Mentors

Manita Subba

Ms. Manita Subba, an Assistant Professor at Sikkim Manipal University, balances her academic responsibilities with a fervent pursuit of a PhD in Sociology at North Bengal University. Her research focuses on the lives of women vendors in Gangtok, delving into the socio-economic intricacies and challenges they face in the informal sector. Through her scholarly endeavors, she aims to illuminate the experiences of marginalized women and contribute valuable insights to both academic scholarship and policy discussions on gender, labor, and urban development in Sikkim.

Designation

Assistant Professor

Organisation

Sikkim Alpine University, Namchi, Kamrang

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/manita-subba-338a53223

Sector

Education

Divya Sampath

Divya Sampath is an Innovation Advisor at Aspire For Her in Bangalore, mentoring women in entrepreneurship, employment, and education through community networks. Aspire For Her advocates for gender diversity and supports women in the workforce to uplift the economy. Additionally, she is a Portfolio Partner Sponsor at AWE Funds, promoting women's equity and empowerment. With over 25 years of experience in incubating businesses, leading international teams, and driving large-scale programs, Divya is dedicated to fostering inclusive innovation and sustainable growth.

Designation

Innovation and Growth Advisor at Aspire For Her

Organisation

Aspire For Her

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/divyasampath/

Sector

Finance, Technology, Angel Investor

Irene Chhangte

Irene Chhangte is the Founder Director of Nainawk Foundation for Development Initiatives (NFDI), a non-profit dedicated to uplifting marginalized sectors of society. She recently launched her own handloom and handicraft label, Weave Me More Dreams, working with women weavers across Mizoram. Irene has also served as a Consultant Designer for a Village Level Development Program with the Entrepreneur Development Cell, Planning and Program Implementation Department, Government of Mizoram.

Designation

Founder

Organisation

Nainawk Foundation for Development Initiatives (NFDI)

LinkedIn

linkedin.com/in/irene-chhangte-577b297

Sector

Non-Profit Organization

Emmanuel Murray

Emmanuel Murray, an Investment Director at Caspian, brings over four decades of experience in agriculture, rural credit, and microenterprise finance. He manages the LeAF Fund, focusing on early and growth-stage investments in the food and agriculture sector with an emphasis on social and environmental impact. Emmanuel serves on Caspian Debt's Credit Committee and holds directorial positions at NABKISAN Finance Ltd and Batwaan Krishi and KiVi. An avid speaker and commentator on social trends, he supports India's food and agriculture startup ecosystem as an angel investor in social enterprises.

Designation

Investment Director

Organisation

Caspian

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmanuel-murray/

Sector

Rural Management Expert

Lipika Dey

Dr. Lipika Dey is a Professor at Ashoka University's Computer Science Department. Until December 2023, she was the Chief Scientist at Tata Consultancy Services, leading research in Economic and Financial Intelligence. Her expertise includes Natural Language Processing, AI Applications, Machine Learning, and multi-structured data analytics. She received the Fellowship of the Indian National Academy of Engineering in 2021 and TCS's Distinguished Scientist award in 2012. Previously, she was a faculty member in Mathematics at IIT Delhi. With a PhD from IIT Kharagpur, she is actively involved in ACM-W and advocates for Women in STEM.

Designation

Professor at the Department of Computer Science, Ashoka University.

Organisation

Ashoka University

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/lipika-dey-3381713/

Sector

Education, Technology

Subrata Rana

Subrata Rana is the Founder Director of EcoDev Solutions – a boutique knowledge & advisory organisation. He has worked in the areas of Behavioral Economics, Data Analytics and ML/AI for the last three decades. He is a former World Bank Economist and has served at three CGIAR (Consultative Group of International Agriculture Research) centres in Asia, Africa and Latin America as Lead Economist. He is an entrepreneur by choice. EcoDev Solutions has operations in Asia and Africa where the Company works with Corporations, Government and Philanthropies. Subrata is an alumnus of Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Kharagpur, India and Stanford University, USA.

Designation

CEO & Managing Director

Organisation

EcoDev Consultancy

LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/in/subrata-rana-01689712/

Sector

Technology

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