Rajeev Kumar

Rajeev Kumar

Rajeev Kumar leads the SOA–Centre for Innovation & Incubation & Atal Incubation Centre, at Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (SOA) University, Bhubaneswar. With nearly a decade of experience, his work sits at the intersection of public policy, innovation ecosystems, and entrepreneurship. Previously, Rajeev worked with Atal Innovation Mission (AIM), within the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI) Aayog, the Government of India’s policy think tank, where he contributed to national entrepreneurship programmes, startup policy implementation, and inter-ministerial coordination. His efforts focused on strengthening incubation ecosystems, supporting early-stage startups, and translating policy frameworks into measurable grassroots impact, particularly in underserved regions. Rajeev was a Finalist at the MIT Policy Hackathon 2023 and a recipient of the Hindustan Pratibha Samman (2009) for academic excellence. He is currently pursuing a PhD on Plasma-assisted green hydrogen production, aligned with India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission, and holds academic and executive certifications from NIT Jamshedpur, Harvard Business School, Indian School of Business, and IIT Mandi. His professional interests include inclusive innovation systems, responsible technology policy, the clean energy transition, and capacity building for youth and women entrepreneurs.