Vikram Akula

VIKRAM AKULA has been at the forefront of creating market-based solutions for financial inclusion. He founded Bharat Financial Inclusion (SKS Microfinance) in India, one of the world's largest microfinance companies. In 2006, TIME magazine named him one of the world's 100 most influential people. His awards include the Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year in India (2006), the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year in India – in the start-up (2006) and business transformation (2009) categories. He is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum and an Echoing Green Fellow.Vikram is the founder of Vaya, which uses tablet-banking technology to deliver loans to low-income people in India. He is an angel investor in fintech start-up ArthImpact, which uses an app to provide credit to small entrepreneurs in India. He is an angel investor in AgSri, which helps small farmers in Africa and India reduce water use. He is the founder of the Bodhi School in India, which provides education for underprivileged children.He has worked with McKinsey & Company and the Worldwatch Institute, and authored A Fistful of Rice: My Unexpected Quest to End Poverty Through Profitability (Harvard Business Review Press, 2010). He has a BA from Tufts University, an MA from Yale University, a PhD from the University of Chicago, and was a Fulbright Scholar.