OUR STORY
How one Indian American family turns its own experience into opportunity for others.
Rao Remala grew up in rural Southeastern India, in a small village with limited health and education infrastructure, no electricity, no running water, and no sanitation system. Despite hardships, he proved to be an exceptional student—especially in math and science. Rao went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering, followed by a master’s degree in computer science from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology in Kanpur.
Not long after graduation, opportunity struck: In 1981, Rao, his wife Satya, and their young daughter picked up their lives and moved to the U.S. when Rao accepted a job at Microsoft. Rao became the company’s first South Asian hire and one of its first 50 employees, working alongside Bill Gates and other familiar figures from early Microsoft lore, playing a central role in the creation of Windows.
Soon after the family arrived in Washington, they welcomed a second daughter and Satya set about navigating the challenges of raising a family in a new culture. She immersed herself in the girls’ activities, making sure they had the best possible experience both in and out of school.
“We wouldn’t be where we are today without the help of a lot of people along the way.”
— Rao Remala
After decades of success, Rao has not forgotten his roots. Filled with deep gratitude for their good fortune, he and his family have dedicated themselves to creating opportunities for people who need help most.
The couple established the Satya & Rao Remala Foundation in 1998, inspired both by Rao’s humble beginnings and by Satya’s parents, who had long served their own community in the family’s Eluru, India, home. Over time, Rao and Satya’s daughters, Srilakshmi and Srilata, joined them in leading the Foundation’s focus on education and health, applying their own professional backgrounds to the Foundation’s grantmaking.
Today, the Remala Foundation works to break generational cycles of poverty by supporting educational opportunities and access to healthcare, primarily in India and Washington state.
The Satya & Rao Remala Foundation are lifting up communities through a wide range of programs that provide direct service to underserved populations as well as those who strive to achieve lasting change to the systems that shape people’s lives.