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VJ
VJ

VJ

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    VJ
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    VJ

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      VJ
      • Venture Consulting

        Since the start of my career, I've had the privilege of working with over 2 dozen, unique & interesting, early-stage projects & their founders; learning from some of these extremely intelligent practitioners - ranging from India's first medical device incubator, a novel food truck business, an advanced AI analytics company, an award-winning platform for dogs, a Swedish co-living business; amongst multiple others.

      • I enjoy adding value to & learning from new businesses across industries; as it broadens my perspective while helping me understand the nuances across them.

         

        Bharosa

        Bharosa

        Strategy & Fundraising

        Gujarat, India

        2023

        Bharosa is a premium blended masala comprising of premium areca nuts (with silver flakes), tobacco & lime - all packed inside a disposable ziplock pocket. Bharosa's vision is to organize the unorganized Indian tobacco (Mava) market.

        The Pranna

        The Pranna

        Launch

        Mumbai, India

        2022

        The Prrana is a multi-disciplinary creative curator and incubator of transformative experiences for the curious and the adventurous – to help elevate your personal creativity. The Prrana is about immersive, soulful experiences of arts, life, and culture that are potentially life-transforming.

        Allihoop

        Allihoop

        Fundraising & Product

        Stockholm, Sweden

        2022

        Assisting Allihoop, an Antler backed co-living startup in securing a SEK 50 million raise & worked on their new cross-platform app for residents.

        Sequoia Insilico

        Sequoia Insilico

        Launch

        Mumbai, India

        2021

        Sequoia Insilico Private Limited (SIPL) is an advanced analytics company that develops AI solutions intending to add value to all aspects of human lives and its ecosystem, including agriculture, healthcare, infrastructure, and sustainable environment.

        Unimet Alloys

        Unimet Alloys

        Sales Optimization & Partnerships

        Gujarat, India

        2021

        Assisted Unimet Alloys streamline their strategic outreach to source more orders and grow their top line.

        Parenthood and Healing Technologies, PTE

        Rythmo

        Launch

        Singapore

        2021

        I helped the polymath Founder of Parenthood and Healing Technologies, PTE structure the Rythmo investor deck, to showcase what the world-class team built over many years. Rythmo is a friendly wellness assistant that provides personalized and integrated - food, physical, and mental wellness advice while discovering, addressing, and mitigating man-made risks. It makes non-communicable diseases visible and preventable.

        FCL Search

        FCL Search

        Startup Strategy & Tech

        Mumbai, India

        2012 & 2021

        Assisted the founder branch out into a newer direction from AFCL - in launching FCL Search, a boutique legal recruitment firm for the legal industry in 2012. Currently one of India's market leaders in legal recruitment. Worked with FCL again in early 2021 to identify the right tech platform / CRM to manage our workflow across India's corporate legal market, especially when working remotely; in the wake of the global pandemic.

        Hungry Wheels

        Hungry Wheels

        Fundraising

        Bangalore, India

        2021

        Built a 10 year discounted cash flow (DCF) model ahead of a US$3mn seed round raise alongside the Founder of this unique Indian food-truck business.

        AFCL

        AFCL

        Strategy & Content

        Mumbai, India

        2009 & 2020

        Assisted the founder in creating India’s first finance training business for the legal industry in 2009; currently a market leader in their niche. Also, helped AFCL pivot towards online training during the global pandemic in 2020.

        DSP Merrill Lynch

        Wagr

        Fundraising

        Bangalore, India

        2019-20

        Assisted Wagr as a Fundraising Consultant in raising a US$500k seed round. Connected the founders to multiple Venture Capital (VC) investors across the US, UK & India.

        Fibe

        Fibe (previously EarlySalary)

        Product Management & Data Science

        Pune, India

        2019-20

        EarlySalary is a salary advance mobile application that enables Indian users to borrow money for urgent cash requirements before they get their monthly wages. I worked on a 3-month, full-time product management & data science project, out of their offices in Pune.

        Blur Bar

        Blur Bar

        Launch & Go-To-Market

        Bangalore, India

        2019

        Helped the founder and my good friend, Esha Bagla launch Blur Bar, India's first Brazilian tattoo camouflage clinic.

        Tamarind Family Private Trust (ONIDA)

        Tamarind Family Private Trust

        Investment Analyst

        Mumbai, India

        2018-19

        Investment Analyst at the Mansukhani family office (founders of MICR Electronics - owners of the ONIDA brand in India). Due diligence and on a range of new investment opportunities, across industries, largely in India & the US. My first boss at UBS Investment Bank, Akshay Mansukhani, gave me an opportunity to get back into work mode by helping them evaluate new investment opportunities, largely in the US, for their family office.

        Hariyalee

        Hariyalee

        Startup Strategy

        Bangalore, India

        2017

        Hariyalee is a farm-to-table gourmet food startup. I helped prepare the family-run business to refine their offering to end consumers as well as establish a Farmer Partner Program to scale their network of farmers.

        Pay It Forward

        Pay It Forward

        Launch & Go-To-Market

        Bangalore, India

        2016

        Pay It Forward (PIF) is a social entrepreneurial venture started by three women from diverse backgrounds, in 2016, to spread financial awareness amongst women & youth. I helped them go to market & prep for their initial launch.

        Dapper Don

        Dapper Don

        Product Development

        Bangalore, India

        2015

        Dapper Don, a personalized shopping service for men. I managed the built out of the backend architecture and the app design while managing a team of 2 developers & 1 designer.

        VIR India

        VIR India

        Startup Strategy

        Bangalore, India

        2015

        Worked on a very early business plan for VIR India along with my ex-boss from Bollyverse, Shekhar Purohit. VIR is a social impact initiative, created exclusively for the Armed Forces. As India’s first private digital platform for the Armed and Paramilitary Forces, VIR India aims to enhance and enrich the lives of military personnel and their families, from the inception of service to post-retirement, touching military lives in every possible way.

        InnAccel

        InnAccel

        AIM (Affordable Innovation in Medtech) Fellowship

        Bangalore, India

        2014

        Worked at the world's first MedTech accelerator network focused on building indigenous devices for India and the developing world using the Stanford Biodesign Process. Part of InnAccel's inaugural AIM Fellowship in 2014.

        Motilal Oswal Asset Management

        Motilal Oswal Asset Management's International Fund

        Fund Strategy

        Mumbai, India

        2014

        Worked alongside Manish Sonthalia, the Fund Manager, a Sr. VP at Motilal Oswal, formerly Head of the Equity PMS (Portfolio Management Service) & Vaibhav Agarwal in drafting a strategy for Motilal Oswal's International Fund.

        Artistivity

        Artisitivity

        Biz Dev

        Mumbai, India

        2014

        Artistivity is a Bombay-based startup that provides live artists and entertainers for every celebration. I worked on a biz dev role for Artistivity briefly in 2013, upon my return from London and before moving to Bangalore.

        WindSong

        WindSong

        Strategy & Sponsorships

        Mumbai, India

        2013

        Assisted Sameer Bhayani, the founder of World of Yellow in putting together an outdoor music festival in collaboration with Percept (owners of the Sunburn brand in India). I worked closely with Sameer, the founder upon my return from London in 2013 to get this concept off the ground & launch the first edition of the music festival held in Goa.

        QuikWallet

        QuikWallet

        Startup Strategy

        Mumbai, India

        2012

        Worked alongside my friend from HR College in Mumbai - Mohit Lalvani, the Founder & CEO of LivQuik, the parent company of QuikWallet - for a couple of months - during the very early days of the startup, before heading to the UK to pursue a full-time role with Grant Thornton International.

        broken image

        The Smelting Pot

        An experiment in open innovation

        London, UK

        2012

        Created a process for open innovation for large corporates in the UK with a few friends (with corporate backgrounds), I made at a Startup Weekend at Imperial College in London; in between jobs. The experiment failed to get much traction and given that this was in-between jobs & entrepreneurial projects, we chose to pursue more mainstream corporate roles at the time :)

        India Infra Ventures

        LANFIN Ventures Limited

        Fund Strategy

        Mumbai, India

        2010

        Created an investment thesis for a proposed US$1bn early stage, greenfield infrastructure fund by one of India's largest infrastructure operators Lanco Infratech Private Limited.

        Preferred Return

        Preferred Return

        409A Startup Valuations Analyst

        NY, New York

        2010

        Founding analyst at the two-member NYC based early-stage valuations and legal services firm providing 409A and private portfolio valuations. Clients included a large number of venture-backed firms and incubators and VC firms such as The Founders Fund.

        Motilal Oswal

        Motilal Oswal

        Summer Intern (2nd Summer of College)

        Mumbai, India

        2006

        Interned with Motilal Oswal within their selling Mutual Funds. I was also responsible for training 10 interns given my prior experience at DSP Merrill Lynch, the year before.

        DSP Merrill Lynch

        DSP Merrill Lynch

        Summer Intern (1st Summer of College)

        Mumbai, India

        2005

        Interned with DSP Merrill Lynch Fund Managers in selling their Systematic Investment Plan (SIP) Mutual Fund to HNI's. Secured the highest number of clients in my cohort.

        Ghoshal & Co.

        Ghoshal & Co.

        Summer Intern (Summer Before College)

        Mumbai, India

        2004

        Interned at Ghoshal & Co., an accountancy practice in the summer of 2004 after securing 98/100 in my Accountancy & Finance exam in my Grade XII, a month prior to the internship.

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