The team at CapitalConnect brings together expertise in development research, microfinance and financial markets.

Sanjay Sinha has 30 years of economic and development research experience globally. He is an expert in sub-sector analysis of activities relevant to livelihoods of poor people, microenterprise promotion and BDS, agriculture, livestock and forestry in addition to microfinance. Sanjay has published extensively in major journals as well as in the print media. He is currently a Member of the UN Advisors Group on Inclusive Financial Sectors.

Sanjay has an M.Phil in Economics from Oxford University. He is the Managing Director of M-CRIL, and co-founder of EDA.

Frances Sinha has over 25 years’ of development research experience. Her key skills are impact assessment, social performance management, gender focused research, and governance related to cooperatives and institutions of local government. Frances has been an independent consultant on various assignments – for the Argidius Foundation, DFID (UK), the ADB and the FAO. She currently holds a number of advisory positions: as a member of the Social Performance Committee at the Imp-Act Consortium; AMK Cambodia; on the Board of Experts, IRIS Centre of the University of Maryland; at the Gates Foundation; on the Project Advisory Committee, Friends of Women’s World Banking, India, and on the Ethics Committee, Sa-Dhan, India.

A graduate from Oxford University and the London School of Economics, Frances is the Managing Director of EDA and Director of M-CRIL.

Aparna Vishwanatham has over 10 years of experience in the areas of capital markets and financial management. She started her career in Corporate Finance at Philips India, and then worked with ICRA Ltd (an associate of Moody’s in India) for 8 years in variety of different roles; she headed the Public Finance Ratings and the Ratings Technical teams, and was a member on ICRA’s Rating Committee. Aparna was also associated with Unitus for a year, where she managed Unitus’ India portfolio of microfinance institutions.

Aparna has a Bachelor’s degree in Engineering from Osmania University, Hyderabad and a Master’s degree in Business Management from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta.

Prasoon Raghuwanshi Prasoon has over 4 years of experience in project management and management consulting. Prasoon started his career with Aga Khan Rural Support Programme to establish and manage India’s first community owned goat and sheep milk products plant in Gujarat. Prasoon has wide exposure of agri-business projects and varied clientele during his management consulting experience. He has worked extensively on price and production risk management of agriculture value chains involving small and marginal farmers.

Prasoon has a Master’s degree in Rural Management from the Institute of Rural Management, Anand (IRMA), and a Bachelor Degree in Commerce from Bhopal University.

Nikias Stefanakis joins CapitalConnect with over 4 years of experience in Economic Development and Nonprofit management. He began his career as a researcher in Conflict Mitigation in Boston, MA and has worked with the international NGO, Mercy Corps, in Washington, DC on foreign affairs policy development. Just prior to joining CapitalConnect, Nikias managed microenterprise programs in Urban Jakarta, Indonesia and Dili, Timor L’este.

Nikias holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Tufts University with honors in Economics and International Relations and is an Associate with EDA CapitalConnect.

Daniel Brett comes to CapitalConnect with economic research experience in the fields of environmental policy and industrial organization.  Prior to joining the CapitalConnect team, Daniel worked with Redefining Progress, a U.S. - based public policy think tank, and with Compass Lexecon, a leading economic consulting firm.  A Fulbright scholar, Daniel will take a leave of absence from CapitalConnect to study the environmental and socioeconomic impact of Chile’s growing aquaculture industry.

Daniel graduated from Tufts University with a Bachelor of Arts in economics, and a Bachelor of Science in environmental science. He is an associate with CapitalConnect.