Entrepreneurship

Creating Change

Over the course of his career, Tej Kohli has become a leader in every sector he has delved into. Since the 1990’s, after rebuilding his career from the ground up, he has made pledges to help others and succeed in whatever he sets his mind on.

Following a prosperous and lucrative career, Kohli could have opted for a life of solitude. With organisations and companies such as the Zibel Real Estate Portfolio, tech ventures such as Rewired and also heavy investment into artificial intelligence. Instead of having this life of calm, he chose to dedicate his time to making the world a better place for future generations. Whilst some more cynical people, might say this is some form of atonement for his past, more applaud the 63-year-old for creating this spectacular change.

The charitable efforts of Tej Kohli haven’t stopped there. With a variety of different endeavours – it is clear to see that change is on the rise.

The Tej Kohli Foundation was founded in 2005 by Kohli and his wife Wendy Kohli. The initial goal was to provide daily meals to 1000 children in Costa Rica. With that only being the beginning, nearly 20 years later, the foundation has gone on to achieve greatness in a variety of fields.

Having made large investments within the bionics side of healthcare. He has changed and shaped the lives of several young people across the United Kingdom. In 2019, he funded the purchase of ten bionic arms for ten children who struggled with limb differences in the UK. Kohli spent an initial £100,000 on the launch of the ‘Future Bionics’ program.

The first to receive a start to their new life was 10 year old Jacob Pickering. In 2020, The Tej Kohli Foundation funded the ‘Hero Arm’ to be given to him – giving him a chance to pursue his goals of playing rugby. This is just one part of the investors generosity and support to those in need.

The latest venture under the Kohli name is the Tej Kohli and Ruit Foundation. There has always been a focus on eye care from Kohli & Co, especially with the Tej Kohli Cornea Institute opening in 2015. With this thousands were able to be cured from suffering with various visual impairments, focusing on corneal opacification.

The Tej Kohli and Ruit Foundation was founded in 2019, following the Tej Kohli Cornea Institute. The organisation is the alliance of Kohli and ophthalmologist, Sanduk Ruit. Ruit is a world-renowned ophthalmologist who has spent his life curing poverty stricken people of blindness. The two formed this alliance to make change in remote areas in Asia and Africa. So far, the foundation has cured over 13,000 people and aim to cure thousands more.

The co-founders have made their way across Nepal from remote villages to the foothills of the Himalayas, curing hundreds at a time. When the chosen destination is reached, teams working for and alongside the foundation set up sites where screenings and surgeries can take place.

In 2021, with the support of the Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology, the Tej Kohli and Ruit Foundation were able to screen over 1500 and cured over 150 people in just one month. Taking place in the Dolakha district of Nepal, those cured were able to take in the serene surroundings the area has to offer. This mission to Dolakha shows just a fraction of what has been achieved and what is yet to be achieved.

Prior to the immense efforts in Nepal over the last year, Kohli also kept some work close to his home in London. Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Tej Kohli Foundation started a campaign that delivered ‘YouCube’ boxes. These specially packed boxes were sent to families who had lost their jobs due to the pandemic and could no longer afford to support themselves, or their families. Rather than just sending food, the boxes were also filled with educational resources and stuff for children to enjoy. The YouCube boxes were delivered via courier service – helping those who had otherwise felt shame when visiting a food bank.

Moving forward, Mr Kohli and the foundation are striving to move into several more counties across Asia and Africa. Doing this will give much needed support those living in poverty stricken communities, it will also give those people a second chance at life, which is something that underpins the whole of Kohli’s philosophy of philanthropy.

For more information on Tej Kohli as a philanthropist visit tejkohliruit.com and to read more of his views go to his Medium.

To read about Tej Kohli as an investor visit Kohli Ventures.

Find out more about Tej Kohli: Tej Kohli the technologist investing in human triumph, Tej Kohli the philanthropist trying to cure the developing world of cataracts and Tej Kohli the London tycoon with a generous streak.