Our Team

We are a young, energetic team and we are relentless about achieving our mission.

Board of Directors
Leadership Team
Team

R. Ramaraj

R.Ramaraj is a serial entrepreneur who has been involved in ventures in IT, cellular and Internet. His last venture was Sify, where he was the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer.Sify was the first Indian Internet Company from India to list on NASDAQ National Market in the US (NASDAQ –SIFY).He was recognized as the ‘Evangelist of the Year’ at the India Internet World Convention in September2000 and was also voted the IT Person of the year 2000 and in 2001, in a CNET.com poll in India.

Shalini Lal

Shalini Lal|

Shalini works in the area of innovation and change and runs a consulting firm Infinity OD, that focuses on developing innovation as a competence. In a career spanning about 25 years, she has worked with both Indian and global organizations specializing in organizational development and change. She has a PhD in Organizational Change from UCLA and a PGDM from IIM Ahmedabad. Before becoming an entrepreneur she was the Director HR at Deutsche Bank and CHRO at Escorts Agri-Machinery.

Ashwin Mahalingam

Ashwin is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at IIT-Madras. Ashwin has been involved with entrepreneurship and social enterprises for over a decade now, starting his journey with helping kick-off an internet-based company in Silicon Valley in the late 1990s. He is also on the board of the Center for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship at IIT-Madras, and is a co-founder of Okapi Research and Advisory.

Kannan Lakshminarayan

Kannan Lakshminarayan|

Kannan has a track record of successful development and commercialization of customized solutions in the domain of electro-mechanical engineering, particularly for ones that are price-sensitive and demand high reliability. He has founded a number of for-profit and not-for-profit entities such as Sunbeam group of schools, Vortex Engineering, Centroid Design, Fractal Foundation, Microspin Machine Works and Skillveri Training Solutions.

Dimple Gujral

Dimple Gujral|

Dimple, a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years of professional experience, was a founder staff member of Teach For India and spent nearly a decade there as CFO. She is also a founder partner of Tatha Partners, a firm that is passionate about creating and implementing sustainable and enduring systems for startups and social enterprises. Dimple is an independent consultant to many NGOs including ISLI, Atma etc. Prior to TFI, Dimple worked in the Travel and Logistics industry in organisations like Cleartrip.com, Kuoni Travel (Indi)Pvt. Ltd, FedEx etc.

Bharti Gupta Ramola

Bharti Gupta Ramola|

Bharti Gupta Ramola was a partner at PwC during 1992-2017. She co-promoted the Basix group of Social Enterprises. She currently serves on the Boards of HDFC Life Insurance Company Ltd, SRF Ltd and Feedback Infrastructure Pvt Ltd. She is also a part of the governing body of the Lady Shriram College and Advisory Council of Transform Rural India (a Tata Trust initiative).

Srinivas Ramanujam

CEO

Srinivas Ramanujam|

CEO

Srinivas is an IIM Calcutta Alumnus. He is known for his ability to wear multiple hats at work, with nearly two decades of experience, he has dabbled in sales, marketing, brand management and strategy across retail finance, consumer goods, automotive, farm equipment and agri-input sectors. At Villgro, he began his journey as an advisor to one of our incubatees- Flybird Innovations. Prior to this, at Mahindra & Mahindra, as an intrapreneur, he helped incubate business concepts across the auto and farm sectors. He is also the India Steering Committee Member at Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs.

Ananth Aravamudan

Senior Advisor & Practice Lead, Energy

Ananth Aravamudan|

Senior Advisor & Practice Lead, Energy

Ananth leads Villgro's Energy 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

Head - Operations and Diversity & Inclusion

Jenaan Lilani Bhargava|

Head - Operations and Diversity & Inclusion

Jenaan looks after Villgro's operations and also leads the organization's Diversity & Inclusion 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.

Shankha Lahiri

Manager - Energy Practice

Shankha Lahiri|

Manager - Energy Practice

Shankha manages Villgro’s Energy investments and portfolio. Prior to this, he worked in the energy vertical of the Development Alternatives Group where he was responsible for project management and operations of the renewable energy projects. He has been involved in business development and market linkage for micro-enterprises operating in rural India. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from W.B.U.T and a Masters degree in Energy Management from I.I.S.W.B.M, Calcutta University.

Gowtham Sundara Raju

Analyst - Renewable Energy Business

Gowtham Sundara Raju|

Analyst - Renewable Energy Business

Gowtham works as an Analyst with Villgro’s Energy 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.

Pratim Raha

Senior Analyst - Energy

Pratim Raha|

Senior Analyst - Energy

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.

Mohammad Azhar

Program Lead - INVENT

Mohammad Azhar|

Program Lead - INVENT

Azhar leads the Incubating Incubators and INVENT program at Villgro. He is a development professional with an experience of investments in more than 150 social businesses. He is an Advisor and part of the investment committee for INVENT incubators, RKVY Raftaar, and AIC incubators. Previously he worked with the Government of India & UK Government in multiple development projects focussing on MFIs & Banks. He has also incubated and invested in 500+ women micro-entrepreneurs. He has an MBA degree in Rural Management from Amity Business School, Noida

Anubha Sharma

Senior Analyst - Gender Inclusion

Anubha Sharma|

Senior Analyst - Gender 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.

Heera Jayachandran

Head - Technology Platforms

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.

Tanuja Kate

Manager - Monitoring & Evaluation

Tanuja Kate|

Manager - Monitoring & Evaluation

At Villgro, Tanuja ensures incubatee success by monitoring and evaluating the impact of Villgro and its portfolio companies, as well as managing the Technical Assistance & Mentoring programmes. She has previously worked as a consultant data analyst in the UK, and prior to that worked on behavioural research with several social and legal research NGOs in Mumbai. She has a Bachelor of Arts from Mumbai University and an MSc in Social Cognition from University College London.

Swetha Tipparaju

Senior Associate - Program Partnerships

Swetha Tipparaju|

Senior Associate - Program Partnerships

Swetha previously worked as a Gandhi Fellow in Sujangarh, Churu in the ‘School Leadership Development Program’. She has also worked with KPMG as a Risk Analyst. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from SCMS, Pune.

Shaikh Tariq Mobin

Manager - Accelerator Programs

Shaikh Tariq Mobin|

Manager - Accelerator Programs

Tariq looks after the YES Scale Accelerator Program at Villgro. He started his career as an Analyst at Tracxn, where he helped investors understand the Healthcare and Education ecosystem in India. He also co-founded Prodios, a cloud-based monitoring, and evaluation system for CSRs. He holds a Masters degree in Mechatronics and Automation Engineering and a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from NIT Rourkela.

Shyam Vembar

Senior Advisor and Practice Lead,Agriculture

Shyam Vembar|

Senior Advisor and Practice Lead,Agriculture

An MBA from IIM Calcutta and a B.Tech from NIT Trichy, Shyam is an independent Strategy and Management Consultant focussed on the FMCG and Agribusiness Sectors. Allied with his consulting practice, he is also an Executive Coach specialising at the C-level and Function / Business Head levels. Prior to starting his independent consulting practice, he was a globally experienced business leader with diverse commercial operations and strategic management roles across industries, geographies and countries. He has held global leadership roles in Business / Commercial Operations, Strategy and Marketing cutting across the Consumer Goods and Agri Sectors in companies such as Unilever, Monsanto and the Mahindra Group. Experienced in Mergers and Acquisitions. He is an alumnus of Executive/ Leadership Development Programs at Harvard, Yale, Cornell and IMD and is a member of MENSA, the International High IQ Society

Maithili Rege

Manager - Agribusiness Incubation & Investment

Maithili Rege|

Manager - Agribusiness Incubation & Investment

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.

Mehal Poddar

Analyst - Agribusiness Practice

Mehal Poddar|

Analyst - Agribusiness Practice

Mehal works with the Agribusiness team as an Analyst at Villgro. Prior to this, she was associated with various philanthropic organizations like The Aasman Foundation and ‘Help us Help them’. Mehal holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from St Xavier’s College, Kolkata.

Anusha Kamath

Manager - Health Incubation & Investment

Anusha Kamath|

Manager - Health Incubation & Investment

Anusha manages the Health investments and portfolio at Villgro. She is a startup enthusiast with experience in Operations, Finance and Marketing. Previously she worked with Mumbai Angels Network where she handled their Growth Capital Investments; as a Program Manager with Cultiv8 she managed their Accelerator and Incubator cohorts. She dabbled with entrepreneurship for some time working on Financial Advisory. Anusha holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science Engineering and Post Graduate in Business Management from XLRI, Jamshedpur.

Seraphina Selvanayakom

Analyst - Health Practice

Seraphina Selvanayakom|

Analyst - Health Practice

Prior to this, she interned with non-profits such as The Banyan and the IC Centre for Governance. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Christ University, Bangalore and a Masters in Social Work from Madras School of Social Work.

Malavika Ravi

Senior Associate - Partnerships

Malavika Ravi |

Senior Associate - Partnerships

Malavika has previously worked in organisations within governance, economic development and gender, where her work involved grantmaking, impact evaluation, campaign management and data analysis. She has a Masters degree in Development Studies from the Institute of Development Studies, University of Sussex, and a Bachelors in International Relations from Symbiosis International University.

Akshata Surej

Associate - Marketing

Akshata Surej|

Associate - Marketing

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!

Prashanth Jhalla

Manager - Finance

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.

Malathy S

Senior Executive - Accounts

Malathy S

Senior Executive - Accounts

Malathy manages the accounts and admin related responsibilities at Villgro. She has two years of experience in Accounts and Finance (CBIGS Group Of Companies) and one year in Scout Business Service (ICICI Bank LTD). She holds an M.B.A degree in Finance from Madras University

V Vigneshwaran

Senior Executive - Administration

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.

Murugan. M

Senior Executive - Accounts & Administration

Murugan. M

Senior Executive - Accounts & Administration

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

Our Team

R. Ramaraj

Shalini Lal

Ashwin Mahalingam

Kannan Lakshminarayan

Dimple Gujral

Bharti Gupta Ramola

Srinivas Ramanujam

Ananth Aravamudan

Jenaan Lilani Bhargava

Shankha Lahiri

Gowtham Sundara Raju

Pratim Raha

Mohammad Azhar

Anubha Sharma

Heera Jayachandran

Tanuja Kate

Swetha Tipparaju

Shaikh Tariq Mobin

Shyam Vembar

Maithili Rege

Mehal Poddar

Anusha Kamath

Seraphina Selvanayakom

Malavika Ravi

Akshata Surej

Prashanth Jhalla

Malathy S

V Vigneshwaran

Murugan. M

Team Villgro