The founder of ASAN on identity, community, and the rise of a new South Asian movement across the United States.
In a country as vast and diverse as the United States, where South Asians are reshaping business, culture, and civic life, community is no longer a backdrop but a force. Few leaders capture this evolution as clearly as Dr. Nitin Bajaj, founder of the American South Asian Network (ASAN).
After more than two decades as a builder, practitioner, and investor across industries from e-commerce and education to finance, healthcare, and legal tech, Bajaj is now channelling that experience toward something larger: a national movement built on identity, belonging, and collective power.
ASAN, founded in 2024, has quickly emerged as one of the fastest-growing South Asian platforms in the country. In its first year, it built a nationwide footprint, directly reaching more than twenty thousand people, convening over more than eighty-five in-person gatherings, and forging more than two hundred and fifty partnerships with universities, corporations, and civic institutions. Its mission is expansive yet grounded in lived reality, with the aim of uniting young South Asians through culture, community, and capital.
Before ASAN, Bajaj had already carved out a pivotal role in capturing the stories of the diaspora. His long-running talk show, The INDUStry Show, began as part of his doctoral research on South Asian immigrant founders and has since chronicled more than three hundred journeys, reaching millions around the world. Through this lens, he has witnessed the complexity, ambition, and resilience that define South Asian identity in America, as well as the gaps that often leave these stories unseen.
For Bajaj, the rise of ASAN is not a shift away from his career but an extension of it. Moving from Mumbai to Los Angeles, he saw South Asians doing meaningful work across every sector, yet their narratives rarely registered in mainstream spaces.
His response has been to build platforms that celebrate identity, cultivate leadership, and strengthen community infrastructure at scale. Today, as ASAN enters its next phase, he remains focused on sustainable expansion, deeper partnerships, and a model of leadership that is community-led and generational by design.
Talking to Dr. Nitin Bajaj felt grounding and inspiring, showing how belonging grows when identity, leadership, and community come together with intention.
Pragya – You have built companies, led major acquisitions, and worked across industries. What shifted your focus toward community building and ultimately inspired ASAN?
Nitin – The India I brought with me in 2007, entrepreneurship and start-ups were not part of the vocabulary, and risk-taking was generally looked down upon. To see South Asians thriving as entrepreneurs genuinely intrigued me, enough that I did my doctoral thesis on South Asian immigrant entrepreneurs in the US.
My research showed me our stories were missing from the record. That led to The INDUStry Show, which over ten years and 300+ interviews has reached millions and become the longest-running platform centred on South Asian entrepreneurs and leaders. Through these conversations and my work in the community over the past 15 years it became obvious that storytelling alone was not enough. We needed infrastructure and an ecosystem to tie our community and its progress together. This laid the foundation for ASAN.
Pragya – When you started shaping ASAN, what gaps did you see in the South Asian experience in America that made something like this essential?
Nitin – The biggest gap was the lack of a national platform built for the real, layered identities of South Asians in America. There are many strong regional and cultural organizations, but nothing that reflects how this generation actually lives and identifies.
People here are South Asian by heritage and American in how they lead, work, and build, and there was no platform that understood or supported that duality. We had individual success, but nothing tying those successes together. ASAN was built to connect the dots and create a place where this generation can show up fully, without choosing between heritage and identity.
Pragya – You often talk about building power, pride, and purpose. What does South Asian power look like in the U.S. today, and how can young South Asians step into it?
Nitin – South Asian power in the US is about agency. It is the ability to shape narratives, build institutions, and influence outcomes. You see it in boardrooms, start-ups, public service, and culture. For young South Asians, stepping into that power starts with showing up as who they are, not who they think they are supposed to be. When people embrace the identities they actually live, they lead more authentically and collaboratively.
Pragya – ASAN’s first year has been fast and expansive. Is there a behind the scenes moment that taught you something new about leadership or about our community?
Nitin – At one early event, a student walked in knowing no one. By the end of the night, she had met a mentor, a collaborator, and someone who helped her with an internship lead. None of this was orchestrated. It happened because the right people were in the room.
That moment reminded me that leadership is often about creating spaces and letting the community do what it naturally does when people connect with intention.
Pragya -After interviewing more than 300 South Asian entrepreneurs and changemakers on The INDUStry Show, is there one story that changed how you view leadership or identity?
Nitin – Avanish was born in India, grew up in Brazil, and moved to the US in his twenties. He identifies as Brazilian, is proudly South Asian, and American in how he leads and lives. His wife is Indonesian American, and their children are genuinely multicultural.
Identity is layered, and it shapes how people lead. You can draw from one culture, another heritage, and a third professional norm all at the same time. If you only look at ethnicity, you completely miss how someone actually shows up as a leader. That insight stayed with me.
Leadership is not tied to where someone’s parents were born. It comes from the identity we live every day. This shaped how we built ASAN, because the community here is not one dimensional. If we want people to feel included, the platform has to reflect that reality.
Pragya – ASAN’s initiatives are creating new spaces for belonging across the country. What does a unified South Asian community look like to you, and what will it take to build it?
Nitin – A unified South Asian community does not mean everyone is the same. It means we understand that our futures are connected. It looks like collaboration across culture, geography, generation, and profession.
To build it, we need consistent spaces, shared purpose, and long-term relationships. Belonging grows when people see each other, support each other, and work toward the same outcomes.
Pragya – Your own journey from Mumbai to Los Angeles and from corporate leadership to community architect has had many pivots. What values or lessons have guided you?
Nitin – Three values guide me: Build with intention. Relationships compound faster than capital. And identity is an asset, not a limitation.
Pragya – ASAN is expanding quickly. How do you balance scale with depth and growth with sustainability in a community with such diverse needs?
Nitin – We balance scale through structure. National, regional, and campus teams give depth, while community, media, and health reinforce each other. Growth is important, but sustainability comes from alignment and reflecting the identities of the people we serve.
Pragya – If you could give one mindset or skill to every young South Asian in America, what would it be and why?
Nitin – Community-driven accountability. When people feel seen for who they are, they show up with more intention. When the community around them expects excellence and supports it, they grow faster. It is one of the biggest advantages someone can have.
Pragya – Looking ahead, what is your long-term vision for ASAN and for the broader South Asian community? What do you hope the next decade looks like?
Nitin – The long-term vision for ASAN is to build the generational infrastructure for South Asians in America. A national network that reflects the identities people actually live. Strong regional teams. University pipelines. And an ecosystem where storytelling, leadership, and wellbeing reinforce each other.
For the broader community, the next decade should feel connected, confident, and capable of shaping business, culture, civic life, and wellbeing at scale. That is the future we are building.
(Pragya Raj Singh is a next-generation global social entrepreneur dedicated to innovation and grassroots impact.)