Press Release

Dr. Nishith M. Desai Honored with Prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award by International Start-up Foundation at Texas State University

Mumbai, India | 30 May, 2025 — Nishith Desai Associates (NDA) proudly announces that its Founder, Dr. Nishith M. Desai, has been conferred the esteemed ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by the International Start-up Foundation at the ISF Global Junicorn & AI Summit 2025 hosted by Texas State University, USA.

Recognised globally as the ‘Lawyer to the Disruptors’, Dr. Desai has guided hundreds of visionary founders and global investors on complex regulatory environments while championing ethical innovation and value-driven growth. This honor celebrates his extraordinary contributions as a legal futurist and cross-border thought leader in the fields of international law, technology and entrepreneurship.

A legal futurist and institution builder, Dr. Desai played a foundational role in shaping the US-India business corridor beginning in 1981, guiding the earliest wave of cross-border collaboration and investment. He also pioneered the asset management industry in India, helped SEBI draft the regulations, and set up the country’s first five investment funds in early 1992, a moment that sparked the modern investment ecosystem in India.

Under his leadership, NDA became one of the first professional services firms globally to do away with traditional designations and build a non-hierarchical, collaborative workplace, where law meets philosophy, science, and purpose. The firm that has always emphasised collective success over individual performance.

This recognition not only celebrates Dr. Desai’s visionary leadership and reflects NDA’s continued commitment to leading legal innovation for a better and socio-conscious world. We thank our clients, colleagues, and friends around the world.

With regards,
Nishith Desai Associates

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