About Authentica
Contact Us
About Authentica
Contact Us

Who We Are

We are an academic program provider for expertly curated short-term, experiential learning programs across and beyond Asia.
Our key focus is to advance UN SDGs through education abroad. Our strength lies in providing
regional expertise and opportunities that create meaningful, transformational experiences

VISION

A world enriched with meaningful travel learning experiences.

MISSION

To enrich lives- one person, one community and one amazing learning experience at a time.

Programs

Faculty-led programs are a curated blend of intellectual and cultural experiences based on unique and relevant themes. We collaborate with the faculty to arrange engaging and pertinent company visits, lectures by subject matter experts, and cultural experiences. The program’s goal is to help students achieve faculty-envisioned learning objectives while creating meaningful experiences for themselves. The faculty-led programs can either be available as custom or featured programs, depending upon the requirement of the institution.

Service-learning programs in India engage the students in applying their knowledge and skills to projects that aim to improve community life and advance UN SDGs. The programs are enhanced by interactive workshops, design-thinking activities, hands-on fieldwork, and facilitated reflection sessions. They also enrich the participants’ lives on all four dimensions- physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. The service-learning programs can either be available as custom or featured programs, depending upon the requirement of the institution.

Internships offer meaningful, impactful, and high-quality academic internship projects that boost the employability of students. When the students apply classroom knowledge in real-world situations, they gain a deeper understanding of their subject as well as the local culture. We curate and manage appropriate projects in carefully vetted organizations that are aligned with the institutions’ vision and objectives. The internship programs can either be available as custom or featured programs, depending upon the requirement of the institution

Professional Development Programs provide opportunities for professionals to develop a leadership mindset and a global perspective. It helps them not just be in sync with times but be one step ahead. These programs give the participants exposure to innovative and efficient models that local organizations, governments, and educational institutions use. These immersive experiences inspire them to form new ideas and insights that they can apply to their own work and deliver more efficient and effective outcomes. The professional development programs can be customized to meet the objectives of the institutions.

Services

We provide academic and regional expertise across all our programs and locations.

Content

  • Program Design
  • Academic & Cultural Content Curation
  • Pre-departure Briefing
  • Design + Deliver Cultural & Language Sessions

Logistics

  • Detailed Planning
  • Booking all Program Components
  • Program Delivery
  • Visa Support Where Necessary

Support

  • Vetting Vendors & Host Organizations
  • Create Detailed Risk Management Plans
  • Deliver Safety Briefings
  • 24x7 support

Core Purpose

Our core purpose is to enrich lives. We pursue this by designing and delivering academic programs
that promote holistic growth on the physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual dimensions.

Physical

Wellbeing and Resilience

We preserve & promote participant wellness while building their resilience & adaptability to diverse environments and situations.

Emotional

Joy and Connectedness

We ensure that interactions   with local communities are meaningful and evoke a sense of kinship.

Intellectual

Knowledge and Skills

Our programs not only enhance knowledge but also help build skills and attitudes that will serve students well in their careers   and lives.

Spiritual

Growth and Impact

Our programs strive to broaden perspectives and provide clarity of purpose, fundamentally changing the person from within.

Our Core Values

Excellence

Efficient. Effective. Engaging.

We don’t settle for anything less than excellence. From co-designing to planning
and delivering the programs, we believe in giving our best, so that the students can have enriching and meaningful experiences.

Excitement

Energetic. Creative. Positive.

Positive energy is contagious. Our programs are infused with positivity, enthusiasm and creativity so that our participants can grow holistically and create a positive impact on the world.

Care

Caring. Nurturing. Wellbeing.

We care about our students, communities, partners, and team. We care about quality, health, and safety. We care about growth and impact. That’s why we pay meticulous attention to detail and are always at hand before, during, and after the programs.

Teamwork

Respectful. Trustworthy. Cooperative.

We believe in collaborative design. We work alongside the program directors, faculty members, partners, and communities to design and deliver programs that create meaningful growth.

Open

Honest. Sharing. Empathetic.

We embrace honesty and transparency in our thinking, communication, and execution. We give and take feedback without any judgment, so we can take every opportunity to improve and become better than yesterday.

Continuous Learning

Evolving. Growing. Enhancing

Growth never stops and learning never ends. We are constantly learning about the world outside and the world within to enhance the enrichment delivered by our programs.

Why Authentica?

Authentica is not just another study abroad program provider. Through our experiential learning programs, we deliver growth on all four dimensions: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Our core competency is in providing academic and regional expertise so that the institutions can leverage our networks, knowledge, and years of experience to co-design programs that enable its participants to immerse themselves academically and culturally in a new setting.  

Authentica is also committed to building a sustainable future for the planet. Hence, our academic programs are focused on UN Sustainable Development Goals. As there is less than a decade left to meet the Sustainable Development Goals, Authentica has taken the lead by working alongside its partners, participants, and community members to support the achievement of these goals.

We are:

Responsive

We get back to you quickly, usually within 24 hours.

Collaborative

From students to faculty to program directors to parents, we understand the needs of every stakeholder and incorporate them into our programs.

Service Excellence Oriented

We vet all our suppliers, service providers and host companies personally. It is our responsibility to provide you with the best that the location has to offer.  

We believe in:

Safety Planning and Risk Management

Safety is our priority. We assess the risk for each destination and program and have an agile contingency plan for every possible situation. We mitigate risk with safety measures and programming adjustments. We have a granular risk management protocol that we strictly follow, and we are protected by a comprehensive liability insurance.

Equitable and Ethical Approach

Responsible travel is one of our key tenets. We believe that the experiences and interactions we create should offer value for everyone involved- both the visitor and the host. We work closely with local communities to ensure that we are equitable and respectful in our engagement.

Value for money

We keep our pricing strategically competitive to allow a diverse set of students to experience our programs.

We bring you:

Impactful Content

We do collaborative designing with faculty and program directors to achieve the goals and learning objectives of the institution.

Meaningful Experiences

Our academic programs provide opportunities that create meaningful experiences for our participants, which students thoughtfully reflect on in facilitated reflection sessions.

Enrichment and Fulfillment

We focus on creating enriching and fulfilling experiences that stimulate holistic growth and inspire the participants to create impact.

Meet The Team

Meet our talented and hardworking team, which is committed to providing program participants with the greatest experiences. 

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Ravi Raj

Founder and CEO

Ravi earned his MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. He has worked as a Social Enterprise Consultant at Eastside Consulting in London (UK) & as a strategy consultant with Oliver Wyman in the US. Ravi’s inspiration to start Authentica springs from his belief that authentic human connections in travels should be the norm rather than the exception,

Ravi epitomizes the world ‘globetrotter’ as he has travelled far and wide. When he is not travelling, he likes to spend his time at home cooking and binge-watching Spanish and French movies (with subtitles)! He is also a fitness enthusiast and enjoys running and playing tennis.

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Anitha Ramanna

COO

Anitha earned her Ph.D. in International Studies from Jawaharlal Nehru University and a post-doctoral fellowship from the International Food Policy Research Institute. She is a Fulbright Scholar and was affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley and Harvard University. Anitha believes that education is about learning by doing and is passionate about Authentica’s mission to promote experiential learning.

Along with her extensive teaching and research experience, Anitha enjoys travelling, experiencing new cultures, and creatively designing impactful experiences for students.

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Vedanth Maheshwari

Institutional Relations Manager

Vedanth studied mechanical engineering from Gogte Institute of Technology, Karnataka. He has been associated with Authentica since 2017, where besides work, he also gets to pursue his passion for travelling. Vedanth believes that life must be bigger, better and bolder and travel makes that happen for him.

Vedanth is an active volunteer with Deshpande Foundation’s “LEAD Pranaya” program; he harbours ambitions to serve his country through political leadership.  He was one of a select few chosen to participate in a 15-day, 8000 km rail journey that circumnavigated India, understanding rural and urban challenges and opportunities through inspiring social

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Isha Raturi

Chief Storyteller

Isha has received her master’s degree in mass communication from Symbiosis International University, and her bachelor’s in arts from Miranda House, University of Delhi. With more than a decade of professional experience, Isha has created content across print, radio, TV, and digital mediums. Isha believes that storytelling is a powerful tool to convey a message and create an emotional connection with the target audience.

Isha considers herself a bibliophile and a cinephile. When it comes to the art of storytelling, she draws inspiration from Turkish novelist, Elif Shafak and the late Italian filmmaker, Federico Fellini. Isha is a “weekend cook” and likes to try new recipes from around the world. When not working, she spends her time playing with her 2-year-old son, which is a guaranteed stress buster for her.

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Nikita Gaikwad

Social Media Executive

Nikita is a Mechanical Engineer and a creative individual at heart. She completed her BTech in Mechanical Engineering from the College of Engineering, Pune, in 2019. She worked as a Graduate Engineering Trainee with Greaves Cotton Limited in the After Marketing Business for a while. However, she was always fascinated by digital creativity, which led her to join Ambitech Healthcare, a startup, as a Digital Marketing and E-commerce executive.

Creating videos is her passion! She loves to capture and share the inspiring stories of different startups,she has made 365+ videos so far. she’s a vlogger too – capturing the highlights of her adventures for all to see!

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Mugdha Sawarkar

Operations Manager

Mugdha is a commerce graduate with a diverse professional background. She possesses a problem-solving mindset and a passion for making a positive impact through work. With a career spanning across industries such as Oil and Gas, Certification, Publishing, and EdTech, and having worked in regions like India, the Middle East, and Norway, Mugdha brings a broad perspective and versatile skill set to the table.

Always ready to embrace new challenges and opportunities, Mugdha firmly believes that every problem has a solution waiting to be uncovered. Beyond numbers and strategies, Mugdha finds joy in the world of flavors and culinary creativity, making cooking one of her greatest passions. Additionally, her love for fabric design, where she transforms a blank canvas of fabric into a work of art, is a therapeutic journey for her.

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Pranav Risbud

Account and Finance Manager

Pranav received his bachelor’s degree in commerce from Shivaji University, Kolhapur. He has been working in Pune for 10 years, specializing in the fields of Accounting, Income Tax, Audit and Finance.

Pranav is a foodie at heart and loves to try new cuisines. He loves to travel to the Konkan region in India with his friends, where he enjoys the sandy golden beaches, sparkling waterfalls, and glorious forts.

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Aishwarya Gawade

Senior Program Manager

Aishwarya holds a Master’s degree in Business Administration (Specialization: Marketing and Biotechnology) from Pune University. She was a Teach for India fellow before joining Authentica. She has been a certified Wellness Coach for the past 7 years and believes in living a joyful, balanced life.

As a Wellness Coach, Aishwarya believes in practicing what she teaches. She leads an active and healthy lifestyle. She is also a sports and fitness enthusiast and makes sure to incorporate physical activity into her daily routine. Aishwarya is also an avid stargazer, dancer, and aspiring Italian speaker.

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Siddhanth Waghmare

Program Manager

Siddhanth holds a Master’s degree in finance and has worked across multiple industries (investment advisory, restaurant operations, healthcare operations and real estate, to name a few) in India and the Middle East. He believes in the statement “Seek Discomfort”, as life’s greatest experiences are outside our comfort zones.

Siddhanth has multiple interests and passions. He is passionate about football & admires Cristiano Ronaldo. He enjoys writing for himself and often plays guitar or ukulele. He enjoys petting cats and dogs; you can find more pictures of them than of humans on his phone. He also enjoys photography and makes even the simplest of things look interesting through his captures. Siddhanth likes hiking & aspires to summit Mt. Everest someday.

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Sanket Nikam

Visual Storyteller

Sanket holds a bachelor’s degree in Animation from Dr D.Y. Patil Arts, Commerce & Science College, Pune. He enjoys studying different art forms and taking inspiration from them, but he believes in creating original designs; designs that reflect his unique, authentic style. He refines his craft by consistently practicing it.

Sanket is a fitness enthusiast who prefers to lead a healthy and active lifestyle. He also loves motorcycle riding and enjoys road trips with his friends. A video editor by day, Sanket turns into an otaku (anime fan) by night. 

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Sanhita Gadre

Program Designer & Manager

Sanhita is a passionate instructional designer with over 6 years of experience. She boasts a strong track record in developing engaging and innovative educational materials that empower learners to achieve their goals. In her previous role, Sanhita successfully led curriculum design and management, creating impactful programs for developing entrepreneurial skills.

Sanhita discovers delight in the simple pleasures of doodling, embarking on new adventures, and relishing meals with her family. Her aspirations include exploring the world, achieving a half marathon milestone, and crafting exquisitely detailed portraits.

Partnerships

At Authentica, we believe in working with partners whose ethos matches ours and who are equally invested
in providing an enriching experience to the participants through the programs.

Affiliations

We are associated with organizations that are passionate and dedicated to creating a positive impact on the world through Education Abroad.

Careers

Working at Authentica is many things- it’s challenging, hands-on, creative, inspiring, and transformational… but, it’s never boring.

If you have or are willing to have a growth mindset- an aptitude to learn and grow on the job, this is the right place for you.

Click on the button below to join us now – promise you’ll be enriched by the experience.