Ivy league grad quits job in Canada to join rural job in Indian agritech startup

Stephane Pastor is an executive MBA from US Ivy league Cornell University. Including this, he holds 4 masters degrees from the world’s top institutes and universities such as France’s Arts & Metiers ParisTech, Canada’s ETS and Queen’s University. He recently joined a leading agritech innovation startup Farmkart at a rural location in India.

Farmkart is headquartered in Barwani (Madhya Pradesh), a small town with majority of population engaged in agriculture.

Pastor comes from a rich multicultural background at both personal and professional front. He is a French citizen with experience of living in 8 countries across 4 continents.

He has worked with large companies such as GE and has a proven track record in multiple sectors such as aeronautics, manufacturing, power generation, energy, and oil and gas, in various capacities including sales, services, and project management. At his previous job with energy service giant Baker Hughes, Pastor was earning a handsome annual income in crores, but was longing to maximize his contributions in an environment where he could make a meaningful difference.

“I always dreamt of using my skills and education for emerging fields such as agriculture. I consider this a rare opportunity to positively impact the lives of millions of Indian farmers. The country’s agricultural sector is still largely untapped and Farmkart has strategically positioned itself to be a key player in its digital transformation,” said Stephane Pastor, newly appointed COO of Farmkart.

In his new role, Pastor will oversee Farmkart’s global operations and focus on aligning the company’s operational capabilities with its medium and long-term strategy while streamlining the business through impactful process optimisation initiatives.

Farmkart is on an expansion spree as the company plans to have pan India footprints within months. The company is also moving towards Series A funding.

In 2020, Farmkart was praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for its outstanding efforts during nationwide lockdown and the company’s innovative technology solutions.

Pastor recalls that India’s global image as one of the fastest growing emerging markets also helped him make this decision.  

“Today, a lot of professionals are concentrating on rural areas. Also, there has been encouraging activity in the agritech sector in India post pandemic. Many studies suggest that India is soon going to be the world leader in emerging markets and agritech,” added Pastor.

According to an Ernst & Young 2020 study, the potential of the Indian agritech market is estimated at $24 billion by 2025. Another study by Bain & Company projects the potential at $35 billion by 2025.

With loads of experience and degrees from illustrious universities, Pastor is likely to make substantial contributions to not just the job but also the agritech sector in the country.