For Akhtar Badshah, M.I.T. was never part of the plan. He applied, figuring what did he have to lose. As he describe's it, he won the lottery, he met his wife, and he went on to live in Seattle. That's where he joined forces with Microsoft as the Senior Director of Microsoft Citizenship and Public Affairs. Now he serves as the founder and Chief Catalyst for the the Catalytic Innovators Group, a new consulting practice focused on accelerating social impact through catalytic innovation.