Amar C. Bakshi
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
CCC’s entrepreneur-in-residence, Amar C. Bakshi, founded Shared_Studios, a social impact company connecting people across distance and difference as if in the same room via life-size audiovisual environments called Portals. Over half a million people have used Portals in 100 locations across 30 countries. These installations exist in a variety of locations, from refugee camps to public parks, and have been set up in partnership with institutions such as the United Nations, the Smithsonian, and Google. Portals have garnered significant media attention (including a PBS documentary) and attracted the participation of leaders including Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Malala Yousafzai. Bakshi also helped launch the Portals Policing Project with Yale and Johns Hopkins researchers, collecting the most extensive first-hand accounts on policing across America. Additionally, he worked with the UN Museum and Cortico to host and analyze the world’s largest ever recorded climate action conversation.
Amar is also the founder of Whose Metaverse, a nonprofit advancing digital equity through accessible creator tools and an immersive learning platform. Bakshi’s artistic work has been exhibited at institutions including the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum and the Yale University Art Gallery. He previously reported for the Washington Post across twelve countries, launched CNN’s international analysis site, and worked as Special Assistant to the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations.
Amar holds an AB from Harvard University, an MA in international economics from Johns Hopkins SAIS, and a JD from Yale Law School. A Truman Fellow and a Soros Scholar, he resides in Brooklyn.
