Advisors

Hemendra has over 25 years of experience in venture capital, private equity, management consulting, and investment banking. Hemendra in his career has invested in several early-stage agritech and mid-sized companies in the agricultural supply chain. He is an investor, board member, and adviser in many food and agritech start-ups working on innovations in areas such as agri-inputs, market linkages, mechanization, food nutrition, and value chain financing. He is currently working as Venture Partner with Bharat Innovation Fund –investing in early-stage deep-tech start-ups across sectors. Hemendra is the co-founder of ThinkAg – a platform for accelerating the adoption of innovations in the agriculture space. He is the Chairman of the FICCI Task Force on Agri Start-ups. He is also an advisor to a few Foundations, Multilaterals, Corporates, and Funds with an interest in investing the Indian agri startups and SMEs. He has authored many papers on the subject and speaks regularly at conferences pertaining to the food and agribusiness sector as well as the start-up ecosystem. He is a management graduate from IIM (Ahmedabad) and Agricultural Engineer from Rajasthan Agricultural University.

Hemendra Mathur

Venture Partner, Bharat Innovation Fund

Arindom Datta recently was the Executive Director & Head, Rural and Development Banking/Advisory, at Rabobank India and has over 28 years of experience in Rural Finance, Cooperative, Microfinance, and Agribusiness banking. He’s overseen development finance projects in blended finance, technology/innovation, and access to finance in the agriculture sector. Passionate about the intersection of Agtech developments and its significance for smallholder farmers - Arindom previously worked with NABARD, IDBI Bank, and CAR.

Arindom Datta

Senior Adviser, Agri & Fintech

Aruna is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad) and has over 30 years of entrepreneurial and senior management experience in the food, agriculture, and retail sector. She won the “Outstanding Women Entrepreneur” award in 2002, presented by the Chief Minister of Tamilnadu. Since 2013, she is developing the organizational capabilities of the India Foundation for Humanistic Development (IFHD) and Sneha Kunja Trust to design and implement transformational programs in greening economies, sustainable consumption and production, strengthening small farmer producer collectives and women self-help groups on sustainable agriculture in rural India. Aruna is listed globally among the 50 Most Impactful Green Leaders by the World CSR & World Sustainability Organisation in 2017 and was awarded for her impactful work with small farmers in 2018 by the Indo-Arab Chamber of Commerce.

Aruna Rangachar Pohl

Agri Value Chain and FPO Expert, IFHD

Yugal Joshi is Director, National Jal Jeevan Mission in the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Ministry of Jal Shakti. Previously, he was Director, IEC, Swachh Bharat Mission for 5 years, and Director, Railway Protection Force before that. He has been instrumental in bringing impactful information, education and communication (IEC) interventions for behavior change among rural Indians for toilet usage. He is a recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration (2018), Indian Police Medal (2020) and the National Award for Outstanding Performance by Ministry of Railways (2014).

Yugal Kishore Joshi

Director, Jal Jeevan Mission

Prof Asit K. Biswas

Renowned Water Expert

“At DCM Shriram we have always been deeply invested in the agricultural economy, and recognize the crucial role water plays. We firmly believe that water, as a symbol of life, deserves our utmost care and attention. That's why we have placed water in agriculture at the forefront of our philanthropic efforts through the DCM Shriram Foundation. We eagerly await the innovative solutions that will emerge from the DCM Shriram Agwater Challenge. We expect these solutions to address the challenges faced in this sector and ultimately improve the lives of smallholder farmers.”

- Mr Ajay S Shriram, Chairman & Managing Director, DCM Shriram Ltd.

Core Partner

Aman Pannu is responsible for leading the initiatives of the DCM Shriram Foundation,which is the philanthropic division of DCM Shriram Ltd. Within the Foundation,her primary focus areas are Water in Agriculture and Holistic Development.Collaborating with a team of professionals and subject matter experts, she strivesto make a positive impact in these areas.Aman Pannu holds a degree in Mass Communication from the Symbiosis Institute ofMass Communications, Pune (SIMC) and boasts an extensive work experience ofover 24 years in the field of Communications. Her journey in the developmentthe sector began as the Head of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) at DCM ShriramLtd.

Aman Pannu

President, DCM Shriram Foundation

Joy supports the CSR initiatives of DCM Shriram Ltd. In his role, he works with differentbusinesses of the Company in implementing, monitoring, and evaluating their CSRprojects. He also interacts with non-profits, multilateral, Industry associations etc tofurther the impact of CSR projects being undertaken by the group.

He has attended various training programs; prominent among them being ExecutiveDevelopment Program at IIM - Ahmedabad, Senior Management Development program at MDI - Gurgaon, ISO 14000 Lead Auditors program with DNV.He is a member of Sugar Technologists Association of India, National HRD Networkand an intern at Sumedhas. He is also a member of the CII National Committee onWater and a member of CII Northern Region CSR Committee.

Joy Mukherjee

Team Lead, DCM Shriram Foundation

Prof Asit K. Biswas

Renowned Water Expert

Ecosystem Partners

Knowledge, Research, and Immersion partners

“The Indian subcontinent is currently facing a severe water crisis, with agriculture being a major contributor to freshwater consumption in the region. To address this agricultural water challenge, a holistic approach is needed, involving technological advancements tailored to smallholder's needs, policy reforms, and educational campaigns that engage all stakeholders within the ecosystem. The DCM Shriram AgWater Challenge led by the DCM Shriram Foundation & The/Nudge Prize is a commendable initiative aimed at addressing this complex issue."

Ankit Chandra

Program Manager, Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute

Investors & Incubators / Accelerators

“Highlighting and challenging fundamental problems like AgriWater is the need of the hour . The Nudge has played a key role in bring this problem to the forefront”

Romiel Samuel

Founder, Indus Water Institute

"In the midst of ever-changing climate patterns, unpredictable rains, and depleting groundwater reserves, the agriculture sector and smallholder farmers require timely and tested technological support. The DCM Shriram AgWater Challenge offers a platform to identify and validate solutions that promote sustainable water use in agriculture, and contribute to building resilient farm-based livelihoods in the face of climate change. As the outreach partner, Research and Innovation Circle of Hyderabad (RICH) will support start-ups in testing solutions in Telangana."

Rashmi Pimpale

Chief Executive Officer, Research & Innovation Circle of Hyderabad

People

Advisors

Core Partner

Ecosystem Partners

Knowledge, Research, and Immersion partners

Investors & Incubators / Accelerators

Technology & Innovation

The/Nudge Prize team

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