Our Team

Ananth Aravamudan|

Sector Lead, Climate Action

Ananth leads Villgro's Climate Action practice. His career spans over two decades of technology development, product R&D and most recently, deployments of technology-driven social impact programs. Ananth was one of the chief architects responsible for the creation of the SELCO Foundation which looks into the use of renewable energy and sustainable technologies in the fields of education, agriculture and livelihood generation. Ananth has an Engineering degree from Bangalore University and was a fellow with Said Business School, University of Oxford.

Jenaan Lilani Bhargava|

Chief Operating Officer

Jenaan looks after Villgro's operations and also leads the organization's Diversity & Inclusion, Impact Measurement & Learning and Program Partnerships efforts. She has over a decade of experience in strengthening small to medium-sized NGOs, CSR advisory, and women's health. She holds an M.A. in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), UK.

Jenaan is happiest when she is reading to her daughter, surrounded by stationery while drawing, or watching a game of cricket.

Srinivas Ramanujam|

CEO

Srinivas has over two decades of experience in brand management and strategy spanning across various sectors. At Villgro, he began his journey as an advisor to one of our incubatees - Flybird Innovations. Prior to this, at Mahindra & Mahindra, he helped incubate business concepts across the auto and farm sectors. He serves as an Executive Steering Committee Member at Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs. Additionally, he volunteers as a Committee member for Startup Showcase at Startup India and as a Technical Expert for BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council). An IIM Calcutta Alumnus, he is passionate about social entrepreneurship and for-profit models that are innovative, scalable, and financially self-sustaining.

Anshu Raina|

Senior Analyst - Healthcare (SRH)

Anshu is a Senior Analyst - a part of the Health Team at Villgro. Prior to this, she worked as a Program Officer at Foundation for Innovation and Technology Transfer, IIT-Delhi and as a Management Intern at DBT-BIRAC where she worked in Make In India Biotechnology Facilitation Cell and also assisted with the Biotechnology Ignition Grant program. Apart from her incubation experience, Anshu has exposure to diagnostics and research. She has worked on various neurobiology and developmental biology projects at NCCS, Pune in collaboration with CSIR-NCL Pune and published her research. She has also worked as an Application Manager in the Immunology Division of Jain Diagnostics Pvt Ltd, Delhi. She holds an M.Tech in Biotechnology from D Y Patil University, Mumbai.

Akshata Surej|

Manager, Ecosystem Development

She has previously worked with the India Development Foundation of Overseas Indians, Ministry of External Affairs, and the UN Women, where her work involved communications and programme management. She has a Bachelors and Masters degree in Philosophy from the University of Delhi. In her free time, Akshata enjoys listening to music as she takes on dessert experiments!

Ananth Aravamudan|

Sector Lead, Climate Action

Ananth leads Villgro's Climate Action practice. His career spans over two decades of technology development, product R&D and most recently, deployments of technology-driven social impact programs. Ananth was one of the chief architects responsible for the creation of the SELCO Foundation which looks into the use of renewable energy and sustainable technologies in the fields of education, agriculture and livelihood generation. Ananth has an Engineering degree from Bangalore University and was a fellow with Said Business School, University of Oxford.

Anubha Sharma|

Manager, Diversity & Inclusion

Anubha supports social entrepreneurs at Villgro in building gender-inclusive business strategies across their value chains. She is a development professional with prior experience in micro enterprises at Kudumbashree – National Resource Organization and has worked with 12 states across India to promote entrepreneurship amongst women’s community networks in rural areas. She also serves as a board member of Vitamin Angels, India. She holds a Master’s degree in Women’s Studies from Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai and is an alumnus of Initiatives of change (IofC), Switzerland. She is an avid dancer, likes to paint and tries her hand at poetry in her free time.

Devansh Peshin|

Manager, Program Partnerships

Deshna Suryanarayan|

Analyst - Climate Action

Deshna is a graduate of B.A. (Hons) in Public Administration with a Diploma in Liberal Studies, encompassing strong academic research. Her passion for social impact led her to gain two years of experience in the development sector through a fellowship with Goonj, and by interning with organizations such as the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA), Working Group for Women and Land Ownership (WGWLO), Aga Khan Rural Support Program India (AKRSPI) and Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN). During her 6-month long internship with AVPN, she helped develop a platform to empower young impact leaders in Asia and supported 100+ women-led enterprises across five regions of Asia through a capacity-building program. Her interest in impact investing led her to work with Villgro as an Analyst in the Climate Action Team. In her free time, Deshna loves to volunteer for social causes, learn new languages on Duolingo, and bicycle her way around a city.

Gowtham Sundara Raju|

Manager, Climate Action

Gowtham works as an Analyst with Villgro’s Climate Action practice. Prior to this, he worked with the founding team of Teach For India, Bengaluru as the Alumni Impact and Fundraising Associate. He was also a Teach for India Fellow at an Affordable Private School in Hyderabad and has also been with Infosys as a Systems Engineer. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Engineering from Amrita School of Engineering, Coimbatore.

Harish BG|

Manager, Healthcare (Incubation)

Harish is an Incubation Manager (Health) at Villgro. Previously, he was the Program Coordinator for the BIRAC SPARSH program at Atal Incubation Center – CCMB, Hyderabad, one of the leading AICs in the country. Prior to this, he worked as the Associate Manager - Programs at DERBI, Bangalore where he coordinated the execution of the NIDHI-Accelerator program. He also has experience in business development and lab infrastructure management during his stint at Vipragen Biosciences and Bangalore Bioinnovation Center respectively. Harish has a BE in Biotechnology from Sir M Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology, Bangalore. 

Heera Jayachandran|

Head, Technology Platforms

Heera heads the Technology program at Villgro, she manages the IT portfolio, internal systems, products, websites and also enables process management. She has over a decade of experience in the IT industry having worked with Cognizant Technology Solutions and subsequently moving into the consulting space, working with start-ups helping them to manage their tech program, enabling them to focus on their core business areas effectively. Heera has a Masters degree in Computer Applications from Madras University.

Jameela Ahmed|

Associate, Ecosystem Development

Jenaan Lilani Bhargava|

Chief Operating Officer

Jenaan looks after Villgro's operations and also leads the organization's Diversity & Inclusion, Impact Measurement & Learning and Program Partnerships efforts. She has over a decade of experience in strengthening small to medium-sized NGOs, CSR advisory, and women's health. She holds an M.A. in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), UK.

Jenaan is happiest when she is reading to her daughter, surrounded by stationery while drawing, or watching a game of cricket.

Kalyani Krishna|

Analyst, Diversity & Inclusion

An environmental engineer by qualification, Kalyani's passion for impactful work started with the TeachforIndia Fellowship. Post the fellowship, she briefly worked in the education space, before shifting gears to the startup & incubation ecosystem. She has 6 years of experience in content development & program management. She has closely worked with tech & social innovators of IITMs Rural Technology Business Incubator for 2.5 years before moving to work at TANSIM(StartupTN) (Tamilnadu's State nodal agency for entrepreneurship). During her free time, Kalyani loves to read-particularly fictional & mythology, brush up on dance lessons and learn to master mandala art.

Krati Airan|

Consultant, Analyst - Climate Action

Krithika Ramesh

Consultant - Analyst, Agribusiness

Krithika works as a Consultant - Analyst with the Agribusiness Team. Her interest in working with Agri startups brings her to Villgro. Prior to this, she worked with EY GDS as an Assurance Associate and was involved in various processes of conducting Financial Statement audits. She holds a Bachelors's degree in Commerce from Ethiraj College.

Maithili Rege|

Associate Sector Lead, Agriculture

Maithili manages the Villgro Agribusiness portfolio and investments. She has 6 years of experience in the FMCG, heavy industry and social sectors. She has worked with Hindustan Unilever and the Essar group. Following her passion for the social impact space, she joined Saahas Zero Waste, a socio-environmental start-up. She holds a BA in Economics (Hons) from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai, and an MBA from IIM Ahmedabad.

Mohammad Azhar|

Lead, Government and Public Sector Initiatives

Azhar leads the Government and Public Sector Initiatives & Incubating Incubators program at Villgro. He is a development professional with experience in investing in 137 social startups and 486 micro-rural businesses. He is an Advisor and part of the Executive Committee in some of the Indian-based incubators. Previously he has worked with the Government of India & the UK Government in multiple development projects focussing on entrepreneurship & financial inclusion.

Murugan. M

Senior Executive, Accounts & Administration

Murugan’s work involves managing the office’s requirements, logistics and implementing administrative tasks.

Parul Rana|

Senior Associate, Impact Measurement and Learning

Parul comes from a social innovation and economics background. She holds a Masters in Sustainable Development Practices from TERI University, Delhi and Masters in Public Policy and Human Development from Maastricht University (UNU- MERIT), The Netherlands. Prior to joining Villgro, Parul worked as a Senior Associate- Research in Haqdarshak Empowerment Solutions where she was contributing towards 'measuring the impact of government interventions targeted towards vulnerable communities across North India'. Over the years she has worked extensively across 10 states to create livelihood opportunities for vulnerable communities on the ground.

Prashanth Jhalla|

Manager, Finance

Prashanth has 6 years of experience in the NGO sector. He previously worked with Sense International India as a Manager - Finance and TB Alert India as Finance & Administration Officer. In his free time he enjoys watching cricket and playing chess.

Pratim Raha|

Manager, Climate Action

Pratim has almost six years of experience in the development sector in the energy access space. His key area of interest lies in the intersection of innovation energy & entrepreneurship. Prior to this, at SELCO Foundation, he was involved in R&D of decentralised renewable energy-based technology and business models for a variety of applications including livelihood. He is an Engineer and holds a Masters degree in Public Systems Management with Energy specialisation from Indian Institute of Social Welfare & Business Management (IISWBM), Kolkata.

Rohang Mishal|

Senior Associate, Ecosystem Development

Dr Roshan Yedery|

Sector Lead, Healthcare

Shashikanth Subramanya|

Manager - Partnerships, Climate Action

Shashikanth has ten years of experience in the impact and business development sector. His key area of interest lies in the intersection of entrepreneurship and rural livelihood generation. Prior to this, at S3IDF, he was involved in managing the Agri portfolio, incubating Farmer Producer Companies from various agro-climatic zones of Karnataka. He is an Industrial Engineer and an avid birder. He is also a part of the hobby birding group in Bangalore called “Hakki Pukka Bird Conservation Network” which conducts Bird Festivals in rural government schools.

Shailesh Kumar|

Analyst, Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS)

Sowmiya Santhanam|

Accounts Executive, Finance

Sonal Raj|

Senior Analyst - Healthcare (SRH)

Sonal is a part of the Healthcare team at Villgro and works on the portfolio for startups in Sexual and Reproductive Health. She has previously worked in program design and impact consulting with Sattva and Consult for Humanity. Prior to that, she worked in analytics and pharmaceutical market research with ZS Associates. She is a management graduate from St, Xavier’s College, Mumbai with a keen interest in social impact and last-mile innovations.

Sreejith Narayanan|

Senior Manager, Climate Action

Sreejith is an experienced professional in the Climate Action space and oversees the Powering Livelihoods Program at Villgro. He possesses expertise in decentralised renewable energy solutions — accrediting to his 12-year experience in the renewable energy sector and 2 years in the software industry! Previously he has provided functional support to start-ups in the energy sector, and energy management consultancy to small scale livelihood enterprises. His interests lie in Energy Management, Social Entrepreneurship, Project Management, Solar PV and Energy Storage!

Srinivas Ramanujam|

CEO

Srinivas has over two decades of experience in brand management and strategy spanning across various sectors. At Villgro, he began his journey as an advisor to one of our incubatees - Flybird Innovations. Prior to this, at Mahindra & Mahindra, he helped incubate business concepts across the auto and farm sectors. He serves as an Executive Steering Committee Member at Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs. Additionally, he volunteers as a Committee member for Startup Showcase at Startup India and as a Technical Expert for BIRAC (Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council). An IIM Calcutta Alumnus, he is passionate about social entrepreneurship and for-profit models that are innovative, scalable, and financially self-sustaining.

Vibha Sharma Tilwalli|

Lead, Impact Financing

Vibha is a Chartered Accountant and has passed CFA Level III from CFA Institute USA. She has a diverse set of work experiences - working with MNCs - the likes of British Gas, Schlumberger and social organizations such as - FWWB, Unltd India and KFI Valley School. She is passionate about social impact, incubation & investing and is excited about the endless possibilities social innovations harbour to create social impact. In her free time, Vibha binge watches television romcoms, indulges in cooking, walks and spends time with her daughters. She is an animal lover and loves gardening!

V Vigneshwaran

Senior Executive, Administration

Vignesh’s work involves managing the office’s requirements, logistics and implementing administrative tasks. He has more than 6 years of experience in HR & Admin. He holds an MBA from the University of Madras.