Raj Vattikuti, an entrepreneur based in Southeast Michigan and his wife Padma established the Vattikuti Foundation, a nonprofit corporation in 1997. The foundation programs are focused on improving the quality of human life in general and of the underprivileged in particular. Its robotic surgery program was started at its flagship institution, Vattikuti Urology Institute (VUI) at the Henry Ford Hospital Detroit, is the birthplace of robotic surgery. The urological robotic surgical procedures were developed VUI. Subsequently, the Foundation established a network of academic robotic surgery institutes globally by partnering with well-known hospital systems in the United States, Europe, United Kingdom and India. Through its network of institutions, the foundation is creating new knowledge, training high quality of surgical manpower to improve overall patient outcomes. The foundation is involved in rural Karnataka and Northeastern part of India through its poverty alleviation program leveraging technology. Vattikuti Foundation also supported the cause of archival and preservation of Indian art and culture by supporting various museums in the United States. The current focus of the foundation is surgical education, development and dissemination of cost-effective surgical technology and rural livelihood programs.