News & Events

Aneesh Dhawan ’16 got the idea for his company, Purpics, after a trip to do public health work in Haiti as a Global Health Fellow in Norfolk Academy’s Batten Leadership Program.

Dhawan was recently spotlighted in an article for UVA Today, as he and his business partner, Victor Layne, announced the completion of a $750,000 investment led by Felton Group, LLC, the family office of UVA McIntire School of Commerce alumnus Jaffray Woodriff, who recently made the largest private gift in UVA’s history.
 
PurPics, a name that stands for “Pictures with Purpose,” uses a web app to connect Instagram users with businesses to raise money for non-profit organizations; PurPics makes money from brands that pay a subscription fee to use the company’s software.

“This funding brings us one step closer to achieving our long-term vision: empowering Gen Z-ers to raise money for the causes they care about, while helping brands understand and engage this next generation of consumers,” Dhawan said in the article.

Read the full article in UVA Today, check out the company's website, and follow PurPics on Instagram.