Naveen Jain: Celebrating Indian Culture and Heritage
Seattle businessman, philanthropist and previous member of the Forbes’ 400 Richest American group Naveen Jain is known for his ardent commitment to causes such as youth, education, basic needs, and family issues. As president and CEO of Intelius, Inc, a Bellevue, Washington-based company that performs online background checks, verification, employment screening, and people searches, he has made it company policy for executives and employees alike to make monetary donations or render volunteer hours as part of the firm’s social responsibility commitment. Since 2003, the company has donated over $1 million to charity.
In addition to partnering with local and national nonprofit organizations, Naveen Jain’s philanthropic work extends to promoting culture and identity of his native home. Born in 1959 in the province of Uttar Pradesh, India, he received his bachelor’s degree in engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and his MBA from the XLRI Jamshedpur. He moved to the United States where he solidified his career in information technology, starting out as group manager for Microsoft (1989-1996), then building his first company InfoSpace (1996-2002), and his latest venture Intelius (2003-present). He has been consistently supporting the Vedic Cultural Center that highlights and introduces Indian art and culture.
Another proof of his support for culture, Naveen Jain contributed to the public exhibition of a rare collection of artwork that dates back to the 17th and 19th century. In addition to this, he and his firm co-sponsored the rare art exhibit “Garden and Cosmos: The Royal Paintings of Jodhpur,” a three-month long art display at the Seattle Asian Art Museum that featured over 58 magnificent art pieces, some of them miniature in size and others monumental. Originally, these paintings were for exclusive viewing of the Indian aristocracy, but the art collection was open for public viewing for the first time. The event was organized by the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution, and the Mehrangarh Museum Trust of India.
