Atal & Shaili Bansal: A Tech Power Couple and Quiet Force in Community Philanthropy
By Raj Shah
Atal Bansal, Founder and CEO of Chetu Inc., is not only a dynamic tech entrepreneur, but also a committed philanthropist whose leadership has made lasting impact both locally and globally. Equally influential, though with a quieter public profile, is his wife and partner in philanthropy—Shaili Bansal, Executive Director and co‑founder of the Chetu Foundation. Together, the Bansals have shaped a business culture grounded in purpose and giving. Founded in 2018, Chetu Foundation is the non-profit subsidiary of Chetu, a global provider of software development solutions and support services. Created to aid its team members in their philanthropic interests, the Chetu Foundation’s mission is based on the principles of “Empowering Children,” “Improving the Quality of Life,” “Giving Back to Communities,” and “Creating and Sustaining Change.”
Building a Legacy Together
Founded in 2000 by Atal Bansal, Chetu Inc. has grown into a $70 million enterprise with over 2,800 employees worldwide by 2025. Atal—a proud graduate of IIT Kanpur—built the company on a philosophy of continuous improvement: “Good enough never is.” But he and Shaili both believe that “true success isn’t measured by revenue alone, but by the change you bring to others”.
Shaili holds a director role with Chetu India Private Limited and, since the foundation’s inception in 2018, has served as Executive Director of the Chetu Foundation. Together, Atal and Shaili co-founded the Foundation to drive initiatives in education, healthcare, disaster relief, and youth empowerment.
Atal Bansal—Visionary Leader, Family Man, and Lifelong Learner
Atal Bansal reveals a grounded yet inspiring perspective on work, life, and leadership in an interview with South Florida Business & Wealth magazine. A motorcycle enthusiast and avid golfer, Bansal enjoys taking his Harley-Davidson for long rides and spending his weekends on the golf course. Despite his appreciation for fine dining in South Florida, he values home-cooked meals the most and cherishes quality time with his family as the ultimate way to unwind after a long workday.
Bansal lives by the mantra “Good enough never is,” a guiding principle deeply ingrained in Chetu’s work culture. His inspiration comes from the book Built to Last by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras, which explores the core traits of visionary companies—much like the legacy Bansal is building at Chetu.
While launching Chetu was a major personal milestone, he considers the company’s 20th anniversary and the inauguration of their newly built headquarters in Plantation, Florida, as his most rewarding professional achievement. Reflecting on the challenges of 2020, he credits the resilience, communication, and innovation of his team for helping the company not just survive the pandemic but thrive during it.
When asked about his advice to young professionals, Bansal emphasizes four simple but powerful principles: “Work hard, be persistent, stay hungry, and never close yourself off to a new perspective.” For him, continuous learning and adaptability are the true pillars of long-term success.
Atal Bansal’s blend of professional excellence, personal humility, and family-centered values makes him a compelling role model—not only in the business world but also in the broader community.
Impact in India: Nourishing Bodies and Minds
Under Bansal’s leadership, the Foundation has dramatically scaled its support for the Akshaya Patra Foundation—India’s largest secular school lunch program. In early 2024, they donated $100,000 to feed children in government schools, recognizing that school meals can be the lifeline for families and keep children in classrooms.
Akshaya Patra operates the world’s largest secular school lunch initiative, feeding over 2.1 million children daily in 23,000+ government schools.
“We understand the gravity of school hunger,” said Shaili Bansal, Executive Director of the Chetu Foundation. “This cannot happen if the kids are starving at school because hungry children struggle to focus—school meals may be their only nutritious food of the day.”
“Thanks to patrons like the Chetu Foundation,” said Navin Goel, CEO of Akshaya Patra Foundation USA, “we serve well over two million children daily across India. With Chetu’s support, these children lead healthier lives and build brighter futures through education.”
The donation will help address the crisis of classroom hunger that affects over 200 million children in India. Akshaya Patra Foundation USA CEO Navin Goel praised the gift, saying it enables them to reach more students and improve both health and education outcomes.
In July 2025, they took their commitment further with a donation of seven fully electric meal delivery vehicles to Akshaya Patra in Delhi–NCR. Each truck now serves 3,000 meals daily to schoolchildren—delivering about 4 million meals per year—while reducing carbon emissions through greener operations. Shaili emphasized that these EVs symbolize their joint focus “on caring for our children and our planet.”
Additionally, Chetu Foundation has overseen winter gear drives in Noida, distributing coats, blankets, gloves, and scarves to underserved families in December 2024 and January 2025. She also led a renovation project to create a modern cafeteria for the Noida Police Department, helping bolster the morale and well-being of first responders in India.
Local Leadership in South Florida
Atal and Shaili Bansal have long demonstrated a deep commitment to education, particularly for children. Their philanthropic philosophy centers around creating opportunities and nurturing young minds—values they not only believe in but also practice through personal example. In the early days of settling in South Florida, the Bansals enrolled their children, Arjun and Aryan, in the BalVihar program at the South Florida Hindu Temple. Recognizing the program’s vital role in preserving culture and instilling values in young Indian-American children, they quickly became supporters beyond just parents.
When they learned that the South Florida Hindu Temple needed funds to expand its facilities and reach more students, the Bansals did not hesitate. Without a second thought, they wrote a check for $100,000—a generous gesture that reflected both their gratitude and their forward-thinking vision for community development. Through the Chetu Foundation, they have continued to support education initiatives globally—from scholarships and digital learning kits in the U.S. to funding midday meals and rural school renovations in India. Atal and Shaili Bansal believe that education is the most powerful tool to transform lives, and their philanthropic legacy is rooted in empowering the next generation to learn, grow, and thrive with confidence and compassion.
In South Florida, the Chetu Foundation continues its local impact. It has supported Feeding South Florida by matching $5 for every food item donated during annual holiday drives. The Foundation also made a $10,000 contribution to the Sunrise Police Department on National First Responders Day. Company‑wide, it provides scholarships for employees’ children and encourages staff participation in CSR initiatives, matching their personal donations too.
Spreading Holiday Cheer Through Generous Acts of Giving
Last year, the Chetu Foundation brought holiday cheer to underserved families through its annual Holiday Food and Toy Drives. Team members from the U.S. and the U.K. donated food, toys, books, and funds to benefit local charities, including Toys for Tots and Feeding South Florida.
“We are proud that Chetu Team Members support our efforts to make the holiday season more joyful for local individuals and families in need,” said Shaili Bansal, Executive Director of the Chetu Foundation. “The Foundation also matched every financial contribution that our employees made dollar-for-dollar, plus we donated money for each food item, toy, and book donated.”
The initiative is part of Chetu’s broader commitment to corporate social responsibility, with ongoing support for education, health, disaster recovery, and humanitarian efforts both locally and internationally, including in India and South Florida, where the company is headquartered.
A Shared Vision for the Future
Their combined advice for emerging professionals is straightforward: work hard, stay persistent, remain open-minded, and never stop learning. Building on two decades of impact—marked by Chetu’s 20th anniversary and a purpose-built headquarters in Plantation—they continue to pioneer a philanthropy-first culture that merges business success with social responsibility.
Together, Atal and Shaili Bansal exemplify how leadership grounded in empathy can empower communities—from the playgrounds of Florida to school cafeterias across India.
About the Author:
A software engineer by profession, Indian culture enthusiast, ardent promoter of hinduism, and a cancer survivor, Raj Shah is a managing editor of Desh-Videsh Magazine and co-founder of Desh Videsh Media Group. Promoting the rich culture and heritage of India and Hinduism has been his motto ever since he arrived in the US in 1969.
He has been instrumental in starting and promoting several community organizations such as the Indian Religious and Cultural Center and International Hindu University. Raj has written two books on Hinduism titled Chronology of Hinduism and Understanding Hinduism. He has also written several children books focusing on Hindu culture and religion.
