Vikram is passionate about scaling nascent industries that benefit the lives of urban families with low-incomes. Vikram leverages his 25 years of experience across operations, strategy and technology consulting, and global development to scale industries, using the following approaches:
- Identify a nascent industry with a strong potential to create social impact
- Understand the needs, challenges, and aspirations of customers (e.g., families with low-income), entrepreneurs, suppliers, and investors within the industry
- Develop a profitable and inclusive business model with the potential to serve millions of families with low income
- Partner with entrepreneurs to pilot and scale these new inclusive business models
- Improve the business environment for the industry by raising awareness of the need, addressing ecosystem barriers, directing capital, and improving the policy landscape
Through programs, he has helped scale three industries: activity-based learning solutions, low-income housing, and housing finance for informal (no-income proof) workers.
- By 2013, low-income housing had scaled to more than 130 projects in 23 cities
- By 2018, housing finance had scaled to more than 250,000 families with a total loan portfolio of USD 4.1 billion across 22 companies
- By 2019, activity-based learning solutions had scaled to more than 74,000 children improving their learning outcomes by 48%. This program (called Program to Improve Private Early Education) is ongoing with a goal to improve learning outcomes for more than 250,000 children
- In 2020, a new program (called Growing Livelihood Opportunities for Women) has been started to create over 500,000 jobs for women and reduce gender parity in 3 industries
Vikram is the author of numerous reports and newspaper articles. In addition to the two FSG publications listed below, he is also a contributor to Report on Budget Private Schools in India 2017 and A case study of a systems approach for scaling quality early education solutions. He has also co-authored State of the Low-Income Housing Market in India: Encouraging Progress & Opportunity to Realize Dreams of Millions. His blog posts include India’s children deserve a solid foundation, Transforming Learning Outcomes for India’s Working Poor, ECD Implementation Insights: Demand and Affordable Preschool in India, and Wheeler Institute Alumni Impact Interview. Vikram has spoken at more than 45 national and international conferences to promote the opportunities within the early childhood education and low-income housing spaces.
Before FSG
Prior to joining FSG, Vikram worked with Monitor Inclusive Markets (MIM) as lead of the low-income housing practice. Prior to MIM, he held managerial positions at McKinsey & Company, Deloitte Consulting, and US Interactive across the U.S.A., U.K., and India, where he advised clients on strategy, operations, and technology.
Education
- Master in Business Administration (Dean’s List), London Business School, 2007
- Bachelor of Engineering (Distinction) in Computer Science, University of Pune, 1995
Languages
- Hindi (native)
- English (fluent)
- Punjabi (conversational)
- Marathi (conversational)
