Who are we

We’re a collective of partnership strategists, researchers and changemakers committed to cross-sector collaboration. Learn more about our story, values and the people behind our work.

We created Saath Partners to shift that paradigm.  “Saath” means together in Hindi — and that word reflects not just how we work, but what we believe. That working together is not an afterthought. It’s the strategy.

Our Story & Mission

Saath Partners was born out of a shared conviction: the world’s challenges don’t sit neatly within one sector — and neither do the solutions.

No single sector holds everything needed to create lasting change.

Real impact requires weaving together different kinds of knowledge, resources, and perspectives across business, government, academia, and community. 

Our founders have spent their careers navigating the complexity of systems — across research, policy, philanthropy, and grassroots action, saw a recurring pattern.

Brilliant ideas stalled at the edges of institutions.

Research didn’t connect with lived experience. Policies didn’t reflect lived realities.

Partners weren’t aligned — or often not even at the table.

The skills, mindsets, and tools needed to work across these boundaries were missing.

We help individuals and institutions navigate complexity.

Breaking down silos, aligning diverse stakeholders, and turning collaboration into a powerful driver of change.

Drawing from global frameworks, lived experience, and deep systems thinking, we support our clients in designing the kind of partnerships that move ideas into action, and actions into systems change. 

Because the future we need will not be delivered by one sector, one discipline, or one voice.

Saath is about creating value and our mission is to help organizations collaborate across sectors to build this future thoughtfully, deliberately, and together. 

While the need for cross-sector collaboration has never been greater, many organizations still struggle to build and sustain partnerships that truly work. 

Our Values

Guiding how we think, partner and build. They reflect what we hold true, and how we choose to show up in complex systems. 

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Thoughtfulness through appreciative inquiry:

We ask not only what should change, but why, for whom and what might emerge.  We use inquiry to surface purpose, possibility and strength.

Collaboration by design:

We approach collaboration as both an art and a science— building the structures, trust, and shared purpose needed for partnerships to thrive. 

Rooted in context:

We meet people where they are, grounding our work in real-world constraints, lived experiences, local priorities. 

Systems-aware, human-centered:

We design with the whole system in mind — but always anchor in people, relationships, and lived realities. 

If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.

- African Proverb

Founders

Dr. Priyanka Brunese  

Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer, Saath Partners

Priyanka Brunese is a systems thinker and pracademic with over 15 years of experience designing and researching effective models for cross-sector collaboration.

Her work bridges strategy, research translation, and institutional capacity building, helping mission-driven organizations partner more effectively to create lasting impact. 

At Saath, Priyanka leads efforts to help clients design thoughtful, actionable engagement strategies—shaping partnerships that are purpose-driven, evidence-informed, and built to endure.  

  • Before founding Saath Partners, Priyanka served as Director of Research Development at Purdue’s Honors College, supporting interdisciplinary research, internal grants, and donor engagement.

    She also worked alongside Pallavi Gupta as the research scientist and scientific manager for the LASER PULSE Consortium, a $70M USAID-funded research-for-development initiative. There, she co-developed a research translation approach now used in 50+ projects across 21 countries.

    She also led USAID-funded research on private sector engagement, translating insights from 60+ global interviews into toolkits.  

    Priyanka’s work spans universities, development agencies, and public-private platforms. She co-facilitated a multi-stakeholder convening in Colombia to co-identify research priorities related to migration, youth development, and rural transformation.

    She supported the Alliance of Bioversity and CIAT in assessing and strengthening their partnership approach and is currently co-developing a partnership roadmap as part of The Partnering Initiative team.

    She has guided students in applying Soft Systems Methodology to Indiana’s housing crisis. Earlier in her career, she also led MEL system design at Purdue’s Center for Regional Development, supporting community capacity-building programs across the U.S. 

    Her academic research focused on the dynamics of collaborative inertia in partnerships, and she has published on effective academic-practitioner collaboration models. She holds a PhD in Organizational and Leadership Development, a Master’s in Information Systems (Purdue University), and a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Engineering (Mumbai University). 

    Priyanka is a former ELISS Fellow with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, where she facilitated cross-sector dialogue on epidemic preparedness between local communities and national policy leaders in the U.S. She currently serves on the Board of Indiana United Ways and its Public Policy and Natural Disaster Fund Committees, as well as the ALICE National Research Advisory Council, where she advises on translating data into local policy and practice. 

Pallavi Gupta

Co-Founder & Executive Director, Saath Partners

Pallavi Gupta is a mission-driven leader with over 17 years of experience building cross-sector partnerships that translate bold ideas into real-world impact. Her work spans global development, philanthropy, academia, private enterprise, and government—united by a commitment to designing collaborative systems that address complex challenges.

At Saath, Pallavi draws on this wide-ranging experience to help institutions unlock the full value of partnerships—working with teams to strengthen strategy, foster trust, and move from fragmented efforts to collective impact.

  • Prior to Saath Partners, Pallavi led multi-million dollar global initiatives as Chief of Party for two flagship USAID programs: LASER PULSE, advancing research adoption across 21 countries, with a network of 3200+ members across 86 countries, and ARC, a climate and economic resilience initiative in Asia.

    At Purdue University, she served as Program Director of the Shah Family Global Innovation Lab, where she spearheaded innovation and technology commercialization efforts, impact entrepreneurship, and stakeholder engagement across more than 17 countries.

    Her earlier work includes founding a nonprofit in India focused on economic inclusion via  public-private partnerships and advising international donors and governments on innovation and impact strategies as a consultant at PwC in London.

    A former software engineer, Pallavi brings systems thinking and a strong operational lens to all her work.

    Pallavi has collaborated with entities across sectors in 25 countries—from municipal governments and civil society to corporate CSR leaders and university research teams.

    She is an Ashoka Fellow and INK Fellow and has served as a Member of State Govt. Innovation Council in Uttar Pradesh, India.

    She holds advanced degrees from the London School of Economics and Brandeis University, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Information Science from VTU, India.

Our Expert Collective

We work with a trusted pool of experts and partner organizations who share our mission and values. From seasoned advisors to field practitioners, we draw on their insights and experience as needed to strengthen our work and expand our impact.

  • Darian Stibbe

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  • Amanda Pmoeroy-Stevens

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  • Ian Lobo (PSE, Canada)

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  • Yogesh (UK, Industry)

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  • Ninnette (United Way)

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  • Abishek (India, Govt, tech)

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  • Nicole Banister

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