Hermaan Kohli — Business Development Executive

Hi there! Let me tell you something about myself :) From Series A startups to profitable B2B SaaS ventures, I’ve thrived in the ever-evolving startup ecosystem. With over a decade of experience, I’ve helped companies scale from 0 to 1, 1 to 10, and even 10 to acquisition—juggling product management, sales, growth, and leadership across Deep Tech, EdTech, SaaS, HR Tech, and fashion-tech. As a generalist with strong business acumen, I’ve spent most of my career driving revenue and monetization. I kicked off my career at BYJU’s when they were a scrappy 50-person startup, fresh off a Series A. As their first-ever campus recruit, I went from building Math content to managing multi-crore revenue channels and leading a 50-person sales team—all within two years. From there, I took on growth roles across B2C and B2B SaaS, helping scale bootstrapped businesses, break into global markets, and find creative solutions to complex problems. At Promolta, I grew video engagement by 200% for YouTubers, and at Shopalyst, I managed key accounts like Reckitt Benckiser, GSK, HUL and PepsiCo, driving revenue growth and strategic expansion. As part of the founding team at AntWalk, I’ve helped shape the company from an idea into a high-growth, Series A-funded business. What started as a pivot became a thriving expert-led learning ecosystem. I built a global network of 5000+ experts across 45+ countries, drove B2C adoption (1M+ views, 20K+ users), validated our B2B model, and led the transition that secured our Series A. I also took ownership of P&L, expert operations, and gross margins (maintaining 65%), ensuring business sustainability. When the company needed sales process optimization, I revamped pre-sales to boost efficiency and scale outreach. I led AntWalk’s expansion in the US. Whether it’s building revenue engines, launching new business lines, or shifting from services to a productized model, I thrive on tackling ambiguity and driving results. Beyond work, I’m an AI enthusiast, always exploring the latest in tech, business case studies, and market trends. I love chewing on podcasts, breaking down business strategies, and drawing analogies between sports and leadership. As a sports fanatic, I find endless lessons in team management, competition, and resilience—all of which shape my approach to business and growth. TL;DR: I’ve built, scaled, and transformed businesses across industries, leading multi-functional teams and solving tough problems. Passionate about growth, people, and impact, I love working with companies looking to scale smarter and faster.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a SaaS and EdTech growth leader with expertise in business development and strategic partnerships.

Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Experience: 10 yrs 1 mo

Skills

Strategic Business Development
Business Strategy
Expert Management
Sales Optimization
Start-up Leadership
Leadership
Market Validation

Career Highlights

Led growth initiatives in multiple startups.
Built a global expert network of 5000+ professionals.
Achieved significant revenue growth across diverse industries.

Work Experience

QNu Labs

Head of Business Development (10 mos)

Vink.ai

GTM Advisor (4 mos)

AntWalk

Founding Member & Leader - Growth, Expert Network & Market Expansion (2 yrs 11 mos)

Founding Member & VP - Strategic Partnerships & Growth (1 yr 11 mos)

Strategic Partnerships Head (7 mos)

Charmboard (Acquired)

Key Account Manager (5 mos)

Shopalyst

Key Account Manager (8 mos)

Promolta.com

Growth Hacker (5 mos)

BYJU'S

Senior Business Development Manager (6 mos)

Business Development Manager (1 yr 4 mos)

Business Development Associate (6 mos)

Product Development Intern (4 mos)

Education

Bachelor of Engineering - BE at Manipal Institute of Technology

Hermaan Kohli

Business Development Executive

Bengaluru, Karnataka, India10 yrs 1 mo experience

Highly Stable

Key Highlights

Led growth initiatives in multiple startups.
Built a global expert network of 5000+ professionals.
Achieved significant revenue growth across diverse industries.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a SaaS and EdTech growth leader with expertise in business development and strategic partnerships.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Strategic Business DevelopmentBusiness StrategyExpert ManagementSales OptimizationStart-up LeadershipLeadershipMarket Validation

Other Skills

Account ManagementAnalytical SkillsB2CBuilding Business RelationshipsBusiness ConsultingBusiness DevelopmentBusiness Relationship ManagementBusiness-to-Business (B2B)Client RelationsCommunicationConsultative SellingConsultingContent CreationContract FarmingCreative Problem Solving

About

Experience

Qnu labs

Head of Business Development

May 2025 – Present · 10 mos · Hybrid

QNu Labs is a pioneer in the Quantum Communication space. I’m establishing QNu Academy as a vertical to solve for talent shortage in this space by bridging the existing and future gap between industry and academia.
My focus is to enable Colleges and Universities as an industry partner to help set up minor degrees for students, development programs for Faculty members and give access to the right infrastructure (hardware + software stack for technologies like Quantum Key Distribution, Quantum Random Number Generator and Post Quantum Crptography) to help build the next generation workforce in Quantum Technologies.

Strategic Business DevelopmentBusiness StrategyBusiness-to-Business (B2B)Strategic PartnershipsPublic-private Partnerships

Vink.ai

GTM Advisor

Jan 2025 – May 2025 · 4 mos · Bengaluru · Remote

Helping Vink succeed with their GTM efforts.

Antwalk

3 roles

Founding Member & Leader - Growth, Expert Network & Market Expansion

Apr 2022 – Mar 2025 · 2 yrs 11 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Objective: Strengthened expert-led service delivery, optimized sales, and expanded internationally to drive Series B readiness.
Expert Network & Gross Margins:
1. Led expert management as a Center of Excellence (CoE), overseeing identification, onboarding, operations, and program engagement.
2. Managed gross margins at 65%, ensuring financial sustainability.
Sales Optimization & New Initiatives:
1. Revamped pre-sales efficiency through sales tech stack optimization, ICP changes, and positioning shifts.
2. Launched AntWalk Arrive, helping organizations hire via assessments (₹1 Cr revenue in 4 months) in addition to the L&D business.
Product & International Expansion:
1. Transitioned from a service-based to a product-based model, onboarding 150+ knowledge partners (training vendors, simulations, off-the-shelf libraries, coaches).
2. Drove international expansion in the US, securing critical deals to position AntWalk for Series B funding.

Founding Member & VP - Strategic Partnerships & Growth

Promoted

Apr 2020 – Mar 2022 · 1 yr 11 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

Objective: Built a global expert network, validated B2C and B2B learning models, and secured Series A funding.
Expert Network & Content Creation :
1. Onboarded 4,000+ subject matter experts from 45+ countries across functions like sales, tech, leadership, and digital marketing.
2. Helped Create 5,000+ hours of bite-sized learning content, tailored for early professionals.
B2C & B2B Market Validation :
1. Generated 1M+ views and 20K+ users through expert-led content distribution.
2. Scaled from B2C learning to B2B, successfully training 15 sales employees—proving expert-led learning was effective for enterprises.
Fundraising & Business Model Evolution :
1. Built the foundation for ROI-driven L&D, leading to Series A funding.
2. Managed all B2C sales, the B2B pilot, and expert onboarding.

Start-up LeadershipLeadershipStrategic PlanningGo-to-Market StrategyProblem SolvingEntrepreneurship+1

Strategic Partnerships Head

Jul 2019 – Feb 2020 · 7 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India · On-site

Objective: Built a strategic partner ecosystem and product foundation for Neo91 before pivoting to AntWalk.
Strategic Partnerships & Ecosystem Development:
1. Onboarded 500+ hyperlocal offline education centers (tuitions, preschools, co-curricular institutes) and 10+ schools.
2. Secured partnerships with leading EdTech platforms such as BYJU’s, UpGrad, and WhiteHat Jr etc and 3 school ERPs.
Product & User Engagement:
1. Helped develop the product with coin-based reward mechanisms, incentivizing timely payments.
2. Enabled users to redeem coins for discounted offers at hyperlocal vendors.
Market Validation & Business Pivot: COVID-19 forced a pivot from Neo91’s education rewards platform to AntWalk, shifting focus to expert-driven professional learning.

Charmboard (acquired)

Key Account Manager

Feb 2019 – Jul 2019 · 5 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India · On-site

1. Secured partnerships with Amazon and Myntra for in-video product discovery.
2. Closed deals with top fashion brands and OTT platforms, driving ₹6 crore in revenue.
3. Contributed to Charmboard’s acquisition by Zee5 through successful partnerships and growth.

Shopalyst

Key Account Manager

Jun 2018 – Feb 2019 · 8 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India · On-site

1. Managed end-to-end client relationships, including C-level executives from top FMCG brands.
2. Increased account growth by 35% month-on-month; onboarded major clients like Reckitt Benckiser, GSK, and PepsiCo.
3. Presented at PepsiCo’s e-commerce event, closing the deal within a week.

Promolta.com

Growth Hacker

Jan 2018 – Jun 2018 · 5 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India · On-site

1. Scaled video engagement from 750,000 to 2.1 million views/day in under two months.
2. Managed the distribution network, ensuring a 400% margin on views delivered.
3. Used data analytics to drive quick, impactful solutions for customer growth and retention.

Byju's

4 roles

Senior Business Development Manager

Jun 2017 – Dec 2017 · 6 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

1. Handled P&L and sales operations across 7 cities for Infinite Student, a school ERP.
2. Boosted conversion rates from 4% to 28% in the pilot month, managing 100+ people.
3. Generated a total of ₹15 crore in revenue over the course of 6 months.

Business Development Manager

Jan 2016 – May 2017 · 1 yr 4 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

1. Recruited and trained 50-person teams; trained over 500 new hires across multiple teams.
2. Increased conversion rates across multiple sales channels, leading to revenue generation of ₹1 crore per month.
3. Oversaw the entire sales pipeline from lead generation to product delivery, ensuring seamless customer experience.

Business Development Associate

Jun 2015 – Dec 2015 · 6 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

1. Transitioned from product management to business development, focusing on mentoring students preparing for the CAT exam and conducting sales for BYJU's CAT prep courses.
2. Spearheaded college campaigns at top institutions like Sastra, NIT Trichy, and BITS Pilani, personally conducting workshops and lectures, generating ₹50 lakhs in revenue in a single quarter.
3. Shifted focus to the K-12 segment, counseling parents and students to enroll in BYJU’s classroom program, achieving over ₹60 lakhs in revenue in just two months.
4. Handled end-to-end sales responsibilities, from conducting initial consultations to closing deals with an average ticket size of ₹2 lakhs per student.

Product Development Intern

Jan 2015 – May 2015 · 4 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

1. Developed and designed unique content, including activities, assignments, and questionnaires for Math (Grades 6-12), enhancing the learning experience through 3D visualizations and simplified concepts.
2. Identified ways to teach complex topics in a simplified manner, diverging from traditional NCERT methods to create more engaging and student-friendly learning material.
3. Worked closely with cross-functional teams to ensure the content was aligned with BYJU's unique product and user experience.