Nav Sawhney, founder of The Washing Machine Project, in next Explorer’s TalkX

We close this edition’s Explorer TalkX with an exceptional guest: Nav Sawhney, member of Santander X 100 and founder of The Washing Machine Project. Discover how volunteering and entrepreneurship come together to improve the lives of those who need it most.

You’ve probably heard of The Washing Machine Project (and if not, click on the link to find out what it’s all about) and its founder, Nav Sawhney, the perfect example of a social entrepreneur, a creator of projects that improve the lives of those who need it most. To get to know this member of Santander X 100 a little better: we have great news! He will be our next guest at Explorer’s TalkX. Book April 13th at **8 p.m, and connect to our Twitch channel.

Nav was born and raised in London, although his family comes from India. During the country’s independence in 1947, his parents had to leave their home in what is now Pakistan with only the clothes on their backs. This fact is the cornerstone of our guest’s desire to help people fleeing conflict.

Whether it is setting up cooking cookers in rural India, acting as a trustee for an international development organisation, building systems to bring clean water to orphanages in Namibia, or spending his spare time volunteering at a shelter for homeless migrants in London, his passion has always been to lend a helping hand to others, with a particular interest in international development.

Navjot founded The Washing Machine Project in 2019. He left his job as an engineer at Dyson and moved to South India to make cookstoves with Engineers Without Borders UK, where he met Divya, one of his neighbours. The enormous effort this woman put into her daily chores inspired Nav to find a solution: he promised her a washing machine. When he returned to the UK, he developed the prototype.

Since then, The Washing Machine Project has conducted ethnographic research in 17 countries (Uganda, Jamaica, Nepal, India, Philippines, etc.) and interviewed more than 3000 families to get a clearer picture of their washing habits. In addition, the organisation founded by Nav has partnered with some of the most prominent NGOs, such as the United Nations Refugee Agency, Save the Children, and Oxfam.

The Washing Machine Project, part of Santander X 100 (Santander X’s exclusive community of leading startups and scaleups), has carried out pilot programmes in Iraq, Lebanon, Mexico, and the United States and has already received around 3,000 orders for these basic but effective washing machines from various countries. By 2023, it aims to meet these orders and expand into numerous countries.

The protagonist of this inspiring story can tell you all about it in first person at the next TalkX, during which you can post your questions in the chat for him to answer. Remember: April 13th, 8 p.m. on our Twitch channel. After the talk, selected Explorers will be with him in a private session; if you also want to enjoy similar privileges with the most renowned figures in entrepreneurship, stay tuned because very, very soon, we will open the call for the new edition of the programme. In the meantime, pre-register from this button:

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