February 01, 2004

Bal Krishna Joshi ‘95

2003
Bal Krishna Joshi is the founder of Thamel.com, a Web site and business that enables expatriate Nepali to purchase gifts and arrange for their delivery within Nepal. The employee-owned company, which currently employs 40 people, helps sustain the ties of far-flung friends and family and has contributed greatly to the economy of Joshi’s native country.

Bal Krishna Joshi is the founder of Thamel.com, a Web site and business that enables expatriate Nepali to purchase gifts and arrange for their delivery within Nepal. The employee-owned company, which currently employs 40 people, helps sustain the ties of far-flung friends and family and has contributed greatly to the economy of Joshi’s native country.

After graduating from Lewis & Clark College with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, Joshi returned to Nepal where he spent seven months selling beverages from a pushcart. He soon focused his entrepreneurial efforts to establish the first computerized lottery endorsed by the state. When the lottery closed down for political reasons, he created a new opportunity by establishing the Web-based gift service that has become Thamel.com. Named for the street in Kathmandu that serves as the hub of local commerce, Thamel.com operates as an electronic conduit for business vendors in Nepal.