Hemant and Jessica Taneja
/SOURCE OF WEALTH: General Catalyst; Tech investor
FUNDING AREAS: Education & Youth, Religious, Global
OVERVIEW: Hemant Taneja and family give through the Taneja Family Foundation. Grantmaking has been modest, lately. Interests include education and global causes. Taneja is a board member of Khan Academy.
BACKGROUND: Hemant Taneja graduated from MIT and holds five degrees from the school. Taneja joined venture capital firm General Catalyst in 2002 and serves as a managing director. He made an early investment in Snap and has been involved with Stripe, a commerce platform.
ISSUES:
EDUCATION & YOUTH: Taneja is a board member of the education nonprofit Khan Academy, which the family supports. Taneja's wife Jessica is a founding parent at Khan Lab School, as well. Other grantees include MIT Nanotechnology. Taneja is also on the board of ClassDogo, a classroom communication app.
RELIGIOUS: Grantees include JKYog, "a spiritual and charitable nonprofit organization," Andrew Wommack Ministries, and Balaji Matha.
GLOBAL: Tenja and family, via their foundation, have supported New Story, which builds homes and communities in the developing world and works with 3-D printing, CAF America Urban Housing Rights Initiative, and the Desai Foundation, which "empowers women and children through community programs to elevate health and livelihood in India and the U.S.
LOOKING FORWARD: Taneja is only in his 40s and very much engaged in business. Perhaps more money will move out of his foundation in the coming years. Education appears likely to be a top cause going forward; it's worth noting that the family has ties to both the West Coast as well as Boston.
CONTACT:
Taneja Family Foundation
154 Bridgeton Ct
Los Altos, CA 94022
LINK: