Akansha Kasera

Akansha Kasera

Strategic Marketing Lead, Catalyst Fund

Akansha is the Strategic Marketing Lead for Catalyst Fund & Senior Consultant at BFA Global. She brings years of experience in building growth and marketing strategies for startups, corporates, and non-profit organizations. Akansha also serves as a Co-Lead for ANDE Gender Inclusion Learning Lab. Previously, Akansha led strategy and marketing for the OPTIX project, designed by BFA Global and MetLife Foundation to help four microfinance institutions across the globe better serve their low-income customers. She is a storyteller and a data-driven marketer with technical expertise in managing organic and PPC campaigns, SEO, human-centered design, and social media management.

Prior to joining BFA Global, she worked as a Marketing and Communications Officer with Smile Foundation, a national level NGO in India with several livelihood programs and welfare initiatives. She also worked as a Senior Associate with Smile Foundation as part of their global resource mobilization team which is responsible for driving resources for NGO’s welfare initiatives. Before moving to the development sector, she worked with unicorn food-tech startup Zomato, as part of their product and external communication team. She helped the development of key product features by liaising with the design, content, and tech teams. She holds a BA in English Literature with a Minors in Psychology from Jesus and Mary College, Delhi University (India).

Publications by this author

10 tools to kickstart your startup journey
Inclusive Fintech |

10 tools to kickstart your startup journey

Imagine that you are a CEO running a startup. You are busy building a product that solves a real...

By Akansha Kasera
Unlocking the potential of digital commerce for women artisans in India
Gender Finance |

Unlocking the potential of digital commerce for women artisans in India

Sunrekha, a 35-year-old woman from Ranti in the Madhubani district of Bihar, joined a women’s collective in her village...

By Akansha Kasera
Three common mistakes startups make when running lean experiments – and how to avoid them
Inclusive Fintech |

Three common mistakes startups make when running lean experiments – and how to avoid them

Originally published on NextBillion   Reaching product-market fit is essential for startup growth, but the journey can be chaotic,...

By Akansha Kasera
Why we invested: PocketFin empowers women banking agents to improve access to digital financial services in India
Financial Health |

Why we invested: PocketFin empowers women banking agents to improve access to digital financial services in India

Traditionally, Indians are well known for their savings habits, both in terms of financial savings, which account for over...

By Akansha Kasera
Digital Commerce Database: Ghana
Livelihoods and Microenterprise |

Digital Commerce Database: Ghana

As we work to accelerate Ghana’s inclusive digital commerce ecosystem, we’ve created an open database to showcase all digital...

By Akansha Kasera
Impact performance: Spoon Money
Inclusive Fintech |

Impact performance: Spoon Money

Download Infographic        learn about spoon money

By BFA GLOBAL
Building Inclusion Into the Investment Process: Four Steps for Addressing Bias Against Women Startup Founders
Gender Finance |

Building Inclusion Into the Investment Process: Four Steps for Addressing Bias Against Women Startup Founders

Originally published in NextBillion  Contrary to pessimistic expectations at the outset of the COVID pandemic, global funding for startups grew...

By Akansha Kasera
The State of Fintech in Emerging Markets Report
Inclusive Fintech |

The State of Fintech in Emerging Markets Report

Catalyst Fund and Briter Bridges launch new State of Fintech in Emerging Markets Report, evaluating investment, product, and inclusivity...

By Akansha Kasera
Catalyst Fund turns 5
Inclusive Fintech |

Catalyst Fund turns 5

We began with a goal of supporting inclusive fintech startups, to help them access the capital, support and talent...

By Akansha Kasera
Making waves: Cynthia Wandia embodies the best of female fintech entrepreneurship
Inclusive Fintech |

Making waves: Cynthia Wandia embodies the best of female fintech entrepreneurship

Cynthia Wandia is the CEO and co-founder of Kwara, an accounting and business management SaaS for SACCOs in Kenya....

By Abby Butkus
Venture-building helps South Africa’s MobiLife bring insurance to underserved families
Digital Financial Services |

Venture-building helps South Africa’s MobiLife bring insurance to underserved families

Fewer than 12% of South Africans have life insurance, amounting to an insurance gap of over R30 trillion. Low...

By Akansha Kasera
Video: what is Catalyst Fund?
Inclusive Fintech |

Video: what is Catalyst Fund?

  En español     Express interest in becoming a Catalyst Fund company   Catalyst Fund is an accelerator...

By Akansha Kasera
“Capital plus plus”: Mobilizing domestic capital to support impact entrepreneurs in India
Inclusive Fintech |

“Capital plus plus”: Mobilizing domestic capital to support impact entrepreneurs in India

Catalyst Fund Circle of Investors member Asha Impact on the value of locally rooted investment capital India is the...

By Akansha Kasera
The role of fintech innovation in remittances amid COVID-19
Digital Financial Services |

The role of fintech innovation in remittances amid COVID-19

The role of digital remittances amid COVID-19 financial crisis: UK Fintech Week webinar key takeaways The impact of the...

By Akansha Kasera
Meet FarMart, the customer service app for India’s agri-input merchants
Inclusive Fintech |

Meet FarMart, the customer service app for India’s agri-input merchants

FarMart aims to improve the efficiency of India’s agri-input supply chain  Catalyst Fund accelerates startups that excel on three...

By Akansha Kasera
Video: Inclusive Fintech Accelerator Catalyst Fund announces scale-up
Inclusive Fintech |

Video: Inclusive Fintech Accelerator Catalyst Fund announces scale-up

Catalyst Fund Project Launch Video “Innovation is increasingly important…some of the solutions that are going to solve worldwide problems...

By Akansha Kasera
Inclusive Fintech in Practice: Chipper Cash Illustrates Three Key Ways to Tackle Cross-Border Payments in Africa
Inclusive Fintech |

Inclusive Fintech in Practice: Chipper Cash Illustrates Three Key Ways to Tackle Cross-Border Payments in Africa

The mobile money revolution in East Africa has yet to extend to cross-border transactions, even as the region is becoming...

By Akansha Kasera
Re-envisioning fintech innovation in Kenya
Inclusive Fintech |

Re-envisioning fintech innovation in Kenya

“… technology to shape the future…rather than simply allowing the future to shape us.” – Alderman Peter...

By Akansha Kasera
Assessing the landscape of fintech accelerators in emerging markets
Inclusive Fintech |

Assessing the landscape of fintech accelerators in emerging markets

In emerging markets, inclusive fintech startups are creating accessible, affordable, and appropriate financial solutions for the underserved. These startups...

By Akansha Kasera
Three Essential Tips for Winning Over Investors at SOCAP 2018 and Beyond
Inclusive Fintech |

Three Essential Tips for Winning Over Investors at SOCAP 2018 and Beyond

Catalyst Fund’s “How to SOCAP” for Entrepreneurs #3 Connecting with the right investors is one of the most important...

By Akansha Kasera
Three Inside Networking Tips for SOCAP 2018
Inclusive Fintech |

Three Inside Networking Tips for SOCAP 2018

Catalyst Fund’s “How to SOCAP” for Entrepreneurs #2 Hopefully, you started your fundraising preparation for SOCAP weeks ago by connecting with...

By Akansha Kasera
How can we make fintech inclusive?
Inclusive Fintech |

How can we make fintech inclusive?

Catalyst Fund has been accelerating inclusive fintech startups for over four years and we have observed commonalities in which...

By Akansha Kasera
Three Key Ways that Inclusive Fintech Companies Deepen Financial Inclusion
Inclusive Fintech |

Three Key Ways that Inclusive Fintech Companies Deepen Financial Inclusion

Customers Value More Affordable, Better Designed and Time-saving Products and Services 1. Tech + Touch: New Interactions to Reach...

By Akansha Kasera