Mr. Upmanyu Patil is the Founder and Director of Sakhi Unique Rural Enterprise (SURE), bringing over 32 years of rich experience in the non-profit and social enterprise sector. He has consistently led initiatives that bridge innovation with grassroots impact, focusing on empowering rural communities and fostering sustainable growth. With deep expertise in program management, corporate partnerships, and training development, Mr. Patil has played a pivotal role in designing and implementing programs that strengthen rural entrepreneurship and women’s economic empowerment.
At SURE, he has spearheaded clean technology solutions that have positively impacted over a million families, while also providing continued guidance and support to social enterprises and women-led Farmer Producer Companies. His cross-disciplinary knowledge in business and engineering ensures that programs remain both practical and transformative, contributing to resilient local economies and improved livelihoods. Mr. Patil holds a diploma in Civil Engineering and a postgraduate degree in Business Administration from Symbiosis, Pune.
Recognized as the Most Influential Rural Marketing Professional by CMO Asia and Most Influential Agriculture Professional by Agriculture Innovation Congress. Speaker at leading industry forums and Guest Faculty at Management Institutes.
Passion for building sustainable solutions for access to Water, Energy & Food for the low-income households & Rural communities. Experience of pro-poor and inclusive development work on livelihood & women empowerment. Extensive field experience of Indian Rural Ecosystem and understanding of the socio-cultural dynamics. Experience in building last mile solutions through village level entrepreneurs. Brings diverse & significant managerial and consulting work experience of over 30 years.
Managed P & L & large teams, hands on experience of starting new businesses, developing partnerships & alternate channels for deeper market access. Well versed with building market selection framework & market entry strategy. One of the major stints has been with Eureka Forbes in various capacities, Head Market Development, National Sales Manager & Business Head (Rural).
Associated with startup ecosystem as an Expert & Mentor, to build sustainable & scalable businesses. Mentor with Villgro Innovation Foundation, India Accelerator Impact Lab & Action for India, associated as an expert on assignments with Upaya Social ventures & Yunus Social Business, USAID program “Securing Water for Food”
Experience in developing behavior change communication for social impact projects. Associated with project funded by BMGF & led by BBC Media Action and also a project funded by European Union led a Fondazione Acra, Italian NGO
Extensive experience in developing & implementation of Rural Marketing campaigns for clients across FMCG, Consumer Durables, Agriculture, Automobiles. Designed experiential marketing modules to create awareness & drive demand. Well versed with research techniques & building consumer insights. Handled concept development & creative design processes. One of the major stints has been with Madison Media, leading their rural marketing unit (Anugrah Madison).
Mr. Rahul, is M. Pharmacy, Ph. D. (Research Fellow) at University of Pune, in Pharmaceutical Science stream. He has 2 year Industrial Research & 1 year Marketing experience in pharma sector and 4 year academic experience. He published 5 international research article and 2 chapters in international journals.
He is an expert in helping early-stage start-ups with product-market fit, business validation, and scaling opportunities. He is associated with Samhita, Collective Good Foundation as a FPO consultant. He worked more than 10 years as a health program volunteer with leading NGO Swayam Shikshan Prayog.
AT SURE Rahul is Chief Operating Officer and responsible for operations. He has expertise in developing women networks and implementing various projects in partnership with corporates & donors.
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