Neetal Parekh is a lawyer by education, a social innovator through experience, and a storyteller at heart.
She authored best-selling book "51 Questions on Social Entrepreneurship" as an introduction to the evolving discipline of social enterprise, using business models to create social impact.
Neetal collaborated with illustrator Zoe Almon Job to launch the 'Pineapple Friends' children's book series to share ideas of problem solving and social impact with young learners. This fun, joyful, and instructive series with a beloved group of animal friends introduces four-to-eight-year-olds to concepts of design thinking, building a simple version of an idea, and pitching an idea. Each book features an interactive activity and young learners can engage with a fun, 'chat' experience online after reading, to further connect with the Pineapple Friends' characters and practice lessons in the book. An online platform is available to support teachers, schools, and home educators with curriculum ideas, activities, and resources to teach concepts in the books.
Neetal's love of convening and gathering people and ideas around social impact led to the creation of Impactathon® -- a dynamic social impact hackathon event co-convened with partner institutions across sectors and coasts, which has engaged hundreds of aspiring social entrepreneurs over the years. She and her team are also pioneering an on-demand pitch platform, The Good Pitch, to support founders in refining their pitches. An experienced public speaker and workshop facilitator, Neetal has co-created a training program that equips individuals to lead effective facilitation in digital and physical spaces.
Through her work with Innov8social, Neetal has engaged in dynamic leadership growth opportunities including the Tacoma Maritime Innovation Incubator, Startup253 Accelerator, 4.0 Fellowship, Boehm Media Fellowship, New Leaders Council, and Starting Bloc. She graduated from UCLA with a B.A. in Political Science and Specialization in Business and Administration; and completed a J.D. at Chapman University, School of Law.
Neetal's practice in immigration law has underscored the importance of inclusion and highlighted opportunities for integration of technology. She is certified in the emerging field of Conscious Contracts®, which helps people and organizations design agreements to work together in alignment with their mission, values, and communication styles.
In moments of quiet and play, you can find her in nature, spending time with her nephews, family, and friends, or happily listening to an audiobook.
