When Abhinath Shinde started out as a primary teacher in a small village in Maharashtra, India, he got two job offersone from State Bank of India and another from his own co-operative credit society.
Today, Shinde is chairman and founder of the Venkatesh Group, which has more than 700 employees and a turnover of more than $1 billion, per the Indian Express.
It's not just banking: The group, which started out with just a single employee and office in 2013, has diversified into other sectors, including agriculture, infrastructure, social, and pay-tech, per a press release.
Shinde's "determination and 'never give up' attitude have helped him overcome the struggles he faced,'" says the release.
Shinde's credit society, which has more than 2.5 million members, lends money to micro-entrepreneurs, farmers, and others in need.
It's one of the few institutions of its kind in India, per Quartz.
The Times of India calls it "one of the most impressive examples of social entrepreneurship in the world."
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