Nishant Kumar leads the Financial Inclusion Lab in India under the umbrella of the Bharat Inclusion Initiative. A part of CIIE.CO’s Bharat Inclusion Initiative, the Financial Inclusion Lab supports startups in the areas of Fintech, Skilling, and Livelihood working in the Bharat Segment. To date, more than 50 startups have been supported under the FI lab.

He has consulted and mentored more than 15 startups to build their product market fit and go-to-market strategy. He has expertise in business model developments in the Fintech space especially for the low- and moderate-income segments. Before this, he was running his own Fintech as the founder and CEO of Lakshya, based in India to improve the Financial Health of the underserved by providing flexible, customized financial products and digital literacy. Lakshya worked primarily with the informal segments including artisans, drivers, farmers, and contractual factory workers with a focus on micro-savings and insurance. Nishant has more than a decade of experience in financial inclusion and Fintech working with top consulting firms, MFIs, and investor groups.