Speciale Invest

Vishnu Rajeev is the Investment Partner at Speciale Invest, where he leads deeptech and climate-tech investments across mobility, energy, semiconductors, biosciences, and advanced manufacturing. With over a decade of experience spanning venture capital, consulting, and policy research, he brings both global perspective and local conviction to backing founders building transformative, IP-led companies. Vishnu has held leadership roles at Micelio Fund, one of India's earliest climate-focused funds, and Axilor Ventures, and has worked with organizations such as Clean Energy Ventures, Deloitte, CEEW, and FSG on research, policy, and strategy. He is also the Co-founder of Climate Tech for India, the country's largest community of climate founders and investors, amplifying his role as a thought leader shaping India's deeptech and sustainability narrative. A graduate of IIT Kharagpur in Economics and the Harvard Kennedy School (MPA), Vishnu partners closely with founders on end-to-end investments, strategy, and fundraising, while actively contributing to the broader discourse on how India can emerge as a global hub for frontier innovation. Outside of work, he enjoys writing, community building, and exploring the evolving intersections of technology, policy, and sustainability.

Sunil Cavale is an Investment Principal at Speciale Invest, where he focuses on deeptech and climate-tech ventures at the intersection of design, biology, and engineering. His journey blends the analytical rigor of a mechanical engineer with the empathy and perspective of a literature scholar, giving him a rare ability to break down complex problems while staying grounded and human-centered. Sunil began his career at Toyota Kirloskar Motor in procurement and supply chain before moving into the startup world with RayIoT Solutions, where he helped scale AI-IoT enabled hardware products in medtech. This mix of global manufacturing discipline and early-stage startup execution now informs his work with founders building transformative technologies. At Speciale, Sunil brings a hands-on approach to investing, combining engineering depth, operational experience, and product sensibility to partner with entrepreneurs tackling frontier challenges. He is particularly drawn to innovations that mimic nature's efficiency and advance a future where humans and technology coexist sustainably. Sunil holds a B.E. in Mechanical Engineering from BMS College of Engineering and an M.A. in English Literature from IGNOU, reflecting his dual passion for science and the humanities. Outside of work, he enjoys strong filter coffee, cinema, and exploring Indian music, philosophy, and the science behind everyday systems.

Ahammad Shibil is part of the investment team at Speciale Invest, where he brings the lens of a scientist and the drive of an entrepreneur to deeptech investing. A graduate in Biological Sciences from IISER Kolkata, he began his career as a Junior Research Fellow at IISc Bangalore, before founding and scaling his own biotech venture and later leading India operations at a biotech startup. This journey across research, entrepreneurship, and operations gives him a rare ability to evaluate and support frontier technologies with both analytical rigor and practical insight. At Speciale, Shibil focuses on biotech, life sciences, and frontier technologies, driven by a passion for innovations that draw inspiration from nature and have the potential to reshape industries. He thrives on working with founders at the cutting edge, helping them translate breakthrough science into transformative companies. Outside of work, Shibil channels his creativity into art, poetry, and philosophical exploration, while staying grounded through yoga, weightlifting, and boxing. His curiosity and multidisciplinary outlook reflect the same spirit he brings to investing, connecting science, business, and human imagination.

Chetan Gowda is an Investment Analyst at Speciale Invest, where he works with founders building at the frontiers of deeptech and Biotech. He comes to investing through the lived experience of being a founder, someone who has felt the rush and the weight of building something from 0-1. While in his third year at SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Chetan co-founded Sytolab, a tissue engineering hardware startup. After graduating with a degree in Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering, he helped grow the company, from a campus project to a venture-funded Deeptech start-up building tissue engineering hardware used by some of India's leading researchers across IITs and AIIMs. That experience of turning a scientific idea into something real and impactful is what now shapes how he thinks about the founders he gets to work with. At Speciale, he is drawn to founders who are doing the kind of deep, patient work that most people don't yet understand, and to the idea that science and people, together, are the most powerful forces for change. At heart, he's an optimist who genuinely enjoys navigating new technological challenges and deeply values relationships. Outside of work, Chethan enjoys talking and playing basketball, Motorcycle adventures, geopolitics, some philosophy, exploring the subjective human experience, and the kind of science that makes you appreciate our place in the universe.

Varun is part of the investment team at Speciale Invest. He combines hands-on engineering experience with the innovative mindset of a builder in deeptech investing. He graduated as a Mechanical Engineer and began his career in lead roles at two deep-tech startups, first as a Manufacturing Engineer and later as a Product Designer, where he was transforming theoretical concepts into practical, deployable solutions. During his college years, he co-founded an e-commerce brand called The Final Valley. At Speciale Invest, Varun utilises his systematic and first-principle approach to evaluate deeptech opportunities. His engineering background allows him to navigate complex technologies and assess the transition from concept to reality. Outside of work, Varun enjoys PC gaming, basketball, and football. He is also a passionate viewer of thrillers, detective movies, and shows.

Arun Shanmugam is an Investment Analyst with Speciale, the person in the room asking why markets move before deciding what to do about it. A Chartered Accountant and CFI-certified Financial Modeling & Valuation Analyst, Arun brings a rigorous, first-principles approach to dissecting macro trends. He began his career at ICICI Bank's Business Banking Group as a Credit Risk Analyst, where he developed the ability to assess financial health and make disciplined, data-driven decisions by identifying and managing risk, a skill that has remained central to his approach. Following a brief tenure as a Process Audit Specialist, Arun transitioned to BusinessLine, where he focused on researching and writing about listed equities and broader macroeconomic trends, closely aligning with his core interests. He now brings this analytical rigour and market perspective to his role at Speciale Invest. Outside of work, Arun is an unabashed fan of F1, cricket, and tennis. A self-confessed movie buff and travel enthusiast, he approaches both with the same conviction he brings to markets: strong opinions, thorough research, and a firm belief that the best outcomes lie in places most people haven't looked yet.

Arya is part of the investment team at Speciale Invest. He combines a strong foundation in finance and economics with rigorous business and industry research experience. He began his career through internships at Carborundum Universal Limited and Corporate Database (India), a family office, where he conducted deep-dive industry research, operational due diligence, and detailed business model assessments across sectors. He holds a B.B.A. Honours in Finance and Economics. At Speciale Invest, Arya draws on his analytical background to evaluate business fundamentals, industry dynamics, and investment opportunities across the portfolio. Outside of work, Arya enjoys strength training and reading.

Arsh Maheshwari is part of the investment team at Speciale Invest. He comes to deeptech investing from a background in research, where he learnt to look past the technology itself to the conditions that decide whether it gets adopted. With a double major in Economics and Computer Science from Krea University, Arsh has worked across roles in both research and the early-stage startup ecosystem. He researched market access for rural self-help groups at IFMR LEAD, a research centre in Chennai, and co-authored a field study on AI and automation adoption among manufacturers in Sri City. He has also supported founders through AIC Pinnacle Entrepreneurship Forum, a startup incubator in Pune, and as Investor Relations Lead at Krea's Centre for Entrepreneurship, where he helped student founders prepare to raise their first rounds. He is drawn to founders working on problems most people haven't noticed yet, and to the science that makes solving them possible. Outside of work, Arsh follows Formula 1 closely, spends weekends playing pickleball or swimming, and is always looking for a new place to explore.

Balaji works with founders building category defining deep technology companies across semiconductors, AI infrastructure, robotics, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and enterprise software. His work spans investment research, technical and commercial diligence, market analysis, and partnering with founders as they scale breakthrough technologies into enduring businesses. Before joining Speciale Invest, Balaji was part of the Founder's Office at Ixana, a semiconductor startup developing next-generation wireless communication technology, where he worked across fundraising, financial strategy, commercial planning, partnerships, and business operations. An engineer by training, Balaji holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore and a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from Thiagarajar College of Engineering. He is drawn to companies building defensible technologies with global potential and believes that exceptional engineering, paired with thoughtful execution, is the foundation of every enduring business. Outside of work, Balaji is an avid reader with a bookshelf spanning technology, business strategy, and business history. His favorites include Chip Wars, Barbarians at the Gate, The Everything Store, and How Google Works. He also enjoys strength training and unwinding with a good thriller series.

Prathisht is part of the investment team at Speciale Invest. He combines a research and analytics background with early venture experience in deeptech investing. He began in deep tech at the Indian Institute of Science, where he managed a project within the Urban Air Mobility group, involving a 50-person multidisciplinary research team working on the conceptual development of an eVTOL aircraft. He then moved into venture through 100Unicorns and PeachTree Capital, working on deal screening, portfolio monitoring, and financial modelling. He holds a degree in Business Analytics and completed the Executive Program in Prescriptive Analytics at IISc. At Speciale Invest, Prathisht draws on his venture and analytical background to understand and evaluate deeptech opportunities across sectors. Outside of work, Prathisht has a strong interest in art and history, and enjoys tennis, golf, and rock climbing.