A Message from Our Founder

I grew up in Bhaddu, a small village in the Billawar region of Jammu and Kashmir. Like many people who grow up in rural communities, I saw ability and hard work all around me. I also saw how easily that ability could go unnoticed.

A young person's future was often determined not by intelligence or effort, but by circumstance: the school available nearby, the family's financial condition, access to information, the ability to relocate, or whether anyone knew how to guide them toward the right opportunity.

My own journey took me to Canada, where I started an IT services company in Toronto in 1999. Over the years I have had the privilege of working with talented people from many countries, backgrounds and institutions. That experience only strengthened my conviction: people from small villages can compete successfully at any level when they are given the right exposure, preparation and opportunity.

In 2021, during the COVID-19 travel restrictions, I spent nearly six months in my native village while operating my Canadian business remotely. That period allowed me to reconnect with the region and think seriously about what meaningful development should look like. One conclusion became clear: we should not always ask talented people to leave their communities in search of opportunity. We should also bring opportunity closer to them.

That belief contributed to the creation of a substantial technology and services facility near Billawar, not simply to construct an office, but to demonstrate that sophisticated global work and professional careers can be built in a rural region.

Empower2Succeed grows from the same belief, but begins earlier in a person's journey. A job opportunity is valuable only when a young person has been prepared to compete for it. Many capable individuals need help choosing the right school, continuing their education, preparing for a competitive examination, improving their communication, learning technology, or navigating the professional world. Sometimes they simply need one credible person to believe in them and show them what is possible.

Empower2Succeed will identify such individuals and support them with resources, guidance, mentorship, preparation and access. Our intention is not to help everyone in the same way. It is to understand each person, identify the intervention that will make the greatest difference, and remain engaged through the journey.

We begin in the Billawar region, where my own journey began. Over time, I hope this model will serve young people across rural and underserved India. My aspiration is simple: no capable, committed young person should have to abandon a meaningful dream because no one helped them find a path.

Sanjeev Spolia
Founder, Empower2Succeed