Ankur Khanpara Email & Phone Number

**Academics and Early Ventures:**Ankur embarked on his entrepreneurial journey after a transformative academic journey. His curiosity and commitment to rural development blossomed during his time at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, where he joined the Center for Technology Alternative for Rural India (CTARA).His keen interest in innovation led him to explore investment casting and the pump industry, but a pivotal shift occurred towards rural development during the final years of his Bachelor's.In the initial years of his Masters academic journey, Ankur delved into the dissemination of Ferrocement small-scale biogas in rural Maharashtra. His studies at CTARA involved identifying barriers and failures in biogas dissemination. His fieldwork included addressing challenges faced by semi-nomadic tribes and promoting entrepreneurship by training masons for building Ferrocement water tanks. This impactful initiative, supported by organizations like Reliance Foundation, resulted in the construction of over 100 tanks in the Jasdan area.**Ph.D. Research and Agricultural Entrepreneurship:**Ankur's academic journey transitioned seamlessly into his Ph.D. focused on farmers' income and value chain optimization through social and technical interventions. He conducted extensive studies on various crops, including Mango, Onion, Tomato, and Pomegranate, and explored the challenges faced by Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs). Ankur's research also delved into the role of social enterprises in addressing institutional voids within the agricultural sector.**Development Sector Consulting with Reach to Roots:**In 2017, Ankur founded Reach to Roots, a consulting firm initially aimed at addressing the challenges faced by NGOs. The firm provided support in technology, documentation, proposal writing, training, monitoring, and evaluation. Over time, Reach to Roots expanded its domain to include FPCs and allied issues. Ankur's expertise became instrumental in providing comprehensive solutions to the development sector.**Corporate Consulting and Beyond:**Recognizing the need for broader impact, Ankur expanded Reach to Roots in 2020 to offer consulting services to MSMEs and small investors. The firm now specializes in ideation, conceptualization, market research, and the Built-Operate-Grow-Transfer model. Ankur's entrepreneurial acumen is evident in his work with Symbion Lifescience, where Reach to Roots collaborates on the development of affordable onco drugs and onco-supportive drugs, demonstrating a successful fusion of social impact and corporate consulting.

Listed skills include Customer Service, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Research, and 2 others.