•••Lakshmi's Lounge•••
•••What?•••
Lakshmi’s Lounge is an interview series that explores the personal journeys, aspirations and future plans of accomplished individuals who are making a difference in the world. It is more than a “talk show”. It is an in-depth interview that gives unusual insights into well-known personalities. more...
It is a live event where the audience and the venue of the interview are selected with as much care as the guest being interviewed. The series is presented in aesthetically stimulating environments such as art galleries, historic buildings and unique private homes. The number of attendees is usually limited to 100 except in very rare situations. The series partners with well-known institutions to reach a variety of audience.
We strive to maintain a balance of guests among the Three C’s – Icons from Commerce, Community and Culture. less...
•••Why?•••
The Renaissance, or "Rebirth” which started in Europe, was a period of renewal, revival, and growth where new ideas in the arts, sciences, philosophy, and literature were developed and advanced by a few individuals. The influence of the Renaissance was far-reaching and it shaped the future, leading to a modern era. more...
At Lakshmi’s Lounge we aspire to cultivate the spirit of the Renaissance through intellectual dialogue and a spirited exchange of ideas. Our aim is to recapture this vision through conversations and interviews, where individuals can share their interests and aspirations and foster the growth of new ideas. We believe that if we can bring together people across disciplines, we can inspire a renaissance of thought and action. As Margaret Meade said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
Our focus at Lakshmi’s Lounge is to bring together a group of diverse audience members and distinguished guests so that they get to know one another and travel together to explore the issues that are of importance to the guest and understand the journey that they have taken thus far. less...
•••The Format•••
The event starts with a 30-minute reception where the featured guests mingle with the audience, followed by a 45-minute to one-hour in-depth interview ending with a 30 minute Q&A with the audience.
•••The Guests•••
The guests are chosen based on their contribution to the world at large. Artists, Architects, Authors, Corporate leaders, Entrepreneurs, Business community leaders, Politicians - individuals who made a mark on the world with their creativity, business acumen or commitment to public service are honored by documenting their personal journeys. Some of the guests interviewed to date include: more...
- Andy Grove
- Gloria Steinem
- Deepti Naval
- Vijay Amritraj
- Shashi Tharoor
- Vikram Chandra
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•••About Lakshmi•••
Lakshmi Pratury brings with her a varied and rich experience that spans for-profit enterprises, venture capital and nonprofit organizations. She combined her accomplishments as a business leader, social entrepreneur and a cultural catalyst of change to form Ixoraa Media, whose mission is to strengthen the ties between the United States and India through sponsored corporate, cultural, and media events. Lakshmi’s Lounge is an interview series hosted by Lakshmi and is part of Ixoraa Media. more...
Lakshmi began her business career at Intel, where she was part of ground breaking initiatives that transformed concepts of home computing, mobile computing, PC games, and E-commerce into every day lives. She was instrumental in building relationships between technology, media and communications industries. Following that, she made an entry into venture capital at Global Catalyst Partners where she forged relationships with key executives in India, when investing in India was a new concept. As a social entrepreneur, Lakshmi was a leading force at the American India Foundation, where she was part of the management team that raised over $30M in the first five years to channel towards development activities in India. She was the founder of the Digital Equalizer program, which brought technology education to over 100,000 children and 2,000 teachers in India.
As a cultural catalyst of change, she produced music concerts with well-known celebrities like Shankar Mahadevan, Sivamani, Gingger, Talvin Singh, Lakshmi Shankar, and George Brooks that were received with standing ovations.
Lakshmi holds a Bachelors degree in Mathematics from Nizam College, India, attended IIT, Mumbai, and received an MBA from the Bajaj Institute, India and a second MBA from Portland State University, with a minor in theater arts. Her hobbies reflect her ability to embrace diversity – rock and snow climbing, river rafting, and running marathons to challenge the body, and writing, contributing to radio shows, interviewing celebrities and acting in local theater to challenge the mind, and building a company that aspires to bring about a new renaissance aspect into the world is her attempt to satiate her soul. less...
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