Prashanth Varanasi is the Private Sector Engagement Specialist for the Energy  Program at WRI India. He leads the work on accelerating the role of the private  sector in energy transition and decarbonisation across the four pillars of the Energy  Program. He brings over 16 years of experience in business development, program design  and delivery, corporate strategy and consulting, incubation, capacity building, and  research across sectors including energy access, climate action, biofuels,  livelihoods, built environment, circular economy, and rural development.  Prashanth has led initiatives such as Energy Leap, a clean hydrogen accelerator, a  low-carbon cold reefer business scale-up, incubation and commercialisation of clean  tech start-ups, and energy access projects across 500+ villages. Before joining WRI  India, he worked with Villgro, Xynteo, Ashden, Tata Trusts, and TERI, with project  experience spanning India, Europe, and East Africa. He focuses on unlocking business value while creating planet- and people-positive impact. He serves as an advisory board member and mentor for clean tech start-ups with Startup Boot Camp India, Merces Benz Fellowship, and contributes to the mentorship program for PGDM students at XLRI Jamshedpur. Prashanth holds a master’s degree in Natural Resources and Environmental Science  from TERI University.