The Great Nepali Diaspora Newsletter

Founder’s Note 🖋️

Hi everyone! 

These are interesting times! 2025 has been full of changes - for the world at large and TGND as well. 

In recent times, global dynamics have continued to evolve, reminding us of the importance of belonging, inclusivity, and connection. At TGND, while we are a professional network, we also serve as a supportive space for individuals with roots in Nepal. Considering the changing environment, we have focused our energy this year on virtual events to ensure our members can continue to connect, share, and grow together, wherever they are.

But I’m happy to report that we’re relaunching our location-based chapters and interest-based professional hubs, and therefore our networking events (both in-person and virtual). Do sign up if you want to lead and contribute to our community!

The recent Gen-Z revolution has been historic to witness. TGND has always believed in making meaningful connections to Nepal and adding value to the work happening there. Our past initiatives, like Aviation Safety, Long-Term Disaster Preparedness, etc, have leveraged the expertise of our diaspora to mitigate issues in Nepal. Currently, we are working with individuals and organizations in Nepal and abroad on the “Diaspora Voting” initiative. You can learn more in the section below. 

We also started a webinar series to showcase the recent changes in Nepal. Lack of general literacy of politics and policy, both in Nepal and the diaspora are elements that all of us have recognized. At TGND, we are trying to actively change this status quo through honest dialogue with grassroots doers and domain experts. Stay tuned for updates!

As always, you can always reach out if you have any questions, comments, or feedback. 

Best regards, 
Preeti 

Diaspora Voting Initiative 🗳️

As most of you are aware, the recent Gen-Z protests led to an interim government, and elections have been announced for March 2026. This is a historic moment and such an incredible opportunity for Nepalis in the country and abroad to come together and create generational change. 

Therefore, TGND partnered with various individuals (legal experts, public policy leaders, tech experts, etc) and organizations in Nepal and all over the world to understand the situation and advocate for relevant policy changes. By joining forces with SpeakUp Nepal (a civic engagement startup in Nepal), TGND launched an online and offline petition. The offline petition was submitted to the Election Commission a month ago, then the Home Ministry last week, and we presented it to the Prime Minister’s advisors yesterday. At each of these government entities, we received positive responses and valuable feedback. The proposal includes an Amendment to the draft ‘Procedure for the Registration and Updating of the Voter List of Nepali Citizens Residing Abroad– 2080’ to accommodate diaspora voting.

We also launched a survey for the diaspora right after the protests using the platform by Qualz.ai. This survey (filled out by 77 people from 11 different countries) provided a lot of insights. One of the topmost items on everyone’s wish list was fair and democratic elections. 

Diaspora Expert Webinar Series 👩🏻‍💻

After the Gen-Z revolution in Nepal, TGND launched an expert webinar series to understand the situation and leverage our experts from the diaspora to discuss the next steps. The first session on Sep 22 was titled "Nepal's turning point: The Youth Movement and the Road Ahead". 

Speakers
👉 Koan (Anonymous for Privacy)
A Gen-Z protester who witnessed the demonstrations turned violent and co-initiated the movement's shift to Discord, creating a central hub to coordinate action.

👉 Bibek Sah (Founder, CEO, and CTO of Nexalaris Tech)
Tech startup Founder & Co-author of the NepalReforms Manifesto, a foundational document that articulates the core demands of the movement.

👉 Aradhana Gurung (Co-Founder and CEO, Impact447)
Social innovator with 20+ years of experience with the UN, NGOs, and tech in turning ideas into action, bringing her expertise working with the youth in digital development and local empowerment.

👉 Kul Chandra Gautam (Global development and policy expert. Former UNICEF and United Nations Official)
Former UN Assistant Secretary-General with a distinguished career shaping global policy, advises Nepali leaders on peace and democracy.

👉👉 Moderator Pratisha Joshi is a research and communications professional and national speaking champion, passionate about bridging existing gaps between policy and the public through evidence-based policy advocacy.

The next session is planned for Nov 7th and is titled “Understanding voting rights in Nepal’s evolving political landscape for citizens in Nepal and the diaspora”. You can register here.

Podcast🎙️

TGND Beats, Diaspora ka Kurakani is our flagship podcast that has reached 5 seasons. During this time, we have showcased global Nepalis living in various continents and from all career paths, like entrepreneurs, artists, doctors, policy experts, etc. For most of our guests, TGND Beats has been the first media/PR engagement and has given them wider recognition and appreciation in the greater diaspora network and Nepal. You can watch all the seasons here. 

We are also launching a new podcast under The Great Nepali Diaspora umbrella! The podcast “Humanizing AI, powered by TGND” will demystify artificial intelligence and educate people on AI risks. The host will be Cesar Koirala - AI expert, educator & now entrepreneur. He taught at Columbia University & New York University, worked at companies like Meta, EY, UnitedHealth Group, and recently founded a startup HumanLens.ai. Our podcast manager, Subigya Basnet, will provide his technical support. We’re excited to hear from stellar global experts (mostly non-Nepali) on this topic. Stay tuned for the first episode in November!

Events 🗓️

Community is at the center of all things TGND! On Oct 10, we hosted “COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS” - The Great Nepali Diaspora 🤝 Momo VC 🤝 Imera in NYC.

The idea was to introduce/reintroduce our organizations to the local diaspora community. The Consular General of Nepal in New York - Hon. Dadhi Ram Bhandari graced the event along with students, professionals, entrepreneurs & more. The diverse group shared thoughts on networking, mentorship, and the situation in Nepal. We hope to have these community conversations all over the US and the world. Please reach out if interested in hosting and/or supporting us.

Momo VC is a US-based, early-stage venture capital fund for underrepresented founders. Preeti Adhikary and Sajan Gautam are the General Partners, and the fund invests in technology startups in the following sectors: AI, cybersecurity, biotech, sustainability, fintech, and health tech.

Imera is an immigration tech startup based in NYC with co-founders Liesel Vaidya and Victoria Ter-Ovanesyan. The startup is Momo VC’s first portfolio company and helps immigrants in their journey in the US.

Join our LinkedIn group! 👩🏻‍🏫🧑🏻‍🏫

We finally have a private group on LinkedIn to connect with students and professionals with roots in Nepal (who are studying/working outside Nepal). If this is you, do join our group and engage with diaspora members from all over the globe.