Astha Kapoor is the Co-founder of Aapti Institute, a Bangalore based research firm that works on the intersection of technology and society. She has over a decade of public policy and strategy consulting experience, with a focus on use of technology for welfare. At Aapti, Astha leads the Data Economy Lab, a vertical established to research and test new methods of data sharing, data stewardship and governance. Her recent work is focused on participative governance of data, and its use for building collaborative AI, through collective governance methods such as cooperatives. She serves on the advisory boards of the Data Trust Initiative (Cambridge University) and Indian Urban Data Exchange (IUDX).

Prior to Aapti, Astha worked with Future State, Azim Premji’s Philanthropic Initiatives, Dalberg Global Development Advisors, Planning Commission, Government of India and Self-Employed Women’s Association. She’s a visiting fellow at the Ostrom Workshop (Indiana University), two-time TedX speaker, and a Global Governance Futures Fellow 2018-19. Astha’s writing has been published in the Mint, Hindu, Deccan Herald among others.