Productive Power for Last-Mile Rural Markets

Amit has 15 years of diverse global experience in business consulting, financial services, and development practice in India, the US and Switzerland. He brings to Oorja a strong grasp of business strategy, financial acumen and operations expertise. Amit has also conducted impact evaluation in rural India and Gambia for UNICEF. He holds a Master’s degree in International Development from Columbia University, a BCom in Accountancy and Financial Management from Sydenham College and a professional certification in Social Entrepreneurship. Amit is an Echoing Green Climate Fellow and was named on the SE100 list of the most Inspiring Social Entrepreneurs. He hopes to champion decentralised energy systems to reach the most marginalised in society.

Clementine obtained her PhD in bioenergy from Imperial College London, equipping her with expertise in cost-effective design of distributed energy systems from an engineering, economic and socio-cultural perspective. She has worked as a renewable energy consultant for New Climate Economy, the European Commission, and the Grantham Institute for Climate Change. Clementine holds a Master’s in Chemical Engineering from the University of Cambridge. She has strong communication skills in six languages and is a Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur and MIT 35 Under 35 Innovator. Clementine's passion lies in using renewable resources as a catalyst to bring about lasting socio-economic and environmental impact.

Pushpendra handles the electrical installation, civil works and training for new solar projects, building on his two years of ground operations experience within the Oorja team. He also supervises our field technicians and operators to ensure regular O&M, timely payment collections and outstanding customer servicing. Pushpendra holds a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering and previously worked as a graduate technical apprentice with Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd, India’s largest power plant equipment manufacturer. He also has experience in solar street lighting installation. Pushpendra enjoys working closely with rural communities and helping them fulfil their aspirations from an energy perspective and beyond.

Preeti is responsible for project and impact data analysis, fostering and maintaining partnerships with grassroots organisations and technology providers, external communications and report writing. Preeti brings a background in Ecology and Environment Studies from her M.Sc at Nalanda University and previously spent one year with smart metering firm Doorastha Analytics, where she gained experience of solar mini-grid project planning and implementation. Preeti has also worked as a research intern at the Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology & the Environment and at the National Institute for Solar Energy of India. She believes in an equitable, people-centered approach encompassing sustainability as an effective strategy for India’s growth and development

Narendra heads sales, marketing and business development at Oorja. He has more than 10 years of professional experience in rural business including energy sales and marketing, operations and project management and a strong grasp of sustainable development challenges. Narendra was previously leading sales in eastern Uttar Pradesh with rural micro-grid developer Mera Gao Power. He holds an MBA in HR & Marketing from Swami Vivekanand Subharti University, Meerut.

Chitrasen is a solar technician at Oorja's sites in Bahraich, Uttar Pradesh, where he is responsible for day-to-day operations, maintenance and customer service of our community solar pumps and mini-grid. He holds an ITI Fitter diploma and completed his IT training at the National Institute of Electronics & Information Technology. Chitrasen has worked for four years in the manufacturing and energy industries.

Purushottam is a Pump Operator in Bahraich district, U.P. He distributes affordable water services for irrigation and collects payments from farmers in his village. Purushottam's family is engaged in sugarcane farming so having year-round access to water is a critical priority.

Ramchandra is a Pump Operator in Bahraich district, U.P. He is responsible for water distribution and payment collections from a 5 HP and 3 HP solar pump. He grows rice, wheat and maize for his family's own consumption.

Mostafa is a Pump Operator in Bongaigaon district, Assam. He is responsible for operating, distributing water, payment collections and security at three 3 HP solar pumps. Mostafa’s family is engaged in cultivating paddy and horticultural crops. He has a BA from Guwahati University.

Panita is a Pump Operator in Bongaigaon district, Assam. She operates, distributes water and collects payments for three 3 HP solar pumps. She also works on the family farm where she is engaged in cultivating two seasons of paddy crops.

Fabio Mondini is an international venture capitalist with over 20 years’ experience in 20 countries. He focuses on growth capital investments in the Cleantech sector, where he specializes in renewable energy. Before joining Idinvest Partners, Fabio held roles including managing multi-billion dollar acquisitions at ENEL Group and founded and sold RenEn, a leading Italian renewable energy firm that has deployed over 300 MW of solar projects. He holds an MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering degree from MIT and MBA from INSEAD.

Alexsis de Raadt St James is an investor and entrepreneur with over 25 years of investment experience. She is the founder and managing partner of Merian Ventures, a US and UK venture-
capital firm that partners with exceptional female entrepreneurs. Prior to creating Merian Ventures, Alexsis held leadership roles and board seats with companies she funded or founded, senior executive roles in YBA Ventures, Commerce One and Shell International. Alexsis has an MS in Network Economics from MIT, an MBA from Erasmus University and a BA from UT Austin.

Prof. Bhattacharyya is an internationally renowned energy specialist with deep knowledge of global energy-environment issues. He specialises in techno-economic, regulatory, and environmental studies of off-grid energy systems for rural electrification in developing economies, particularly India. Subhes' research is supported by energy-environment systems modelling and regulatory and investment analysis tools. He holds a PhD and Master's degree in Applied Economics and Energy Economics from UPM France.

Irene Maffini is an experienced environmental technology commercialisation and investment professional. She has worked with more than 60 pioneering sustainability SMEs and on commercialisation, incubation and investment programmes for the Carbon Trust, the UK Government, the European Commission, the World Bank and UNDP. Irene is a PhD candidate at UCL and she holds an MSc in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London and a double degree in Business & Economics from Northeastern University and Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.
 

Bill Harrington is a consultant, investment advisor and investor in social enterprises. He is a principal in Vista Ventures, LLC, which provides advice to social entrepreneurs, socially motivated investors, NGOs and businesses, often located in developing countries. Bill has twenty-five years of business experience with microfinance institutions and small-and-medium-size enterprises in Latin America, Africa, and South Asia. He has authored papers on investment capital in microfinance, valuation in developing countries, and business planning.