Vikram Akula has been at the forefront of creating market-based solutions for financial inclusion. He founded Bharat Financial Inclusion (formerly 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. He has received a number of awards, including the World Economic Forum’s Young Global Leader (2008), the Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year in India (2006), and the Ernst & Young Business Transformation Entrepreneur of the Year in India (2010). He has been profiled in media ranging from CNN to the front page of the Wall Street Journal. 

Vikram is also an investor in and serves as Chairperson of VAYA, which uses tablet-banking technology to deliver financial services. He is an angel investor in fintech start-ups Cloud Digital Finance and Arth Impact and in AgSri, a sustainable agriculture company working in India and Africa focused on helping small sugarcane farmers reduce water use. He is the founder and chairperson of the Bodhi School, which provides education for underprivileged children in India.