Akshay Verma MPA'13
Agratam India works in Bihar, the most underdeveloped Indian state, to radically enhance income levels of rural households by converting unproductive waterlogged wastelands into profitable fish farms. Akshay’s organization also has focused on sanitation and health care, altogether striving to improve communities from many angles.
Company: Agratam India
Location: Behar, India
Why We Love Agratam India
Agratam India works in Bihar, the most underdeveloped Indian state, to radically enhance income levels of rural households by converting unproductive waterlogged wastelands into profitable fish farms. Akshay’s organization also has focused on sanitation and health care, altogether striving to improve communities from many angles.
Akshay's Entrepreneurial Journey
Founder Akshay grew up in India and was impacted by the lack of opportunities for children in rural areas of India due to the disconnection to the mainstream economy of the country. He remembers hearing about Bihar as a cultural center and would like to change how Bihar is viewed today. Akshay came to study at SIPA and from there had the tools to give back to Bihar with concrete solutions to problems that plague many rural economies.
Running a High Impact Business
The impact Agratam India has had on Bihar can be measured through comparisons between now and five years ago when the organization was founded. Indicators of success are the number of people employed at these fish farms and how much their income has increased over time. An impact in the environment is a higher quality of locally produced fish, which also helps the economy. A successful entrepreneur, in his eyes, must possess perseverance, self-confidence, and objective (in other words, knowing when you’re wrong and when you’re right.)
Advice to Aspiring Entrepreneurs
I love this quote: If you don't like your weekends, change your friends. If you don’t like your Mondays, change your job. The hardest thing about being an entrepreneur is that everything rests on your shoulders and yours alone. As the leader, you are expected to have all the answers. The best thing about being an entrepreneur are the smiles I see on the faces of the people I am impacting, the change I am able to create in the world and actually track and the fact that I now LOVE my Mondays!
My advice to SIPA students is to “go for it!” You need to find a good team and find something you care most about.
Favorite SIPA memory
My friends and the support they provided me while at SIPA.
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