Agastya Trust

Harish Hulyalkar has over 25 years of investment banking and advisory experience focused on the Indian technology sector and previously co-founded Iron Pillar, a venture growth fund.

Kartik has over 13 years of strategy consulting and industry experience in the automotive propulsion, e-mobility and clean energy space. His role at NIGF includes sourcing of investment opportunities, deal evaluation, execution and portfolio monitoring. Kartik previously worked as Manager - Strategic Consulting for the India division of Ricardo Plc, a UK based leading global environmental, engineering and strategy consulting firm. At Ricardo, Kartik led the project delivery team & actively supported business development. He advised automotive industry stakeholders in Asia on corporate strategy, technology roadmaps, market entry strategy, due diligence and supplier sourcing. He spent combined 8 years at Ricardo Plc, having previously been a part of the systems engineering team at Ricardo UK Ltd. Kartik also worked in Tata Power as part of the team that helped setup & grow the renewable energy business in its formative years. While at Tata Power, he was also responsible for techno-commercial evaluation of renewable energy projects & handling of regulatory matters in the renewable energy space. Kartik holds an MBA with specialisation in Strategy from HEC Paris, France and spent six months on an MBA Exchange at Johnson School of Business, Cornell University. He also has a Master of Engineering (M.Eng.) degree in Electronic Engineering from University of Sheffield, UK.

With over three decades in the investment industry, Mr. Ajay Limaye brings deep expertise in managing Alternate Investment Funds. A CFA Charter Holder, he has successfully managed multiple funds, driving investments and generating healthy returns across diverse sectors. He has been involved in managing funds focused on various themes including growth private equity, venture capital, infrastructure and special situations. He has full cycle experience of handling multiple funds, including legal and tax structuring, fund raising, making investments, asset management and divestments as well as other supplemental aspects including fund accounting, compliances and litigations. Over the years, he has evaluated hundreds of investment opportunities and made investments and divestments in several dozen companies across various sectors including BFSI, consumer, specialized industrials, IT and healthcare with a track record of generating healthy returns. Ajay joined Prachetas Capital, from Oman India Joint Investment Fund, a growth focused PE fund set up jointly by Oman Investment Authority and State Bank of India. Prior to that he has worked with Tata Capital, Sicom Ventures and GVFL. Ajay is a CFA Charter Holder with prior qualifications in Engineering and an MBA.

Abha has over 10 years of experience across venture capital investing and transaction advisory. Prior to Prachetas, she was a part of Kalaari Capital where she focused on health tech investments. Abha was a part of the Innovations Fund at Tata Capital for 8 years investing in novel technologies including Medtech, biotech, agritech, advanced materials, manufacturing solutions and cleantech. She managed the deal life cycle end to end and worked extensively with portfolio partners to scale the business and raise follow-on capital. She has also worked at EY-Parthenon wherein she led projects in the healthcare domain involving commercial due diligence, market assessment, and building strategy. Abha is a medical doctor (MBBS) from Seth GS Medical College and KEM Hospital and has completed her PGDM in Business Management from XLRI, Jamshedpur. Besides work, she has a passion for dance and is an accomplished artist who has been a part of several stage performances across dance styles and has also choreographed for events.

Abhilash has over 2.5 years of experience in Investment Banking and his role at NIGF includes sourcing of investment opportunities, deal evaluation, execution and portfolio monitoring. Previously, Abhilash worked with HSBC Global Banking in the Equity Capital Markets division where he executed various deals in Retail, Technology, Manufacturing and FIG sectors across the EMEA region. The deals involved IPOs, Follow-on offerings and Rights Issues. Abhilash is a Computer Science engineer (B.Tech) from IIIT Vadodara and holds an MBA degree with specialisation in Finance from NMIMS, Mumbai. Apart from work, he is a fitness and sports enthusiast.

Pratik has over 7 years of experience in Investment Banking having advised industry stakeholders on various transactions - IPO, private fundraising, sell-side M&A, strategic investments across different sectors. His role at NIGF includes sourcing of investment opportunities, deal evaluation, execution and portfolio monitoring. Previously, Pratik worked as Senior Manager at Inga Ventures, a Mumbai based boutique investment banking firm that focuses on financial and strategic advisory services, particularly in the mid-cap segment. At Inga, as part of the research team, his responsibilities included conducting company and industry research, building financial models and presentations, performing valuation analysis and assisting sales team in pitching investment ideas to institutional investors. He is a graduate in commerce and accountancy from Shivaji University, Kolhapur and a qualified Chartered Accountant. He has also cleared the first two levels of CFA program from CFA Institute, USA.

Tanya Kadle is responsible for all HR-related matters at Prachetas Capital including talent acquisition, onboarding of new hires, compensation & benefits benchmarking, HR documentation & policy formation. She has previously worked with Kimberly Clark Hygiene Products Pvt. Ltd. where she was part of the talent acquisition and onboarding team. During the spin-off of its healthcare division, Mrs. Kadle helped set up the HR department of Halyard Health, India. She started her career at a Pune-based IT software company, where she was responsible for HR and administrative functions. Mrs. Kadle holds a B.A. degree in Economics and an MBA with a specialization in HR from the University of Pune. She has completed a B2 level of French from Alliance Francaise de Bombay and has passed the B1 DELF exam.

Arpita Dhakane is currently involved in the secretariate function of managing the company and fulfilling legal, regulatory, risk and compliance obligations. She possesses around 6 years of experience in the Corporate, Secretarial, and Legal fields. She has been handling compliances under various corporate laws for both listed and unlisted companies. Arpita has the perfect balance of knowledge and passion to work with the team and achieve goals efficiently. CS Arpita Dhakane is an Associate Member of the Institute of Company Secretaries of India. She is a Commerce and Law Graduate from Mumbai University and is a post-graduate in Finance.

Krupa Joshi handles Finance & Accounts at Prachetas Capital. She comes with strong foundation in corporate finance and statutory compliances. Prior to joining Prachetas Capital, Krupa has worked at a boutique CA firm for 6 years, where she has gained experience in taxation, audit, GST, Income Tax Scrutiny & Assessments and Financial Management. Krupa has handled a diverse client portfolio across multiple industries, providing valuable insights and tailored solutions. She is a Commerce graduate and a CA Finalist.

Vinay Malekati is currently managing the Fund related Accounting and Operations. Prior to this, he worked with Piper Serica Advisors Pvt Ltd., handling their fund accounts & operations. He has earlier worked with reputed firms such as The Bombay Dyeing & Manufacturing Co., Financeplus India (WPP Group), and Dr. Batra's Positive Health Clinic. Vinay is a dedicated finance professional having more than 10 years of experience in accounts, taxation and regulatory compliances. Vinay is a commerce graduate from Mumbai University, having built his expertise in both direct and indirect taxation, including GST, TDS, and Income Tax. He is well-versed in financial software systems such as SAP, Microsoft Navision, Microsoft Dynamics and Tally ERP, thereby bringing efficiency and precision to his work.

Bhooma Bohra is currently handling the Investor Relations function, including Fundraising, LP Engagement, and Investor Communications and Reporting. She supports the firm's LP due diligence processes and conducts macro and sector research aligned with the Fund's Investment Strategy. Prior to joining Prachetas Capital, Bhooma worked with PwC Acceleration Centres as an Assurance Associate. During her tenure, she was involved in audit and assurance engagements, gaining exposure to financial reporting frameworks, audit procedures and corporate financial processes. Bhooma is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds a BCom degree from Narsee Monjee College of Commerce and Economics, Mumbai. Outside of work, Bhooma enjoys photography, writing and sketching.

Dr. Niranjan Rajadhyaksha is an economist and writer. He has closely tracked the Indian economy for the past three decades as a journalist, commentator, researcher, and speaker. Niranjan has been a regular participant in official economic policy discussions, and a speaker at conferences with international investors. He has held leadership positions in organizations such as Business World, Mint, and the IDFC Institute. Dr. Rajadhyaksha serves on the boards of several education and research institutions including the Meghnad Desai Academy of Economics, the Indian School of Public Policy, and the Centre for Civil Society. He was also a member of the advisory committee on the fifth volume of the official history of the Reserve Bank of India. He was awarded the Ramnath Goenka award for excellence in journalism in 2012 and the B.R. Shenoy award for contributions to Indian economics in 2017. Dr. Rajadhyaksha's book, The Rise of India: Its Transformation from Poverty to Prosperity, was published globally in 2007. Niranjan has a B.A, M.A, and Ph.D. in economics from Mumbai.

Mr. Prakash Rao is a distinguished financial services professional with over four decades of leadership experience across the Indian banking and infrastructure sectors. Throughout his distinguished career, he has demonstrated exceptional acumen and a distinctive capability for institution building, strategic investment management, and the creation of sustainable financial ecosystems. Currently he is serving as a Senior Advisor, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, India. Prior to this, he served as Executive Director and Chief Investment Officer at the National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF), India's quasi-sovereign wealth fund, from 2017 to 2023. Mr. Rao was responsible for setting up the institution and launching its investment operations. He established NIIF's four flagship platforms, the NIIF Master Fund, the NIIF Fund of Funds, the NIIF Strategic Opportunities Fund, and set up the NIIF-JBIC Partnership Fund in collaboration with the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC). He built the team, structure, and governance framework that enabled NIIF to grow to over USD 4.5 billion in assets under management. Prior to his role at NIIF, Mr. Rao spent over 30 years with the State Bank of India (SBI), where he held several leadership positions. [Bio continues on the site beyond this point; the remainder was not captured.]

Balakrishna Adiga is involved in identifying technology trends, helping evaluate the right companies to invest in, monitoring the performance of the investee company, and evaluating the exit strategies. He is well-connected in the PE & VC industry circles. Mr. Adiga is a senior IT industry professional with over 38 years of experience in companies such as Xerox, PSI Data (Bull SA), Tata IBM, IBM, Savvis, and CenturyLink. He spent 20 years in IBM in various across multiple geographies. After leaving IBM in 2011, Mr. Adiga was the Managing Director for Savvis Communications Inc before it was acquired by CenturyLink and then took the role of Corporate Advisor for CenturyLink. He currently serves on the boards of ScripBox.Com (A Robo-advisory firm offering wealth management services), ISON Experiences (BPO with a presence in over 30 countries across Asia, Africa, and the Middle East), and ISON Technologies (an IT services company with a presence in over 25 countries). Mr. Adiga holds a Bachelors' degree in electronics and communications engineering and an MBA. He was a Certified Project Executive and Master Deal Maker while at IBM.

Dr. Gopichand Katragadda is an Independent Director on the Board of Bosch India Limited, and the Vice-President of the IET, Board of Trustees, UK. He is an advisor to NASSCOM CoE for Data Science and AI and Chairman of the CII Knowledge Management Summit and the CII WR Innovation Ecosystem Task Force. He is the immediate past Chairman of the CII National Technology Committee. Currently the Founder and CEO at Myelin Foundry; VP, Institution of Engineering and Technology Board of Trustees, UK; Independent director for Bosch Ltd, India. Tata Group Chief Technology Officer and Innovation Head until December 2018. In this role, Gopi facilitated the development of global-first products and services, strategic technology collaborations, and evangelized innovation across the $100B Group. He also served as a director on the boards of Tata Elxsi, Tata Communications, Tata Teleservices, Tata Autocomp Systems, and Flisom AG. MD of GE's R&D centre in India, he helped grow GE's largest R&D Centre - the John F. Welch Technology Centre, to be amongst the world leaders in intellectual property generation. Gopi also served as the Chairman for GE-BEL. VP of Technology at the US based Karta Technologies where he led the development of advanced sensor technology for US government agencies and research consortiums. Chair for various national technology councils at CII, NASSCOM, IITs, and for the Government of India. Gopi specializes in Artificial Intelligence and Sensors. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Engineering and Technology. He is a GE Certified Six Sigma Master Black Belt. He also has over 30 publications and 5 patents. He has authored a book on innovation "SMASH". He contributed to the establishment of the Advanced Materials CoE at IIT-Madras and the Advanced Manufacturing CoE at IIT-Kharagpur. He has helped frame and establish the CII-Tata Communications Digital Transformation CoE. Gopi has helped set up and has driven the ongoing Tata research collaborations with Harvard and Yale. He received the Professional Achievement Citation in Engineering (PACE) award at Iowa State University Homecoming 2021. He was felicitated at the 2018 Mint Digitalist Forum as one of eight Digitalists who made significant business impact through the application of digital technologies. MS and PhD degrees in Electrical Engineering from Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.