISE, Marico Innovation and the WEF. Azeez comes from a family of civil servants, making him an ardent believer in the power of partnership between governments, civil societies, private sector and people, and trusts in education as the foundation for empowerment. He started his career as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, before a stint leading large-scale impact programs in Pratham’s senior leadership. He was awarded as a Goldsmith Fellow and Education Innovation Fellow during his MBA from Harvard, and received the Rajindra Malhotra Memorial Prize for all-round excellence during his B.Tech from IIT Delhi. Azeez frequently writes and speaks in prominent publications (Indian Express, Hindustan Times, The Guardian, NDTV) and institutions (Harvard, Stanford, ISB, IIT). He is a social impact geek, voracious reader, and plays and follows multiple sports.

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