Green Cohort 3.0: A Launch Filled with Energy, Ideas, and Hope
Green Cohort 3.0 was more than just the start of a new incubation cycle; it was a meeting of minds, ideas, and aspirations for a better Purvanchal. The Jagriti team, mentors, and entrepreneurs gathered over the course of two days in an environment of inquiry, cooperation, and dedication to doing things differently.
The businesses of this year are a testament to the depth of grassroots creativity. Businesses mostly focused on agriculture are joined by initiatives in waste management, which is an area that desperately needs attention. A clothing upcycling project, decentralized energy projects, and an inspirational female entrepreneur who turns cow manure into paint are a few more examples. To demonstrate how group efforts may mobilize environmental solutions, we also welcomed a non-profit organization that works on community awareness and action.
What unites these diverse enterprises is a place-based approach—building businesses rooted in local resources, cultures, and community needs. They are not only pursuing growth but also embracing distributive models that create livelihoods and shared value, ensuring progress is shared by many, not just a few.
Day One
The opening day began with interactive table conversations, where mentors and entrepreneurs shared stories, challenges, and ideas in small groups. This created an open and informal space for mutual learning.
In the afternoon, Dr. Khushboo Gaur and Ravi Pandey led a session on Data-Driven Business Handling and Management, helping entrepreneurs understand why data is not just for reporting, but a tool to guide decisions, measure progress, and unlock opportunities.
Following this, Manas Rath led a stimulating discussion in which he asked attendees to consider how companies may contribute to solving the environmental situation. He underlined that businesses have an impact on all facets of our lives, frequently in ways that go beyond financial gain. Manas emphasized the difficulty of providing for society’s needs—food, shelter, and livelihoods—while adhering to ecological constraints like clean water, biodiversity, and climate stability by using the paradigm of Doughnut Economics.
By relating these global concepts to Gandhian ideals such as trusteeship, non-exploitation, and local self-reliance (Swadeshi), he demonstrated how Indian customs might serve as an inspiration for contemporary sustainable business practices. The discussion urged business leaders to consider carefully how their companies’ “design”—including their networks, ownership, governance, and purpose—can support the triple bottom line of profit, people, and the environment.The day closed with a cultural gathering, adding warmth and bonding to the cohort’s energy.
Day Two
The second day began with a fireside chat featuring Emmanuel Murray, Ferdin Sylvester, Priyanshu Kedia, and Chandan Ghosh. Drawing on their experience across business, finance, sustainability, and development, the mentors shared practical insights on what it takes to build early-stage green enterprises.
They spoke about the differences between MSMEs and startups and how that shapes funding and financial strategy, what scaling really looks like in practice, the value of embedding sustainability at the core of business models, and the challenges of building nonprofits in today’s context. The conversation was candid, grounded, and left the cohort with clear, actionable takeaways.
Next was a virtual session by Jayati Talapatra, which introduced practical frameworks for measuring environmental impact. She guided entrepreneurs to think about how their enterprises can track their footprint and strengthen the positive outcomes of their work. For many, this provided concrete tools to complement the values-driven discussions of the first day.
A discussion on the financial aspect of entrepreneurship was led by Vijay Ladha in the afternoon, with a focus on the importance of financial discipline for scaling. The impact stories of the alumni, Pravidhaan FPO, a successful farmer-led business today, and Nature Soul Foundation, which keeps inspiring communities for long-lasting change, came next. Their experiences inspired the new cohort and made it evident to them what is achievable with perseverance and the correct support network.
The day closed with an explanation of the MoU process, a Q&A session, and a vote of thanks, wrapping up the launch with clarity and commitment.
Looking Ahead
By the end of the two days, the most notable aspect of the room was the transparency, as mentors, entrepreneurs, and the Jagriti team all learned from one another and came up with audacious yet workable solutions.
The Green Cohort means more to Jagriti than just a program. It is a venue for fostering businesses that blend sound business practices with environmental and social goals, generating incomes and repairing ecosystems. Cohort 3 will only strengthen this journey by bringing with it the resolve of those prepared to spearhead change in Purvanchal.
The launch was just the beginning. The real stories will unfold in the months to come.