M.S. Electrical Engineering, University of Houston
30+ years of global technology leadership across industries and continents
Houston resident for over 30 years
The Founder's Story
A mission that started at 15, and never stopped.
Growing up in Hubli, India, Raj Dharamshi was 15 years old when he organized his community's first tree-planting initiative. No nonprofit, no funding model, no scientific methodology — just a teenager who understood instinctively that planting trees was worth doing.
That early experience planted a seed that would take decades to fully bloom. Raj went on to become a technology and sustainability leader with over 30 years of global experience — building digital products and organizations at the intersection of technology, business transformation, and the energy transition. He earned his M.S. from the University of Houston and has led high-performing teams across industries and continents.
But the trees always stayed with him.
Having called Houston home for more than 30 years, Raj has felt the city's generosity — its opportunities, its communities, its friendships. And he has watched, with growing concern, as Houston's flooding worsens, its heat islands intensify, and its biodiversity declines. The city that gave him so much is struggling with environmental challenges that technology alone cannot solve.
Through the Urban Green Initiative, Raj is giving back — combining the systematic thinking of a technology leader with the ecological passion of that 15-year-old in India. He is working with local governments, universities, and civic organizations to introduce Miyawaki urban forests across the Greater Houston area, aligning ecological restoration with climate resilience and community well-being.
The method is Japanese. The science is global. But the mission is deeply, personally Houston.