OUR TEAM

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dr. S.A. Patil
Ex-Director, IARI, Pusa, New Delhi

An eminent agricultural scientist and educationist, Dr. Patil is Chairman, Karnataka Agriculture Mission. Before joining as Director, IARI, Dr. Patil was the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad (2000- 2006).

Dr. S.A. Patil
Ex-Director, IARI, Pusa, New Delhi
Mr. Sunil Khairnar
Chairman, Indigram Group

20 years of experience in Agri- commodities trading, animal feed husbandry, input sourcing, and consulting services. He founded Indian Agribusiness Systems Pvt. Ltd, Indigram Skill and Knowledge Initiatives Pvt. Ltd, and ISHP.

Mr. Sunil Khairnar
Chairman, Indigram Group
Dr. J.P.S. Dabas
Senior Scientist, IARI, Pusa, New Delhi

He is an eminent Agricultural Scientist, holding various positions in public as well as private institutions like Incharge, Centre for Agricultural Technology Assessment and Transfer (CATAT), IARI, Director-Beej India etc.

Dr. J.P.S. Dabas
Senior Scientist, IARI, Pusa, New Delhi
Mr. Sudarshan Suryawanshi
CEO, FIFA

Co-founder and CEO of FIFA. He has 25 years' of experience in agriculture and rural development and has expertise in community mobilization for forming producer organizations, integrated farming systems, market linkages, supply chains.

Mr. Sudarshan Suryawanshi
CEO, FIFA
Dr. Rajeshwar Matche
Head Food Packaging Tech. & Senior Principal Scientist at CFTRI

An alumnus of IIT- Delhi and Heading Food Packaging Technology as Senior Principal Scientist at Central Food Technology Research Institute, Mysuru. He has vast experience of mentoring & guiding food & Agri value chain entrepreneurs.

Dr. Rajeshwar Matche
Head Food Packaging Tech. & Senior Principal Scientist at CFTRI
Dr. Manisha Acharya
CEO

A combined experience of 20 years in Innovation, Incubation, Startup mentoring, Corp. and Life Sc. Research. And rich experience on TBI sustainability including project funding for incubators as also seed fund support. She is nominated to the Expert Advisory Committee of {i-STED} Prog. of Ministry of Sc. & Tech., Govt of India. She was awarded the prestigious British Chevening.

Dr. Manisha Acharya
CEO
Mr. Ram K.Mudholkar
Co-Founder & Partner at Global BioAg Linkages

As an experienced Business leader with demonstrated history of excellence in the Agriculture input industry. He held key positions in corporate like President at DuPont South Asia in addition to being Business Director Crop Protection, South Asia. He is Co-founder and Partner at BioAg Linkages.

Mr. Ram K.Mudholkar
Co-Founder & Partner at Global BioAg Linkages

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS

Dr. Anita Gupta
Head of NSTEDB @ DST, GOI

Over 25 years + of professional experience in Management of Govt. of India programs on Innovation,Entrepreneurship, Startups and Incubation coupled with research and academic experience at premier Technical institutes . Currently Associate Head ( Innovation and Entrepreneurship) at Department of Science and Technology, Govt. of India.

Dr. Anita Gupta
Head of NSTEDB @ DST, GOI
Dr. R. Raghunandan
Head of CIF, IKP Knowledge Park, Mysuru

More than 2 decades of experience in Tech. Entrepreneurship Development and Business Incubation. Instrumental in establishing and managing two Incubators supported by Dept. of Sc. & Tech., Govt. of India at Noida and Bengaluru. He is currently serving as the Head of CIF project Govt of Karnataka, IKP Knowledge Park.

Dr. R. Raghunandan
Head of CIF, IKP Knowledge Park, Mysuru
Prof. Moni Madaswamy
Ex-Director General, National Informatics Center, GoI

Prof. M. Moni is a well Known Senior Technocrat in the field of Informatics and e-Governance in the Country, having more than 35 years of experience

Prof. Moni Madaswamy
Ex-Director General, National Informatics Center, GoI
Dr. Amol Chandrabhan Goje
Director at VIIT

He has been a member of 'Experts Committee - Technical' of Kumbha Mela - 2003 Nashik, Working group on Agricultural Extension Constituted by Planning Commission Government of India.

Dr. Amol Chandrabhan Goje
Director at VIIT
Advocate Liza Bhansali
Established Businesswoman Mentor,Investor

Advocate. MBM. public speaker, Advisor. Experienced Self-employed with a demonstrated history of working in the civic &social organization industry. Skilled in Nonprofit Organizations, Coaching, Entrepreneurship, Editing, and Team Building.Strong entrepreneurship professional with a Master of Business Management- MBM focused in Business Administration and Management, General from Strathclyde Business School.

Advocate Liza Bhansali
Established Businesswoman Mentor,Investor
Prof. Dinesh Awasthi
Director, EDII, Ahmedabad

He was Former Professor & Director, Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India, Ahmedabad (2003-2015) and Former Professor, Strategic management and Entrepreneurship, IIM, Lucknow

Prof. Dinesh Awasthi
Director, EDII, Ahmedabad
Mr. Pradeep Lokhande
Founder, Rural Relations

He has been working very hard for almost 20 years on his dream - to make the villages of India computer literate. He has personally visited 5,800 villages across the country

Mr. Pradeep Lokhande
Founder, Rural Relations
Dr. Satish Chandra
Ex-Director Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur

Dr. Chandra was a Rockefeller Fellow during doctorate and a Post Doctorate Fellow at IARI and University of Illinois, USA, respectively. An agriculture scientist from green revolution era, he developed wheat varieties, pearl-millet hybrids and chickpea varieties.

Dr. Satish Chandra
Ex-Director Institute of Pulses Research, Kanpur
Mr. Anupam Mathur
Founder Anmol Energy ,Co-Founder Snel Energy

Mr. Anupam has worked in senior management positions in top Corporates like Adani Power Ltd (COO & Head – Renewable Energy), Mytrah Energy Ltd (Business Head – Solar Business) & Suzlon Energy before branching out on his own. He is Founder & MD of Anmol Green Energy.

Mr. Anupam Mathur
Founder Anmol Energy ,Co-Founder Snel Energy
Dr. G.V. Shankar
President & CEO, Global Connect Inc., Canada

He has over 40 years of multi-national experience in the management of industrial enterprises, including the last two decades as an Entrepreneur in Canada.

Dr. G.V. Shankar
President & CEO, Global Connect Inc., Canada
Mr. Miten Mehta
Co-Founder & CIO at Spinta Global Accelerator

Miten Mehta is a Co-Founder of Spinta Global Accelerator, HQ out of Fremont, CA, that delivers “Silicon Valley Co-Acceleration Model‟ for fast growth companies in verticals of HealthTech, Education Tech, FinTech and may more

Mr. Miten Mehta
Co-Founder & CIO at Spinta Global Accelerator
Mr. Adarsh Sharma
CA, ICAI

An Independent Member of Board of Directors of leading companies in India, he has been and is a part of strategy and decision making structures of these companies. An experience of over 25 years in Industry

Mr. Adarsh Sharma
CA, ICAI
Mr. Vaibhav Dange
Advisor to NHAI

Experienced Advisor with a demonstrated history of working in the government administration industry. Strong professional skilled in Sustainable Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Analytical Skills, Team Building, and Market Research.

Mr. Vaibhav Dange
Advisor to NHAI
Dr. Thillai Rajan
Professor, Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras

His teaching and research areas include Corporate Finance, Venture Capital Project and Infrastructure Finance, and Real Options. In 2010, he was awarded a Fulbright Nehru Senior Research Fellowship at the Harvard University.

Dr. Thillai Rajan
Professor, Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras
Mr. Ajay Muttreja
Startup Adviser & Mentor

Mr. Ajay Muttreja served many companies on a broad variety of topics related to strategy, incubation, operations and organization. He has delivered guest lectures at many global and Indian conferences and mentored many young professionals in India and USA.

Mr. Ajay Muttreja
Startup Adviser & Mentor
Prof. G.P. Singh
Member,Board of Director, NDDB

He has 25 years of experience as Scientist in Live Stock Production at Krishi Vigyan Kendra, Mirzapur, Banaras Hindu University. Research areas based on livestock production, MOET, and dairy allied activities etc.

Prof. G.P. Singh
Member,Board of Director, NDDB
Mr. Kamal Khurana
CEO - ISAP

Mr Kamal has been with the group for more than three years. Prior to this , he worked as Asst VP with Reliance Retail Ltd. (a key member in Fruits and Vegetable Vertical), VP - RJ Corps (Unit Head - PEPSI Beverages , followed by Head- Sales & Mktg- Cream Bell Ice cream ), DGM- Dalmia Industries Ltd and Asstt Manager - NDDB ( National Dairy Development Board) including Mother Dairy Kolkata and Mahananda Dairy, Mumbai. By profession an Agricultural Engineer from GB Pant University ,PANTNAGAR and a management graduate from IRMA.

Mr. Kamal Khurana
CEO - ISAP

THE TEAM

Dr. Manisha Acharya
CEO

A combined experience of 20 years in Innovation, Incubation, Startup mentoring, Corp. and Life Sc. Research. And rich experience on TBI sustainability including project funding for incubators as also seed fund support. She is nominated to the Expert Advisory Committee of {i-STED} Prog of Ministry of Sc. & Tech., Govt of India. She was awarded the prestigious British Chevening.

Dr. Manisha Acharya
CEO
Mr. Bidya Nand Jha
Research Associate (Accounts)

B. Com (Hons.) and 15 Years working experience in the accounting sector.

Mr. Bidya Nand Jha
Research Associate (Accounts)
Mr. Ankit Antil
Secretarial Assistant (ICT)

He has done B.Tech in Computer Science & Engg. from DCRSUT, Murthal. He is having 1.2 years of experience in Network Administrator & Security

Mr. Ankit Antil
Secretarial Assistant (ICT)
Mr. Ashish Khetan
President & CIO

He is an MBA (Finance) from FMS Delhi and also an Alumni of Mayo College, Ajmer and has more than 15 years of experience both in entrepreneurship & working with large corporate mainly in Agri. commodity trading, Food Processing & corporate finance with companies like General Electric & Morgan Stanley.

Mr. Ashish Khetan
President & CIO
Ms. Richa Sood
Secretarial Assistant - HR

HR Executive with a demonstrated history of working in the Govt organizations. Strong human resources professional with a PG Diploma focused in Personnel Management & Social Welfare from HP University College of Business Studies, Ava Lodge, Shimla.

Ms. Richa Sood
Secretarial Assistant - HR
Dr. Dinesh Chauhan
Consultant

He is a Ph.D. in Management, MBA in Agribusiness Management, MSc in Food Tech and BSc in Agri. and Animal Husbandry. He is an alumnus of G.B. Pant University of Agri. & Tech., Pantnagar harbinger of the green revolution in India. Published Research paper in various peer-reviewed International Journals for work undertaken in Ethiopia and India.

Dr. Dinesh Chauhan
Consultant
Mr. Shekhar Anand
Research Associate (Incubation)

Recognized as a highly committed professional, Master of Business Administration in Rural Management coupled with Bachelor of Business Administration, offering 2.10 yrs of experience in the field of rural development & dedicated for making a difference in the lives of deprived communities.

Mr. Shekhar Anand
Research Associate (Incubation)
Mr. Vijay Kumar Sahai
CFO

B. Com (Hons.) and 23 Years working experience in accounting, finance, audit, taxation & financial strategy.

Mr. Vijay Kumar Sahai
CFO
Mr. Ranvir Singh
Admin Assistant

He has done post-graduation in political science from Delhi University. He is having 20 years of work experience.

Mr. Ranvir Singh
Admin Assistant

NIDHI ACCELERATOR PROGRAM

Ms. Shruti Aggarwal
Manager (Accelerator)

She is a successful serial entrepreneur & the founder of The Startuplab .She is also working as a Chief Operating Officer at the VC Venture . She help startups by helping them grow , develop business & raise Funds .

Ms. Shruti Aggarwal
Manager (Accelerator)
Mr. Ankur Pateria
Program Manager

Experienced Senior Program Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the non-profit organization management industry. Skilled in Corporate Social Responsibility, Government Communication, Management, Teamwork, and Leadership. Strong program and project management professional graduated from Amity University, Gautam Budh Nagar.

Mr. Ankur Pateria
Program Manager
Mr. Jitender Sharma
Technical Executive

Master of Journalism from Dr.B.R Ambedkar University, Agra. Certified as a Voice Artist from Broadcasting Staff Training Institute (Program) “ALL India RADIO, Agra. “O” Level from DOEACC Society and 12 years’ experience in Community Radio, licensing process, and setting up of Radio stations. Got the National award from Information and Broadcasting Ministry for CRS in 2013. Five years’ working experience in Media and Video Production house.

Mr. Jitender Sharma
Technical Executive
Mr. Jatin Grover
Admin Assistant

He has done his MBA in Marketing and Finance. He has more than twelve years of experience in Skill Development Sector, Sales & Marketing and Hospitality sector.

Mr. Jatin Grover
Admin Assistant

BIRAC's BioNEST

Dr. Saket Chattopadhyay
Manager (BIRAC's BioNEST at ILF)

He is Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and has a PG Diploma in Marketing Management. He has more than 12 years (3 years professional teaching, 3 years international postdoctoral research experience, 5 years as an entrepreneur in Biotech Startup sector, 1 year as Manager (Fundraising) at Indigram Labs Foundation Delhi) of national and international experience in research, teaching, entrepreneurship and creative writing.

Dr. Saket Chattopadhyay
Manager (BIRAC's BioNEST at ILF)

OUR MENTORS

Dr. V. V. Sadamate
Former Adviser Agriculture, Planning Commission

Dr. SADAMATE, was Former Adviser Agriculture, Planning Commission did his PhD from Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI), New Delhi in 1975 &1979 respectively.

Dr. V. V. Sadamate
Former Adviser Agriculture, Planning Commission
Dr. Kumaresh Krishnamoorthy
Otolarynglogist & Healthcare Entrepreneur

Dr. Kumaresh an ENT specialist who is also a healthcare entrepreneur. He is an expert in Otolaryngology with a super specialization in the challenging fields of Head & Neck Surgery and Neurology .

Dr. Kumaresh Krishnamoorthy
Otolarynglogist & Healthcare Entrepreneur
Mr. Gautam Kumar
Founder of FarEye (RoboticWares Pvt. Ltd.)

With strong business acumen, deep industry knowledge and focus on detail he actively designs and implements business strategies and policies to promote the company’s culture and vision. Gautam was named the Social Innovator of India in the year 2011 by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is having wide expertise in public affairs, a regular speaker & participant at industry forums. He has started doing investments into startups and became an advisor to a few more global startups.

Mr. Gautam Kumar
Founder of FarEye (RoboticWares Pvt. Ltd.)
Mr. Shaibal Chatterjee
Rural Marketing Professional at Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals

Shaibal has over 12 years of experience in micro-finance/rural banking, Entrepreneur Development, rural sales & channel management and livelihood generations in various managerial positions.

Mr. Shaibal Chatterjee
Rural Marketing Professional at Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals
Ms. Divya Rajput
IC2 Institute South Asia Connect-Nexus Program Manager

Divya works with the University of Texas (at Austin) to manage their entrepreneurship and incubation training programs from the American Center, New Delhi. She has served as an advisor to the Technology Development Board, GoI handling the agri business portfolio

Ms. Divya Rajput
IC2 Institute South Asia Connect-Nexus Program Manager
Prof. Jai Gopal Sharma
Professor in Department of Biotechnology (Delhi Technological University)

He has completed his Masters in Zoology from the Meerut University and Ph.D. from the University of Delhi. He went to Kyoto University, Japan as a Post-Doctoral Fellow and conducted research in radiation biology. He continued the study in India as a Senior Research Associate (CSIR). Then he joined the Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India as Scientist. He is actively involved in various Department of Biotechnology (Government of India) funded National and International Collaborative projects.

Prof. Jai Gopal Sharma
Professor in Department of Biotechnology (Delhi Technological University)
Prof. Narendra Ahuja
Professor Emeritus at University of Illinois & AI Expert

Narendra Ahuja is an Indian-American computer scientist and the Donald Biggar Willett Professor Emeritus in Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. His research primarily concerns computer vision and pattern recognition

Prof. Narendra Ahuja
Professor Emeritus at University of Illinois & AI Expert
Mr. Sandeep Jain
Strategy Consultant and Leadership Coach

Sandeep being Strategy Consultant and Leadership Coach, helping organisation and people unlock their potential in their transformation journeys, Virtual CFO and CSO, Start-up Investor and Mentor.

Mr. Sandeep Jain
Strategy Consultant and Leadership Coach
Dr. B. K. Sahu
Manager & Head - IPFC& WIPO-TISC, NRDC, GOVT OF INDIA, INNOVATION VALLEY, VISHAKHAPATNAM

With more than 15+ years of experience in Intellectual Property Management, Strategic Technology and Innovation Management, Bringing Inventions to the Markets, Business Intelligence, Science, Technology & Innovation and Public Policy, Technology Transfer and Commercialisation with Expertise in IP/Patent Search & Due diligence, Technology Scouting, IP Portfolio Management, Market Strategies, Mentoring Start-ups & TBIs, Technology Incubation Services, Market Survey, Competitive Intelligence, Technology/IP Valuation and etc.

Dr. B. K. Sahu
Manager & Head - IPFC& WIPO-TISC, NRDC, GOVT OF INDIA, INNOVATION VALLEY, VISHAKHAPATNAM
Mr. Gaurav Vats
Head ICT, M&E at Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals

Gaurav Vats has over 14 years of experience commodities trade research, event management, ICT interventions in agriculture and web-based content development. In ISAP, apart from leading the work on monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

Mr. Gaurav Vats
Head ICT, M&E at Indian Society of Agribusiness Professionals
Mr. Rajneesh Kumar
Chief Operating Officer, IARI Delhi

Rajneesh Kumar is an experienced innovation, incubation and entrepreneurship development professional with a demonstrated history of working in the biotechnology sector

Mr. Rajneesh Kumar
Chief Operating Officer, IARI Delhi
Mr. Tushar Pandey
Advisor – Financial Services & Policy at DeHaat & CISR

He is also an Independent Consultant & Advisor of PPP, Social Equity, and related sectors including Agriculture, Rural Development and Tourism. He is a CSR Partnership Consultant to Australia India Council funded project in Agriculture(Krishi Doot). Earlier, Tushar was a part of Top Management at YES BANK and a Distinguished Fellow at YES Global Institute. Tushar has over 25 years of professional experience with expertise in Public Policy, Governance & Institutional reform, and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP).

Mr. Tushar Pandey
Advisor – Financial Services & Policy at DeHaat & CISR
Dr. P. G. Adsule
Post Harvest Cold Chain Specialist at Asian Development Bank

Dr. Adsule was former Director of National Research Center for Grapes, Pune. He has earlier worked on ADB assignment as International PHM and Supply Chain Specialist in Dhaka for Govt. Of Bangladesh, SCDP, DOE, Dhaka.

Dr. P. G. Adsule
Post Harvest Cold Chain Specialist at Asian Development Bank
Mr. Kamal Khurana
CEO - ISAP

Mr Kamal has been with the group for more than three years. Prior to this , he worked as Asst VP with Reliance Retail Ltd. (a key member in Fruits and Vegetable Vertical), VP - RJ Corps (Unit Head - PEPSI Beverages , followed by Head- Sales & Mktg- Cream Bell Ice cream ), DGM- Dalmia Industries Ltd and Asstt Manager - NDDB ( National Dairy Development Board) including Mother Dairy Kolkata and Mahananda Dairy, Mumbai. By profession an Agricultural Engineer from GB Pant University ,PANTNAGAR and a management graduate from IRMA.

Mr. Kamal Khurana
CEO - ISAP
Prof. Ashutosh Upadhyay
Professor in Department of Food Science and Technology (National Institute of Food Technology)

Young Scientist Award 2007 conferred at Indian Agricultural Scientists and Farmer’s congress - Organized by BIOVED Society Allahabad. Best Science Research Award 2008 – Conferred by M. P. Council of Science and Technology - University Cell MGCGV, Chitrakoot, Satna (MP). Workmanship Appreciated by Cash award for contribution as Head Admission Cell, NIFTEM Village Adoption Program (VAP) Award Outstanding Achievement Award

Prof. Ashutosh Upadhyay
Professor in Department of Food Science and Technology (National Institute of Food Technology)
Dr. Saarthak Bakshi
CEO, International Fertility Centre, New Delhi

Mr. Saarthak Bakshi is a technocrat, a young entrepreneur, a mentor and a social worker. His passion for entrepreneurship led him to quit a comfortable job and start a gaming application enterprise with his friends

Dr. Saarthak Bakshi
CEO, International Fertility Centre, New Delhi
Dr. Shriram Raghavan
Senior Vice President, Jananom (Live Bio-therapeutics Company),Tamil Nadu

Shriram Raghavan has over 2 decades of experience in building 6 start-ups in life sciences and operated in 28 countries. He lends his support to more than 60 startups along the east coast of India and advises many technology incubators. He has a Masters in biochemical engg., M.Phil and Ph.D. in computational systems biology, MBA in international business with a focus on transfer pricing for biotechnology intangibles, and a certified “Key Executive Professional” from HBS Boston, USA.

Dr. Shriram Raghavan
Senior Vice President, Jananom (Live Bio-therapeutics Company),Tamil Nadu
Dr. Anuradha
CEO & Director, Indian Society of Healthcare Professionals

Dr. Anuradha Khairnar is a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners (MRCGP) of the United Kingdom (UK) and holds a Diploma of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Health (DFSRH). She has over 20 years of work experience in healthcare.

Dr. Anuradha
CEO & Director, Indian Society of Healthcare Professionals
Mr. Prakhar
Co-Founder in Adorithm

Mr. Prakhar is a technology evangelist specializing in Machine Learning, Advanced Analytics, Natural Language Processing, and marketing. He has developed extensive analytical expertise in a diverse range of application domains i.e. Retail, Telecom, BFSI, Media, Hospitality, etc. His deep experience on various aspect of business helps in identifying marketing opportunities and converting them into actionable insights for improved data-driven products/ frameworks

Mr. Prakhar
Co-Founder in Adorithm
Mr. Bhaskar Natrajan
CEO, Indian Agribusiness Systems Pvt. Ltd.

Mr. Bhaskar is an Engineer by profession and holds a BE degree from the University of Bombay & MS from the University of Cincinnati. His specialties include Commodity futures & options

Mr. Bhaskar Natrajan
CEO, Indian Agribusiness Systems Pvt. Ltd.
Mr. Sanjay Nagi
Global Consultant

Sanjay Nagi is a global consultant, visionary thinker and global trader. In his 35 years work experience largely into consulting, he has handled diverse sectors and assisted many foreign companies to get into India

Mr. Sanjay Nagi
Global Consultant
Dr. Pankaj Parashar
Founder Director (Cutting Edge Medical Devices Pvt. Ltd.)

Dr. Pankaj Parashar carries an experience of looking at the healthcare industry from close corners and different capacities for more than the last 17 years. He is a rare academic combination; he is a qualified physician with an MBBS degree and for his passion for medical technology, he is also pursuing his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from IIT Delhi and is in his last phase of research.

Dr. Pankaj Parashar
Founder Director (Cutting Edge Medical Devices Pvt. Ltd.)