Introduction

India’s private capital ecosystem is undergoing a remarkable transformation, driven by visionary investors who are shaping the flow of capital, innovation and entrepreneurship across the country. From venture capital firms backing high-growth startups to family offices taking a long-term approach to wealth creation, these leaders are playing an increasingly influential role in determining which ideas, businesses and sectors define India’s next phase of growth.

The Private Capital 100: India’s Most Influential VC & Family Office Leaders recognises the individuals at the forefront of this evolution. The list brings together distinguished venture capital investors, family office leaders and private capital decision-makers whose investment acumen, strategic perspectives and conviction are helping build businesses, create value and unlock new opportunities across India’s rapidly expanding economy.

More than a recognition of financial influence, this list celebrates the people behind the capital, leaders who identify potential early, support ambitious founders, navigate changing markets and take a long-term view of value creation. Their influence extends beyond individual investments, contributing to India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and strengthening the foundations of its future growth.

Aakanksha Sharma, Principal, General Catalyst: Aakanksha Sharma is a Principal at General Catalyst India, investing in fintech and consumer companies across stages. She brings approximately 12 years of experience across investing and financial services in India. Previously, she was a Principal at Venture Highway and Vice President at IvyCap Ventures. Her career also includes investment banking and experience across M&A, financial services and portfolio companies.

Aarti Chhabria, Managing Director, PICO Capital Pvt Ltd: Aarti Chhabria leads PICO Capital, a family wealth management firm investing its proprietary capital across multiple asset classes. The firm invests in equity, debt, real estate, renewable energy and startups. She also co-founded and leads Clap Global, an experiential learning platform connecting international travellers with students. Her entrepreneurial experience also includes founding City Sproutz, an education and events company.

Abhas Gupta, Chief Investment Officer, Burman Capital Management: Abhas Gupta serves as Chief Investment Officer at Burman Capital Management, overseeing investment activities within the family office ecosystem. He previously served as Executive Director, Investments at Burman Family Holdings. His experience also includes equity research at Kotak Institutional Equities, with a focus on telecom and consumer sectors. He has held board positions at companies including Amar Chitra Katha and Star Records Management.

Abhiram Katta, Director, Endiya Partners: Abhiram Katta is a Director at Endiya Partners, an early-stage venture capital fund focused on IP-led and globally relevant product startups. He brings more than 20 years of experience spanning investments, business management, strategy and operations. His investment focus includes digital transformation and healthcare, with exposure to companies such as Grip Invest, Upside AI and Kissht. Before Endiya, he held leadership roles at MySmartPrice and HSBC and worked in strategy consulting.

Adith Podhar, Founding Partner, Gemba Capital: Adith Podhar is the Founding Partner of Gemba Capital, focusing on pre-seed and seed-stage investments in Indian startups. His investment focus spans fintech and consumer technology, with a portfolio covering SaaS, healthcare, agritech and B2B platforms. He brings prior private equity experience from Motilal Oswal PE and an entrepreneurial background as the founder of Crepeteria. His career also includes experience in alternative investments and private equity at ICICI Bank.

Aditya Mathur, Director, InnoVen Capital: Aditya Mathur leads investments at InnoVen Capital, a Temasek-backed venture debt platform supporting high-quality startups across stages. He has overseen the deployment of more than $200 million in capital through venture debt and select direct equity investments. He also shares his expertise as guest faculty at ISB, Masters’ Union and IMI Delhi, teaching private credit and venture debt. His investment career at InnoVen spans senior management, associate director and director roles.

Aditya Parmar, Head of Investments, Burman Family Office: Aditya Parmar leads investments at Burman Family Office, bringing experience across venture capital, M&A and entrepreneurship. He has worked on more than 15 M&A transactions valued at over $1.8 billion across the real estate and agro industries. His expertise spans deal sourcing, due diligence, financial modelling, deal structuring and venture financing. He also co-founded ZON, successfully raised $500,000 and later negotiated the company’s exit.

Aditya Vuchi, General Partner, VCMint: Aditya Vuchi is the General Partner at VCMint, backing early-stage founders tackling ambitious problems. A seasoned entrepreneur, he previously founded and led MediaMint, scaling it into a global ad-operations company before its strategic exit to private equity. His entrepreneurial journey also includes building Zippr and Doosra, with experience spanning technology, privacy and digital products. Through VCMint, he brings more than 15 years of entrepreneurial experience to early-stage investing.

Ajith Pai, Founder & Partner, Paipal Ventures: Ajith Pai is the Founder and Partner at Paipal Ventures, an early-stage investment family office fund. He combines his investment activities with extensive entrepreneurial experience across fresh produce, technology-enabled farming and manufacturing. He is also the Co-Founder of Green Earth Fresh Produce and Managing Director of VWF Industries, The Sign Co. His long-standing operating experience provides a strong foundation for evaluating and supporting emerging businesses.

Amber Maheshwari, Partner & COO, Dharana Capital: Amber Maheshwari is Partner and COO at Dharana Capital, combining investment expertise with operational leadership. Previously, he served as Principal at Bharat Innovation Fund, managing investments in deep-tech and IP-led ventures across healthcare, clean technology, agriculture and enterprise technology. He also spent several years at Infuse Ventures, an early-stage clean technology fund focused on energy, mobility, water, agriculture and waste recycling. His earlier experience includes strategy consulting at BCG and financial markets work at Deutsche Bank.

Amit Dutta, Managing Director, Hunch Mobility: A seasoned entrepreneur and investor with over two decades of corporate experience across HUL, Reliance, GM and American Express. He leads Hunch Mobility’s urban air mobility venture and has built businesses across lifestyle, logistics, healthcare and consumer sectors. He also brings deep experience in venture investing through Hunch Ventures and strategic ecosystem building.

Amit Ratanpal, Founder & Managing Director, BLinC Investment Management Private Limited: An experienced investment professional focused on education and financial services through an operations-led investment approach. He has held leadership roles across private equity, venture capital and financial services, including ICICI Bank and Kaizen Management Advisors. His track record includes multiple successful investments and exits across emerging businesses.

Anand Agarwal, Group President Finance, Hinduja Group: A finance leader with 29+ years of experience spanning corporate finance, treasury, M&A, capital raising and restructuring. He has worked across leading groups including ITC, Aditya Birla, Reliance and Tata Power, managing large-scale transactions and international capital. His expertise combines strategic finance with investment and portfolio oversight.

Anand Datta, Partner, Nexus Venture Partners: An early-stage investor focused on Seed, Series A and Series B opportunities across FinTech, InsurTech and technology-enabled commerce. He brings prior experience in strategy consulting, P&L leadership and startup building across India, the US and APAC. His investment approach is centred on mission-driven founders and businesses addressing large-scale opportunities.

Anirudh A Damani, Managing Partner, Artha Venture Fund: A venture capital leader steering early-stage investments in technology-driven startups while combining venture investing with renewable energy expertise. He has led 34 investments across 60 funding rounds, contributing to a portfolio valued at over ₹750 crore. His broader investment ecosystem spans startups, renewable assets and strategic advisory through the Artha Group.

Ankit Prasad, Principal, Norwest: An investment professional with over 12 years of experience across private equity, investment banking and growth investing. He focuses on Consumer, Consumer Tech, Enterprise SaaS, B2B Commerce, Logistics and Financial Services, with investments including Veritas Finance, Xpressbees, Amagi and Mensa Brands. He also actively manages prominent portfolio companies including Swiggy and Pepperfry.

Ankur Bansal, Co-Founder & Managing Director, BlackSoil Capital: A prominent alternative credit investor specialising in structured lending to VC-backed startups, growth companies and supply chain businesses. Under his leadership, BlackSoil has deployed over ₹5,000 crore across 220+ transactions. He also oversees multiple credit and real estate investment platforms and serves on boards and investment committees across the ecosystem.

Anurag Ramdasan, Partner, 3one4 Capital: An investor and technology-focused venture capital leader who heads the Investment and Research teams at 3one4 Capital. He focuses on high-conviction technology investments and works closely with founders on product, strategy and capital development. His portfolio involvement spans companies including Dhan, Everstage, KukuFM, Ripplr and WeRize.

Aparajit Bhandarkar, Partner, Varanium Capital: A venture capital leader managing the Varanium NexGen Fund, focused on early-stage fintech startups. He oversees investments across companies such as Easebuzz, Riskcovry, GetVantage, Finvu and Metafin, while contributing at the board level. His career also includes senior leadership in fintech acceleration, payments strategy and investment banking.

Apoorva Sharma, Managing Partner, Stride Ventures: A venture debt and investment professional with experience spanning Stride Ventures, The Xander Group, HSBC and TCS. At Stride Ventures, she has progressed through Principal and Partner roles to become Managing Partner, bringing expertise across investments, credit analysis, M&A and financing advisory. Her background combines technology, finance and structured investment experience.

Arjun Sheth, Partner, Anchorage Capital Partners, India: An early-stage investor focused on startups across India with a sector-agnostic investment approach. He invests from angel through Pre-Series A stages, bringing a strong understanding of identifying and evaluating emerging opportunities. His experience also includes working with the Sheth Family Office, where he developed expertise in analysing companies and investment prospects.

Arpit Beri, Managing Partner, Jungle Ventures: An active venture investor in the Indian market since 2015, with experience across leading investment platforms including Shunwei Capital and SAIF Partners. His investment focus spans e-commerce, consumer marketplaces, content platforms and consumer brands. At Jungle Ventures, he focuses on Indian investments and has backed companies including Atomberg, Citymall, Leap Finance and Turtlemint.

Ashish Padiyar, Co-Founder, Auxano Capital: A wealth management professional with over 20 years of experience helping HNIs and families make informed investment decisions. He advises clients on investment consultancy, portfolio reviews and restructuring, while also supporting startups through Auxano Capital. He and his team serve 500+ HNIs and families and have helped mentor more than 35 startups.

Ashok Wadhwa, Group Chief Executive Officer, Ambit Private Limited: A veteran financial services leader who has led Ambit since its establishment in 1997. Under his leadership, Ambit has built a broad platform spanning investment banking, asset management, credit, institutional equities and wealth management. His career also includes leadership roles at TrueNorth, RSM & Co. and Arthur Andersen, reflecting deep expertise across investment banking, private equity and advisory services.

Bala Srinivasa, Managing Director, Arkam Ventures: A venture investor focused on partnering with founders building technology-driven businesses for India’s large consumer and enterprise markets. He has backed companies including KreditBee, Upstox, Jumbotail, Signzy and SpotDraft, supporting founders from early ideas through scale. With prior experience in analytics, revenue leadership and public-market technology research, he brings a blend of investment insight, operating perspective and global networks.

Basant Kumar Mohata, CEO, Manjushree Ventures: A seasoned financial and investment professional with over 25 years of experience across mergers and acquisitions, private equity, venture capital, portfolio management and strategic finance. He has played a pivotal role in driving business strategy and private equity initiatives at Manjushree Ventures. With expertise in complex transactions and investments exceeding $200 million, he brings strong financial acumen and deep knowledge of the Indian business landscape. His leadership continues to support sustainable growth, investor confidence and value creation.

Benaifer Malandkar, Chief Investment Officer, RAAY – Patni Family Office: An accomplished investment professional with over 22 years of experience across portfolio management, equity and debt markets, asset management, and private banking. As CIO of RAAY – Patni Family Office, she oversees investment identification, evaluation, execution and monitoring across diverse asset classes. She has extensive experience in early and mid-stage unlisted investments and has contributed to building and scaling multiple ventures. Her strategic approach combines investment expertise with a strong focus on sustainable growth and profitability.

Bhavesh A. Shah, Managing Director, Equirus: A capital markets and deal-making professional with over three decades of experience advising entrepreneurs, financial sponsors, investors and business leaders. He has worked extensively across growth capital, acquisitions, strategy, capital allocation and value creation. As Managing Director at Equirus, he brings a practical and independent perspective to complex strategic and financial decisions. His career includes nearly two decades at JM Financial, where he led Financial Sponsor Coverage and Emerging Clients.

Bhushan Patil, Founder & General Partner, Multiply Ventures: An entrepreneur, investor and business leader with extensive global experience across fintech, retail, media, global trade and technology. As Founder of Multiply Ventures, he partners with early-stage founders to build and scale consumer and fintech businesses while connecting them with investors and industry experts. His leadership experience includes senior roles at Paytm and Alibaba, where he drove global initiatives, cross-border partnerships and B2B marketplace development. He also actively mentors startups and invests across fintech, AI, deep tech, edtech and emerging digital models.

Biren Parekh, Director, CRISIL Limited: A strategic BFSI and digital transformation leader with over 29 years of global experience across retail and corporate banking. As Director at CRISIL, he has managed portfolios of up to $25 million and led complex implementations for Tier-1 global banks. Alongside his corporate leadership, he is an active angel investor with investments across multiple startups spanning fintech, technology, wellness and emerging businesses. His combination of financial services expertise, technology leadership and investment experience makes him a valuable contributor to India’s evolving private capital ecosystem.

Chaitanya (CD) Dabholkar, Chief Investment Officer, Asiana Alternative Investment Fund: A seasoned finance and investment leader with 26 years of experience across corporate finance, family office and investment environments. He currently manages startup and listed investments at the Dani Family Office while overseeing financial controlling for sports, charitable and family office entities. His two-decade tenure at Asian Paints included international finance leadership across 11 countries and CFO responsibilities for its kitchens and bath businesses. His strong focus on process improvement, technology and automation further strengthens his investment and financial leadership.

Chandra Sekhar Garisa, Managing Director, Claypond Capital: A business leader, entrepreneur, investor and institution builder with 20+ years of experience across FMCG, consumer internet, technology and consulting. He has built and transformed businesses including Sports365 and foundit, where he led a major business, product, brand and organizational turnaround. His leadership experience spans Microsoft, Quess, McKinsey and P&G, alongside extensive investor and board advisory roles. At Claypond Capital, he brings a strong track record of execution, strategic transformation and entrepreneurial value creation.

Chinmay Katdare, Partner, Epiq Capital: An investment professional with 15 years of experience in growth investing across Indian consumer, technology and financial services companies. He has invested approximately $1 billion across 30+ companies through roles at Epiq Capital, Flipkart Ventures and Khazanah Nasional. His experience spans deal sourcing, investment analysis, structuring, due diligence, portfolio management, strategic investments and exits. At Epiq Capital, he focuses on backing high-potential early-growth companies shaping India’s next generation of category leaders.

Chinmaya Sharma, Partner, Info Edge Ventures: An early-stage technology investor and accomplished business leader with experience spanning venture capital, entrepreneurship, consulting and e-commerce. At Info Edge Ventures, he invests in early-stage technology companies, drawing on his previous leadership at Namshi, where he owned the P&L as Chief Commercial Officer. He previously founded and scaled BigStylist and worked with Bain & Company across PE advisory, healthcare, consumer and digital engagements. His blend of investing, operating and entrepreneurial experience gives him a distinctive perspective on building high-growth businesses.

Deepak Padaki, President, Catamaran: Deepak leads Catamaran, following a 30-year career at Infosys where he served as Executive Vice President of Strategy, M&A, and Chief Risk Officer, playing a central role in shaping the company’s enterprise M&A strategy and Innovation Fund. He has served on multiple international boards including Panaya, EdgeVerve, Stater N.V., and HIPUS in Japan, reflecting deep global governance experience. His career reflects a rare blend of corporate strategy, risk management, and cross-border M&A execution. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science from the University of Mysore

Dhawal Bhathawala, Director, General Atlantic: An investment and financial professional with extensive experience across growth investing, M&A, tax and regulatory advisory. At General Atlantic, he provides strategic and financial expertise to investment teams and portfolio companies, following his role as Vice President at Blue Ashva Capital. His earlier experience at Deloitte and EY included M&A advisory, due diligence, restructuring, acquisitions, divestments and corporate advisory. A Chartered Accountant and CFA, he brings a strong combination of transaction expertise and investment-focused financial acumen.

Divian Baheti, Managing Partner, Midas Capital | Baheti Family Office: Divian leads day-to-day operations and growth strategy at Vectus Tanks, working to establish it as India’s leading water storage tanks brand. As Managing Partner at Midas Capital, the family’s office entity, he oversees investment strategy, risk management, and asset allocation across equities, debt, commodities, real estate, and venture capital. He holds a degree in Corporate Innovation and Entrepreneurship from Penn State University. His dual role reflects a blend of operational business leadership and family wealth stewardship.

Dr. R. Hafeez Basha, CEO, Ratan Tata Innovation Hub (RTIH) AP: Dr. Basha is a veteran innovation ecosystem builder who has led multiple technology business incubators, including Osmania TBI and Chandigarh University’s TBI, cumulatively supporting over a hundred startups. He currently drives entrepreneurship initiatives across four districts of Andhra Pradesh under the state government’s vision. He has advised institutions like UPSC, NITI Aayog, and the Government of Telangana, and holds a PhD from Kumamoto University, Japan, on a Monbukagakusho Scholarship. His career spans academia, government advisory, and startup incubation leadership.

Ganesh Raju, Founder & CEO, Turbostart Global: Ganesh founded Turbostart Global, a venture platform combining capital, company-building, and operational support that has raised and managed over ₹600 crore across more than 60 startups. He also founded Ken42, an AI-native operating system for educational institutions, and serves as a board member for PiChain and Optimile. Prior to entrepreneurship, he spent nearly two decades as a Partner at PwC India leading the Entrepreneurial and Private Business practice. His work spans venture building, education technology, and strategic advisory across India, the US, and MEA.

Gaurav VK Singhvi, Managing Partner & CEO, Avinya Ventures: Gaurav is a super angel investor who has backed over 125 startups, including nine unicorns, through platforms like Avinya Ventures, We Founder Circle, and his family office GSV Group. He also serves as National Director for CorporateConnections across India, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, and is a board member of JITO Administrative Training Foundation. His long career spans chartered accountancy, financial advisory through The Financial Supermarket, and mentoring over 40 founders. He focuses on making India’s startup ecosystem more inclusive for Tier 2 to 4 city entrepreneurs.

Gautam Mago, General Partner, A91 Partners: Gautam is a General Partner at A91 Partners, bringing over two decades of investment experience to the firm. Previously, he spent a decade as Managing Director at Sequoia Capital, where he served on the boards of major companies including OYO, MobiKwik, BankBazaar, Urban Ladder, and Capital Float. Earlier in his career, he worked at McKinsey & Company and Arthur Andersen. He holds an MBA from IIM Calcutta and a Master’s in Business from the University of Mumbai.

Harsh Chamria, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Magma Ventures: Harsh is a second-generation entrepreneur who previously led business P&L and digital transformation at Magma Fincorp, a listed NBFC co-founded by his family, before its stake was handed over to the Poonawalla group in 2021. He now runs Magma Ventures, an investment business spanning listed equities, derivatives, unlisted VC-PE and direct startup investments, and structured credit. He holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Cornell. His work reflects a shift from operating a large financial institution to building a diversified investment platform.

Harsha Kumar, Partner, Lightspeed India: Harsha is a Partner at Lightspeed investing in consumer tech, fintech, and sustainability startups, and sits on the boards of companies including PocketFM, Seekho, GlobalBees, Exponent Energy, Endowus, and Teachmint. Before venture capital, she built the product organization at Ola Cabs, scaling the platform from 3,000 to a million rides a day, and held product roles at Zynga and AdNear. She holds an MBA from INSEAD and was named to the Forbes India W-Power List 2026. Her career bridges hands-on product leadership and active board governance across a broad portfolio.

Hemang Shanghvi, Partner, MABS Family Office: Hemang has spent over three decades in the textile machinery manufacturing and foundry business, directing technical and design functions at the Laxmi group after completing his engineering degree from LD College of Engineering, Ahmedabad. He serves as Director at Laxmi Shuttleless Looms Private Limited and Shanghvi Founders and Engineers Private Limited, alongside his role at MABS Family Office. His long tenure reflects deep specialization in product development and machinery research. He represents a family office rooted in industrial manufacturing expertise.

Hemant Kanoria, Founder, Srei Infrastructure Finance Ltd: Hemant conceptualized Srei in 1989, pioneering private sector participation in India’s infrastructure financing and building it into one of the country’s largest integrated infrastructure institutions with an asset base of around USD 5.5 billion. He is also credited with driving rural entrepreneurship through the “Sahaj” model, which brought e-governance, e-commerce, and e-learning to remote areas via over 50,000 village-level entrepreneurs. He holds a bachelor’s degree from St. Xavier’s College, Kolkata. His legacy spans infrastructure finance innovation and rural digital inclusion.

Hershel Mehta, Private Investor, Mehta Ventures Family Office Investments: Hershel co-founded 2am VC, focused on early-stage India-based startups solving problems for or built by Gen Z India, and separately invests through Mehta Ventures Family Office alongside prominent angel investor Sanjay Mehta, with first-check investments in Zepto, OYO, and CoinDCX. He previously practiced as a CPA before transitioning to full-time investing in 2017. He completed an Executive MBA Venture Capital course at Wharton and holds a degree in Accounting and Marketing from the University of Miami. His path combines an accounting foundation with active early-stage venture and angel investing across the US and India.

Himanshu Kohli, Co-Founder, Client Associates: Himanshu brings nearly three decades of experience in investment and private banking, having worked with Deutsche Bank Private Banking, DSP Merrill Lynch, and London Forfaiting Group before co-founding Client Associates. He is regarded as a trailblazer in India’s family office concept and developed Portfolio Reallocation, a notable risk management technique. His accolades include Entrepreneur of the Year for Innovation in Financial Services 2023 and recognition as a Wealth Management Thought Leader by AIWMI. He holds a B.Com (Hons) from SRCC and a Master’s in Finance from Delhi University.

Jai Rupani, Head and CIO, Dinesh Hinduja Family Office: Jai oversees investments across all asset classes for the family office, including public and private equity, derivatives, debt, structured products, venture capital, and real estate, while also leading strategic initiatives like next-gen mentoring, succession planning, and philanthropy. He founded Aikya Connect, an invite-only network connecting single family office CIOs globally to share insights and best practices. Before this role, he was part of the investment team at TrueNorth, a $2.2 billion private equity fund, and spent several years as an investment banker at RBC Capital Markets in San Francisco, helping technology companies raise over $1.4 billion. He holds degrees in Finance and Real Estate from the University of Michigan and the University of Texas at Austin.

Jai Sumer Singh, Co-Founder, Riverwalk Holdings: Jai co-founded Riverwalk Holdings, an early-stage VC fund investing from Seed to Series B, backing companies like The Ayurveda Experience, Spotdraft, Mylo, and Aerem. He previously led India investments for the Thakral Group’s SGAN vehicle, deploying capital across 50-plus seed-stage companies, with notable exits including Karza Technologies and Stage. He began his career in business valuations at EY, working on TMT-focused M&A and growth-stage mandates. A CFA charterholder and Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia honoree, he holds a degree from Delhi University.

Jatin Desai, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Inflexor Ventures: Jatin brings over 25 years of global experience across fund management, entrepreneurship, and technology operations, currently leading Inflexor Technology Fund and Parampara Early Stage Opportunities Fund, investing in deep tech and IP-driven early-stage companies. He previously served as CIO of Bank of America and DSP Merrill Lynch in India, holding a seat on the bank’s country leadership team. His portfolio involvement includes board observer roles at Atomberg, Entropik, and Cloudsek. He holds an engineering degree from Nagpur University and a technology management certificate from the Darden School of Business.

Joy Bhakat, Co-Founder, Head of Investments, Steadview Capital: Joy heads the India office and global investment team at Steadview Capital, a growth and technology investment firm investing in public and private companies with an emphasis on the US and India. As a generalist investor, he focuses on growth businesses across technology, consumer, industrials, healthcare, and financial services, working closely with the firm’s Founder and CIO. He holds an MBA in Finance from IIM Calcutta, where he scored in the 99.92 percentile in CAT 2007, and a B.Tech in Computer Science from IIIT Hyderabad. His academic background includes multiple selections for the Indian National Mathematical Olympiad.

Joyeeta Nair, Senior Director, Dandu Group Family Office: Joyeeta brings 15 years of experience as a private banker with a keen understanding of behavioural finance, currently leading family office functions at the Dandu Group. Her career spans senior roles at Julius Baer Wealth Advisors, Motilal Oswal Financial Services, HDFC Bank, ICICI Securities, and Citibank India. This progression across leading wealth management institutions reflects deep expertise in private banking and client relationship management. She holds an MBA in Finance from ICFAI.

Karan Gala, Partner, Nueva Capital: Karan is a founding team member of LC Nueva, a Category II AIF fund with over $75 million AUM across two funds investing from Seed to Series C, backing companies like Homeville, Roadzen, Grip Invest, and Dukaan. He previously worked in private equity at TVS Capital Funds, advised on equity fund raises at Axis Capital, and handled distressed assets resolution at Edelweiss Financial Services. He is a Chartered Accountant, has cleared CFA Level 2, and passed FRM Part 1, all in first attempts. His background combines investment banking rigor with hands-on venture and growth equity investing.

Ganesh KC, President, Pratithi Investments: Ganesh is a financial expert specializing in planning and corporate finance, with deep expertise in the telecom and IT sectors. Before leading his family office, he held senior finance and strategy roles at Cognizant, Infosys, and Infosys Consulting, and earlier worked at Reliance Infocomm, KPMG Corporate Finance, and Skandia Investment ManageKC Ganeshament. His career reflects a strong foundation in corporate planning, M&A advisory, and portfolio optimization. He holds qualifications as a Chartered Accountant, Company Secretary, and Cost Accountant, along with a Business Analytics specialization from Wharton.

Ketan Kothari, Founder & Director, Aarii Ventures: Ketan has spent over two decades transforming India’s gold ecosystem, founding Augmont Gold For All, India’s largest physical gold platform serving over 30 million customers, and later launching Aarii Ventures, which has nurtured 55-plus startups across fintech, proptech, edutech, and spacetech. He also directs Arvog Finance and serves as Joint Secretary of the India Bullion and Jewellers Association and Chief Secretary of JITO Incubation and Innovation Foundation. His industry firsts include participating in the world’s first Gold ETF filing with SEBI and launching India’s premier digital gold and gold leasing platforms. He holds a Master’s in Finance and Investments from Nottingham University Business School.

Kulvinder Singh Bajaj, Managing Director, Baksh Capital: Kulvinder brings extensive experience in goods and commodities trading and real estate investment across Singapore, Malaysia, Dubai, Myanmar, India, Australia, Japan, Thailand, and Africa. At Baksh Capital, he focuses on growing the family office’s real estate portfolio and approving investments, while also serving as Director at Crescent Developments for over four decades. He notably founded Prima Fabrics in 2004, which became a preferred linen supplier to Accor Hotels, Rydges, and The Hilton in Australia. He completed his education at Raffles Institution, Singapore.

Leena Dandekar, Founder & Director, Raintree Family Office: Leena has dedicated her family’s capital, networks, and skills to driving impact in climate action, circularity, and sustainability, establishing Raintree Family Office to invest in impact and ESG asset classes. Through Raintree Foundation, she drives the vision of building climate resilience in living landscapes, positioning her as one of India’s early leaders in impact investing. Before this, she served on the Board of Directors of the Camlin Group, leading strategic and operational initiatives. She holds an MBA in Finance and a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Mumbai.

Madhuri Chand, Director, Yukti Securities: Madhuri has led Yukti Securities for over 17 years while also co-founding AllStarz, a mobile-based social sports network, and Brisa Consulting, an admissions advisory firm with successful placements at INSEAD, HBS, and LSE. Her earlier career includes roles at Merrill Lynch in private wealth and securitized lending, and as a Consultant at UNDP on poverty reduction and crisis prevention. She holds an MBA from the Indian School of Business and an M.Phil in Psychology from the University of Cambridge. Her diverse background spans finance, entrepreneurship, and international development.

Mahendran Balachandran, Partner, Accel: Mahendran has been a Partner at Accel for over 18 years, focusing on consumer, enterprise, and fintech investments. Before venture capital, he held senior business leadership roles including Country General Manager at Apple India and General Manager at Tektronix India, along with a stint as General Partner at Erasmic Investment Ventures. His background combines deep operational and turnaround experience across telecom, software, and hardware markets. He holds a PGDM in Finance and Marketing from IIM Bangalore and a BTech from REC Warangal.

Manish Joshi, CEO & Director, Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation: Manish brings 23 years of experience in the not-for-profit sector, including approximately 11 years in international development, currently leading the Narotam Sekhsaria Foundation. His career includes country director roles at Splash International and ChildFund Australia, where he managed program, financial, and policy operations across India and Papua New Guinea. He is known for strong leadership in advocacy, fundraising, and organizational management. He holds a Master’s degree in Environmental Science from Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna Garhwal University.

Mayank Bhatnagar, Co-Founder & COO, FinEdge: Mayank co-founded FinEdge, one of India’s leading digital goal-based wealth management firms, which now serves over 21,000 investors and manages more than ₹1,600 crore in assets through its bionic wealth management platform. As COO, he leads strategy, operations, technology, and client experience. Before FinEdge, he spent over eight years at Standard Chartered Bank, building a ₹1,000 crore mortgage portfolio and managing large corporate banking relationships. His career reflects a shift from traditional banking to technology-driven wealth management innovation.

Mayank Kachhwaha, General Partner, Fundamentum: Mayank co-founded IndiaLends in 2015, India’s first free consumer credit report platform, growing it from scratch into a business with millions of customers and thousands of crores in loan and credit card originations. Before entrepreneurship, he worked across fraud strategy, credit policy, and risk management functions at Capital One in the UK and US. He now serves as General Partner at The Fundamentum Partnership, focused on early-growth venture capital. He holds a BTech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Madras and was recognized on Forbes ’30 Under 30′ and BW ’40 Under 40′ lists.

Nayan Bader, Vice President, Warburg Pincus: Nayan is a Vice President at Warburg Pincus India, focused on investments in India since joining in 2023. He previously worked as an Investment Professional at Matrix Partners India, focusing on early-stage consumer tech investments, and held earlier roles at Norwest Venture Partners and A.T. Kearney. He holds a BTech from IIT Bombay and an MBA from the Wharton School. His career reflects a steady progression through top-tier venture capital and private equity platforms in India.

Nilesh Kothari, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Trifecta Capital: Nilesh co-founded Trifecta Capital, one of India’s leading capital platforms managing approximately $850 million in AUM across venture debt, growth equity, and advisory solutions, having pioneered institutional venture debt in India in 2015 and funded over 250 startups including BigBasket, Zepto, and Meesho. Before Trifecta, he served as Global Managing Director at Accenture, leading ventures and acquisitions, and earlier built new ventures within the Aditya Birla Group, JM Financial, and Hero Group. He also teaches venture capital and private equity courses at IIM Calcutta and ISB. He holds a Master’s from BITS Pilani and has nearly 35 years of experience spanning investing, operations, and entrepreneurship.

Nirali Solani, Head, Chona Family Office: Nirali leads the Chona Family Office, overseeing investments across listed and unlisted equities, fixed income, real estate, digital assets, and alternatives, while also driving strategy and capital allocation for family businesses like Hocco Ice Creams and Phab. She built and leads India’s first all-women single family office, following over seven years advising ultra-high-net-worth families at ASK Wealth. She has completed all three levels of the CFA Program and is a Certified Financial Planner, recognized among India’s Top Women in Finance 2023. Her 15-plus year career spans wealth management, family office leadership, and long-term business building.

Nisha Shah, General Partner, Aum Ventures: Nisha brings over two decades of experience across top-tier consulting firms like KPMG and EY and prominent family offices including Narotam Sekhsaria Family Office and Wami Capital. As General Partner at Aum Ventures, she drives investment thesis, deal execution, and portfolio management, having previously led investment strategy and served as COO at NSFO. Her consulting career included advising global private equity and venture capital funds on complex cross-border transactions. She is a Chartered Accountant and holds credentials from the CFA Institute.

Nithin Kamath, Founder & CEO, Zerodha & Rainmatter: Nithin founded Zerodha, now India’s largest brokerage firm, after over a decade of trading markets for a living and feeling the need for change in the industry. He also leads Rainmatter, an initiative funding and incubating fintech startups focused on saving and investing, alongside Rainmatter Foundation, which supports climate change organizations. His journey began with proprietary trading and telesales roles before building Kamath Associates as a Reliance Money franchisee. His work reflects a rare blend of trading expertise and platform-building at scale.

Nithya Easwaran, Managing Director, Multiples Alternate Asset Management: Nithya leads the financial services and fintech investing practice at Multiples, an India-focused alternate asset firm managing around $2 billion in AUM, and serves as an Investment Committee and Board Member. She has driven investments and board roles across companies including PVR, IEX, Arvind Fashions, Acko, and Shubham Housing Finance. Prior to Multiples, she spent nearly a decade at Citibank in fixed income capital markets and earlier worked at ICICI Ltd on structured products. She holds an MBA from IIM Lucknow and completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.

Piyush Bansal, Head, Aditya Birla Ventures: Piyush brings 18 years of experience across private equity, venture capital, corporate strategy, and M&A, having built Aditya Birla Ventures as a founding member into a growth capital firm backed by the ~$67 billion Aditya Birla Group. He has led investments in companies like Dukaan, Giva, Eka.Care, and Pixxel Space, and previously delivered strong returns at Aditya Birla Private Equity on deals including Indian Energy Exchange and RBL Bank. He is a recipient of the Chairman’s Award and led ABV to win IVCA’s Best New Fund Entry award in 2023. He holds an MBA from ISB and is a Chartered Accountant.

Prashant Malik, Co-Founder & General Partner, Tykhe Ventures: Prashant brings over three decades of experience as a technology operator and investor, having played a pivotal role in Facebook’s early engineering team as co-author of the Cassandra distributed storage system before its IPO. He founded Tykhe Ventures, initially focused on blockchain infrastructure and now backing AI-first founders, with early-stage investments that have grown into unicorns including OfBusiness, Shadowfax, Urban Company, and CoinSwitch. He also co-founded and served as CTO of Limeroad.com and began his career as a software engineer at Microsoft. He holds a B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Delhi.

Prateek Mehta, General Partner, South Park Commons: Prateek leads SPC’s India office and investments, bringing over 15 years of experience as a founder and operator across the Indian startup ecosystem. He co-founded Scripbox and Upwardly, scaled Myntra’s core brand retail business as SVP, and served as Executive Director and Chief Business Officer at Angel One driving PnL and growth. His diverse operating background spans consumer internet and fintech, with functional expertise in strategy, growth, and brand management. He holds degrees from IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Bombay.

Pratekk Agarwaal, Founder & General Partner, GrowthCap Ventures: Pratekk is a first-generation entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience building and scaling businesses across financial services, fintech, and agritech, having held leadership roles at Bajaj Finance, Fullerton India, IndoStar Capital, and BharatPe. As Founder of GrowthCap Ventures, a SEBI-registered Category II AIF, he backs founders in fintech, SaaS, AI, and deeptech with investments ranging from $200K to $500K, alongside active angel investments in over 30 companies. He also serves as a Board Member of TiE Mumbai and a Council Member at IVCA’s Emerging Managers Council. He holds an Executive Post Graduate Programme from IIM Kozhikode.

Puneet Gupta, Co-Founder & Managing Partner Kaleidofin: Puneet co-founded Kaleidofin, a fintech platform helping under-banked customers meet real-life financial goals through tailored solutions. Before this, he was part of the founding team at IFMR Trust Group for nearly a decade, holding roles including CEO of IFMR Rural Finance Services and CFO of IFMR Holdings, where he developed the KGFS model for rural financial inclusion. He also set up and managed IFMR Mezzanine Finance and IFMR Ventures, an equity fund investing in rural supply chains. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Rural Management from IRMA.

Radhika Rajan, Executive Vice President, DSP Investments: Radhika manages the investments of the DSP family office, bringing over 25 years of profit-responsible experience primarily built in New York’s financial markets, including proprietary trading roles at JP Morgan, Itochu, UBS, and Bank of America. She has focused on India as an investment destination since 1999 and previously advised The Chatterjee Group and other private equity groups on US-India corridor investments. She serves as an Independent Director on boards including 3M, Bayer CropScience, and Exide Industries. She holds an MSc from IIT Bombay and an MBA-equivalent degree from IIM Ahmedabad.

Rahul Samat, Partner & India Head, Entrepreneurs First: Rahul leads Entrepreneurs First’s India operations, bringing experience at the intersection of e-commerce, gaming, product, and strategy. He was an early leadership team member at Swiggy, building its cloud kitchen, private brands, and strategic brands businesses from pre-ideation to tens of millions of transactions, and earlier co-founded FoodTech startup InnerChef. Before his startup career, he worked at Capital One and Barclays Investment Bank in strategy and trading roles. He holds a Master of Science from the University of Pennsylvania and a Bachelor’s in Computer Science from Osmania University.

Rajat Agarwal, Managing Director, Z47 & DeVC: Rajat is an early-stage investor with a portfolio spanning consumer and fintech companies including Razorpay, OneCard, GoKwik, and Foxtale. He spent over a decade as Managing Director at Matrix Partners India before joining Z47 and DeVC. Earlier in his career, he worked as a Business Analyst and Associate at McKinsey and Company. He holds an MBA in Finance and Strategy from the Indian School of Business and a B.Tech plus M.Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Delhi.

Rajat Mangla, Vice President, General Atlantic: Rajat focuses on General Atlantic’s investments in financial services and fintech across India and Asia-Pacific, covering deals including PhonePe, Acko, KFin Technologies, and Snapmint. Before joining General Atlantic in 2023, he was an Investment Professional at GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, and earlier at The Carlyle Group’s Asia Buyout Fund, working on deals like Delhivery and Medanta Hospitals. He has also founded his own health-tech startup, CloudKare, and worked at Flipkart. He holds an MBA from IIM Bangalore, where he was ranked fourth in his institute, and a B.Tech from IIT Delhi.

Rajeev Juneja, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Mankind Pharma Ltd: Rajeev has led Mankind Pharma for nearly 32 years, driving the company’s mission to deliver affordable and quality healthcare solutions across India. Under his leadership, the company has focused on building a diverse range of drug formulations and over-the-counter products while strengthening India’s healthcare ecosystem. His long tenure reflects a sustained commitment to accessible medicine and institutional growth. He continues to oversee the company’s Indian market business and R&D-focused vision.

Rajiv Srivatsa, Founding Partner, Antler India: Rajiv co-leads the deployment and operations of Antler’s $75 million early-stage VC fund in India, backing founders from inception through Series A. He previously co-founded Urban Ladder, building it into India’s leading omni-channel furniture brand over seven and a half years, raising over $100 million from investors including Sequoia, Kalaari, and Ratan Tata, before its acquisition by Reliance in 2020. Earlier in his career, he spent four years as a Senior Product Manager at Yahoo! working on consumer media products across emerging markets. He holds an MBA from IIM Bangalore and a B.Tech in Naval Architecture Engineering from IIT Madras.

Ravinder Vashist, Co-Founder, Roots Ventures: Ravinder brings over fourteen years of experience across private and public equity investing, project finance, and infrastructure financing. Before co-founding Roots Ventures, he managed the NBFC portfolio at BanyanTree Finance, overseeing assets of over INR 1,350 crores, and earlier managed INR 850 crore across two private equity funds at IDFC Investment Advisors with significant benchmark outperformance. He also worked at IDFC Project Finance, building strong expertise in equity and debt structuring. He holds an MBA from IIM Lucknow, a degree from NIT Kurukshetra, and earned his CFA Charter in 2009.

Rema Subramanian, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Ankur Capital Fund: Rema co-founded Ankur Capital in 2013, building it into one of India’s leading early-stage venture platforms focused on deep science and technology-led businesses across climate, agritech, health, and fintech, with a portfolio including StringBio, Captain Fresh, and BigHaat. Before venture capital, she founded and scaled Alpha Share Services, a fintech infrastructure company that achieved 100x growth before a successful exit, and held leadership roles at Raymond, Zee, and Datamatics. She leads firm strategy, fundraising, and portfolio construction across AI, digital infrastructure, and emerging technologies. She holds qualifications in Cost and Works Accountancy and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the University of Mumbai.

Rishabh Bhatt, Vice President, TA Associates: Rishabh is a Vice President at TA Associates, a leading global private equity firm that has invested in over 560 companies across technology, healthcare, financial services, consumer, and business services since 1968. Before joining TA, he worked as an Investment Banking Associate at Bank of America Merrill Lynch and as an Investment Banking Analyst at Rothschild & Co and J.P. Morgan, where he covered financial institutions in North America. His career reflects a strong foundation in investment banking before transitioning to private equity. He holds a background shaped by early internships at J.P. Morgan and IIM Ahmedabad.

Rishabh Kathotia, Director, Subhkam Ventures: Rishabh has served as Director at Subhkam Ventures for over eight years, following a role as an Equity Derivatives Trader at Edelweiss Financial Services. His earlier career included research and equity internships at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Nomura Securities, Reliance Capital, Motilal Oswal, and Kotak Securities. This progression reflects a strong grounding in equity markets, derivatives trading, and financial research. He holds a Master’s degree in Risk Management and Financial Engineering from Imperial Business School and a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics.

Ritij Goel, Vice President, WestBridge Capital: Ritij is an investor at WestBridge Capital, bringing prior experience from Microsoft’s Corporate Strategy team, where he was part of a group of about 25 people directly advising CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood on strategic focus areas including Apps and Infrastructure, Data and AI, and emerging markets. He earlier worked as an Associate at Strategy& (formerly Booz & Co.) in Washington, DC. His background combines high-level corporate strategy experience with investment expertise. He holds an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Science from Northwestern University.

Rohan Sharma, Principal, 8i Ventures: Rohan brings a strong background in strategy consulting and operational leadership, having helped lead a multi-year scale-up at Easebuzz from early traction to over $30 billion in annual GMV while maintaining profitability, and playing a key role in its $30 million Series A raise. Before that, he spent nearly six years at Boston Consulting Group and EY advising clients across financial services, automotive, pharma, and logistics sectors. His diverse experience spans P&L leadership, GTM design, and capital strategy. He holds a Dual Degree in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Bombay.

Rohit M A, Managing Partner, PeerCapital: Rohit co-founded and directed the Cloudnine Group of Hospitals, building it into India’s leading maternity, women, and child healthcare network over two decades. He has been an active early-stage investor through a multi-million corpus family investment platform and now leads PeerCapital, an early-stage tech VC fund backing next-generation founders. He is a certified Corporate Director and a recipient of the Economic Times 40 Under 40 recognition. He holds an Executive MBA in Entrepreneurship from IIM Bangalore.

S Chandrasekar, CEO, Reddy Holdings: Chandrasekar currently leads Reddy Ventures and Oval Fertility, tasked with establishing a premium IVF chain built on quality and consistent success rates. Before this, he served as Group Chief Operating Officer at Ferty9 Fertility Center and held senior operational roles at Nova IVF Fertility, including COO and EVP Operations, over more than six years. His earlier career spanned retail operations leadership at SPAR India, where he held P&L accountability for 12 hypermarkets across South India, and over a decade at Spencer’s in progressively senior roles across private label and regional operations. His journey reflects a strong foundation in operations and business leadership across retail and healthcare sectors. 

Sagar Agarwal, Founder & Managing Partner, Beams Fintech Fund: Sagar co-founded Beams Fintech Fund, India’s first pure growth-stage fintech fund, investing in Series B and C rounds across embedded finance, enterprise SaaS, and fintech infrastructure. He previously served as Managing Director at Nimai Capital and spent over a decade as Director and IC Member at Evolvence Capital, leading or advising on more than 30 investments across tech and non-tech sectors. He also serves as Strategic Advisor to Venture Catalysts on fintech investments and expansion strategy. He holds a Global MBA from SP Jain School of Global Management with Dean’s List and Gold Medal honors.

Samdarsh Rai Gupta, Vice President and CIO, DLF Group Family Office: Samdarsh currently leads investments and capital strategy at the DLF Group Family Office, following a family office leadership role at Airtel where he drove PIPE deals, structured debt, capital raises, and played a core role in the $1 billion Bharti Enterprises, SoftBank, and Foxconn joint venture. He also briefly served as Family Office Controller at RP Sanjiv Goenka Group and led financial turnarounds at RICOH and GNC India. His career spans investments, capital management, restructuring, and financial governance across India and overseas. He is a Chartered Accountant and holds an Executive MBA in International Finance from the University of London.

Sandhya Randev, President, Randev Ventures (Family Office): Sandhya leads Randev Ventures, a new-age single family office established in 2018 that invests as a closed-network fund across B2B emerging technology, deeptech, SaaS, cleantech, and consumer tech in India, MENA, North America, and Southeast Asia. She also co-founded and chairs Ahem Asmi Trust, an innovative learning organization focused on improving education quality in India. Her earlier career spanned education leadership roles across Dubai, Hungary, Thailand, Kuwait, and Germany, alongside a stint practicing civil law at the Delhi High Court. Her diverse background bridges international education and family office investment leadership.

Sanjay Jain, Managing Director & CIO, Capri Global Investment Managers LLP: Sanjay brings over 30 years of experience across project and corporate finance, capital markets, M&A advisory, and stressed asset restructuring. As CEO of Aditya Birla ARC, he led the acquisition and resolution of KSK Mahanadi Power through the CIRP process, and earlier headed capital markets at JM Financial and SBI Capital Markets, executing over 150 equity and debt deals worth more than a lakh crore. He now leads investment strategy at Capri Global, focusing on special-situations investments across India’s mid-market. He is a Chartered Accountant by qualification.

Sanjay Swamy, Managing Partner & Co-Founder, Prime Venture Partners: Sanjay is a serial entrepreneur turned investor, having built ZipDial, a mobile SMS platform acquired by Twitter, and Ezetap, a payments company for offline merchants, while also contributing to Aadhaar and IndiaStack. Since 2012, he has run Prime Venture Partners, backing India-first fintech, SaaS, AI, and deeptech founders with a portfolio including WheelsEye, Quizizz, Dozee, and MyGate. Earlier in his career, he founded and led mChek, a mobile payments startup deployed on over 100 million SIM cards. He holds an MS in Aeronautics from the University of Washington and a BE in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Bangalore University.

Sanjeev Yamsani, Partner, VenturEast: Sanjeev leads investments at VenturEast across deeptech, product software, B2B, and Middle India sectors, having led or co-led deals including Kissht, Zaggle, and IncNut, several of which achieved successful listings or exits. He brings investment experience spanning early, venture growth, private equity, and leveraged buyout transactions, having previously worked at D. E. Shaw & Co. on direct capital strategies. He currently serves on the boards of Infinite Uptime, IncNut Digital, and Eyegear Optics. He holds a degree from the Indian School of Business and a B.Com (Hons) from Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Learning.

Saravanan Nattanmai, Partner, Premji Invest: Saravanan brings over 20 years of private equity experience, currently leading financial services and fintech investments at Premji Invest, focused on strategic growth, buyout, and co-creation investments in lending, insurance, and wealth management. Before his current role, he was an Investment Professional at Aion India Investment Advisors and Nereus Capital, building deep expertise in technology-driven financial services investing. He began his career in program leadership at GE. He holds an MBA from the Indian School of Business and an M.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Bombay, where he was department first rank holder.

Saurabh Nair, Senior Vice President, GVFL: Saurabh is actively involved in early-stage startup investments, with a portfolio including Zero Cow Factory, VideoSDK, and CTPL.io, alongside angel investments in Wayfr, Cleardekho, and Monrow. He previously served as Chief Investment Officer at Kerala Infrastructure Fund Management, managing AIF funds focused on impact within the state, and spent nearly five years at GVFL working across deal origination, portfolio management, and fundraising. His earlier career included analyst roles at SNL Financial and Markit. He holds an MBA in Finance and Marketing from Indian Business Academy and a BE in Instrumentation and Control from Gujarat University.

Saurabh Solanki, Chief Investment Officer, Desai Family Office: Saurabh brings over 15 years of experience managing the single family office of the Wagh Bakri Tea Group’s promoter family, overseeing multi-asset portfolios spanning equities, fixed income, real estate, alternatives, and startup investments. As CIO, he leads investment strategy development, deal structuring, family governance, and wealth preservation initiatives for the family. He is also registered as an Eligible Independent Director with the IICA Independent Director Databank. He holds an MBA in Finance from S K Patel Institute of Management and Computer Studies.

Saurabh Vashishtha, Founder & Managing Partner, OTP Ventures: Saurabh founded OTP Ventures, an early-stage VC fund investing in consumer brands, consumer technology, and fintech, following a career spanning simsim, an influencer commerce platform he built and later sold to Google, and a senior leadership role at Paytm building its commerce platform. Earlier, he worked at McKinsey and Trilogy, building deep technology and consulting expertise. He has been angel investing in consumer and fintech since 2016. He holds an MBA from the Indian School of Business and a B.Tech in Computer Science from IIT Roorkee.

Sid Mookerji, Founder & Managing Partner, Silicon Road Ventures: Sid leads Silicon Road Ventures, focused on defining the future of agentic AI in commerce through startups, research, and advisory services with top technology universities. He previously served as Global CEO and Founder of Software Paradigms International for 22 years, a full-service technology solutions provider for global retailers that was acquired by Cognizant in 2018. He also co-founded and serves as CEO of Silver Spirit Global, operating tech parks in India and the US. He holds an Executive MBA from Emory University’s Goizueta Business School and a BE in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from BITS Pilani.

Siddhartha Ahluwalia, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Neon Fund: Siddhartha founded Neon Fund, a $25 million early-stage VC fund backing Enterprise AI startups with over 65 portfolio companies, building conviction through six-plus years hosting 400 of the world’s best founders and investors on The Neon Show, ranked second globally in the VC category. Before the fund, he led the SaaS Ecosystem at AWS and earlier built and sold a B2B SaaS startup, including AddoDoc and Babygogo, which was acquired by SHEROES. His portfolio includes companies like SpotDraft, CloudSEK, and Atomicwork, several of which have gone on to raise significant follow-on funding. He holds a Master’s in Information Technology from ABV-Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management.

Srinivas Seshadri, Head of Investments, Mirabilis Investment Trust: Srinivas has managed investments for the family office of a prominent Bangalore-based tech founder for nearly 11 years, overseeing multi-asset allocation across equities, fixed income, and alternatives in Indian public and private markets. Before this role, he built deep expertise as an Equity Analyst covering Indian media and IT research at RBS Equities, CIMB Securities, and Antique Stock Broking. He also worked at JPMorgan India on European chemicals and ASEAN telecom research. He holds a PGDM in Finance and Marketing from IIM Kozhikode and is a Chartered Accountant.

Sumer Juneja, Managing Partner, SoftBank Investment Advisers: Sumer heads EMEA and India investments at SoftBank, having set up its local investing presence in India in 2018 before expanding to oversee EMEA activity, serving on boards including Lenskart, Swiggy, Meesho, and Eruditus. Before SoftBank, he was a Partner at Norwest Venture Partners for nearly a decade, leading successful exits including Swiggy, IndusInd Bank, and the National Stock Exchange. Earlier, he was a founding member of Goldman Sachs’ Asian Special Situations Group, investing in companies like Bharti Infratel and IRB Infrastructure. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Government and Economics from the London School of Economics.

Surinder Arora, Founder and Chairman, Arora Group: Surinder arrived in the UK as a teenager from India and founded the Arora Group in 1999, starting with a four-star hotel at Heathrow before building a diversified private group spanning property, construction, and hotel development across the UK. He notably purchased the Renaissance London Heathrow hotel in 2012, the same property where he had once worked as a waiter in the 1970s. He also co-founded the Arora Charitable Foundation with his wife Sunita, supporting social responsibility initiatives in the UK and abroad. His journey reflects a remarkable arc from immigrant hospitality worker to owner of a major UK hotel and property group.

Vaas Bhaskar, Partner, Elevation Capital: Vaas focuses on early-stage fintech and financial services investments at Elevation Capital, bringing prior experience advising consumer and financial technology businesses at Bain & Company and building internal products for Barclays Bank’s emerging markets business. He is known for prioritizing founders with unceasing customer empathy and believes high trust and long-term alignment form the foundation of successful investor-founder partnerships. He holds an MBA from IIM Calcutta, where he was an Institute Gold Medal holder, and a degree in Computer Engineering from the National University of Singapore.

Vikram Gupta, Founder & Managing Partner, IvyCap Ventures: Vikram founded IvyCap Ventures, India’s first innovation and technology VC fund leveraging alumni ecosystems for investing and value creation, with a portfolio including Purplle, Clovia, Biryani By Kilo, and BlueStone. Before this, he served as COO at IndiaVenture Advisors, a Piramal Enterprises healthcare-focused private equity fund, managing fundraising, due diligence, and strategic exits. Earlier in his career, he led Business Consultants at IBM Global Services focused on healthcare and life sciences clients. He holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve University’s Weatherhead School of Management and a B.Tech in Chemical Engineering from IIT Delhi.

Vivek Tolat, Chief Investment Officer & Head of Family Office Investments, Eraya Capital (KCT Group): Vivek brings over 19 years of cross-cycle experience across venture capital, private equity, listed equities, and debt markets, currently leading a multi-asset family office portfolio spanning direct investments in India’s leading startups with a global footprint across India, Vietnam, Turkey, the USA, and Israel. Before Eraya Capital, he headed corporate strategy and family office investments at ACME Cleantech Solutions and spent nearly six years at Bravia Capital across New York and Mumbai in origination and portfolio roles. He also worked at Brand Capital, the private equity arm of the Times of India Group, and at JPMorgan Chase as a real estate credit analyst. He is a CFA charterholder and a frequent speaker on family office strategy and patient capital.

Yash Poddar, Chief Investment Officer, Vikas Poddar Family Office: Yash has served as CIO of his family office since 2015, strategically allocating generational capital across equities, alternative investments, venture capital, and private equity with a strong focus on consumer brands and fintech ventures. He has built a track record as a prolific investor, backing companies like Dogsee Chew, Rain Platforms, and Zlade, while consistently exceeding benchmarks in proprietary capital management. His approach emphasizes smart structuring, tax planning, and legal diligence as the foundation of effective family office management. He completed the Venture Capital Executive Program at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business and a valuation certification from the Institute for Mergers, Acquisitions and Alliances, Switzerland.

Yash Sacheti, Head, Sacheti Family Office: Yash leads the Sacheti Family Office, investing across venture capital, private equity, and public markets. Before this role, he spent time in the CEO’s Office at CaratLane and was part of the founding team at Oro, a fintech startup focused on improving access to fair credit for underserved customers. His earlier experience includes an analyst stint at CaratLane and internships spanning business development and supply chain at Jaipur Gems, Urban Company, and CaratLane. His career reflects a blend of operating experience in consumer and fintech businesses alongside family office investment leadership. 

Conclusion

The future of India’s private capital landscape will be shaped not only by the volume of capital deployed, but by the vision, conviction and leadership behind it. As startups mature, new sectors emerge and family wealth increasingly moves towards strategic investments, the role of experienced capital allocators will become even more significant.

The Private Capital 100: India’s Most Influential VC & Family Office Leaders celebrates the individuals who are already helping shape this future. Through their investment decisions, mentorship, networks and long-term perspectives, they are influencing businesses and sectors while contributing to the broader evolution of India’s entrepreneurial and investment ecosystem.

These leaders represent a new generation of private capital, one that looks beyond financial returns to identify enduring opportunities, support transformative ideas and create sustainable value. Their journeys and contributions serve as a testament to the growing strength of India’s private capital ecosystem and the influential role it will continue to play in the country’s economic story.

-Researched and Edited By Arushi Agarwal & Shivani Solanki

Disclaimer

This editorial, “The Private Capital 100: India’s Most Influential VC & Family Office Leaders,” has been curated through independent research, industry analysis, and publicly available information sourced from company websites, professional profiles, media publications, interviews, investment disclosures, and other credible public resources available at the time of compilation. The individuals featured represent a diverse cross-section of venture capital professionals, family office leaders, private investors, and investment decision-makers contributing to India’s evolving private capital ecosystem. This editorial is not intended to serve as an exhaustive or definitive list of all influential VC and family office leaders operating in India.

The selection process follows a structured editorial methodology, with emphasis placed on each individual’s demonstrated involvement in venture capital, private investments, family office activities, startup funding, portfolio development, strategic capital allocation, and broader contribution to India’s investment ecosystem. The featured professionals may hold a range of leadership and investment roles, including Partners, Managing Partners, General Partners, Founding Partners, Principals, Investment Directors, Family Office Leaders, Chief Investment Officers, and other senior investment positions. Their inclusion is based on their investment activity, sector relevance, professional contribution, and influence within the private capital ecosystem.

The profiles featured in this editorial are arranged in alphabetical order by the names of the individuals and do not constitute a ranking. The sequence of appearance should not be interpreted as an indication of influence, investment performance, fund size, wealth, seniority, experience, portfolio success, or comparative standing among the featured leaders.

All information presented has been compiled from publicly available sources believed to be reliable at the time of publication. However, given the dynamic nature of the investment and business landscape, professional roles, organisational affiliations, investment portfolios, fund mandates, and other career details may change over time. While every reasonable effort has been made to verify the information, there may be inadvertent errors, omissions, or developments that occur after publication.

The inclusion of any individual, venture capital firm, family office, investment organisation, or portfolio company in this editorial is intended solely for recognition and informational purposes. It should not be construed as an endorsement, recommendation, investment advice, solicitation, affiliation, or validation of any individual’s investment strategy, fund performance, financial standing, portfolio company, or future investment outcomes.

We remain committed to maintaining fairness, transparency, and editorial integrity throughout our recognition initiatives. If any corrections, updates, or clarifications are required, we welcome constructive feedback and may consider appropriate revisions in future editions.