Rohan Desai

Business Development Executive

Singapore, Singapore3 yrs 1 mo experience

Highly Stable

Key Highlights

Led investment evaluation for over $400M in startups.
Spearheaded GSF Academy, expanding founder participation significantly.
Developed early conviction in Generative AI investments.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Venture Capital professional with expertise in early-stage investments and portfolio management.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Investment ManagementPortfolio ManagementLeadershipPortfolio GrowthProgram ManagementEquity ResearchBusiness Development

Other Skills

Accelerator OperationsBloomberg TerminalBusiness StrategyCRMCapital IQCommercial Due DiligenceComparable AnalysisCustomer InsightsDCF ValuationData AnalysisData VisualizationDeal EvaluationDeal Flow GenerationDerivativesDigital Marketing

About

Investment professional with 4+ years of experience in early-stage venture capital, portfolio management, and startup growth. Skilled in deal evaluation, financial analysis and valuations, commercial and operational due diligence, and investment thesis development, with exposure to consumer internet, DeepTech, enterprise sectors.

Experience

Gsf

3 roles

Senior Analyst

Promoted

Dec 2021 – Feb 2023 · 1 yr 2 mos

Investment Team
Led investment evaluation, portfolio management, and firm-building initiatives. Worked across sourcing, diligence, and strategic partnerships.
Investment Execution (Deal Management): Closed end-to-end transactions including business model analysis, operational and commercial due diligence, and presentation of IMs to the Investment Committee; participated in deal negotiations and coordinated with legal counsel for term sheet review and closure
Founder Support (Investor Readiness): Worked with founders to build investor data rooms and KPI dashboards, aligning reporting with investor expectations ahead of follow-on rounds.
Thesis Development (Generative AI): Developed early conviction in Generative AI, enabling GSF to invest in frontier technology ahead of broader market adoption.
Team Leadership (Analyst Management): Supervised a team of three analysts; hired, trained, and supervised them to evaluate startups and support deal sourcing and diligence.
Portfolio Management (Performance Tracking): Monitored portfolio companies, tracking key KPIs and financial performance to inform follow-on funding.
Ecosystem Partnerships (Strategic Alliances): Built partnerships with AWS, Google, and HSBC to accelerate portfolio company growth and strengthen ecosystem connectivity.
Firm Building: Spearheaded the launch and scale-up of GSF Academy; expanded from 30 to 300+ founders annually through structured mentorship and capability programs.

Deal EvaluationPortfolio ManagementInvestment Thesis DevelopmentOperational Due DiligenceCommercial Due DiligenceInvestment Management

Analyst

Dec 2019 – Nov 2021 · 1 yr 11 mos

Supported investment evaluation, fund strategy, and portfolio growth across enterprise SaaS, consumer internet, and DeepTech startups. Gained full-cycle exposure to sourcing, diligence, and portfolio advisory.
Deal Flow Generation (Early-Stage Tech): Sourced 2,500+ startups across multiple verticals, contributing to 60 investments totaling over $400M in enterprise value.
Investment Execution (Due Diligence): Led management interviews, financial analysis and valuations, channel checks, and KPI benchmarking to assess scalability and product-market fit.
Thesis Development (Fund Strategy): Conducted sectoral and competitive research on Enterprise SaaS, Education, Financial Services, Healthcare, Gaming, and Logistics sectors to strengthen investment theses and support internal IC presentations.
Portfolio Advisory (Fundraising & GTM Support): Supported senior team members in founder discussions on GTM strategy and market expansion; independently advised on fundraising readiness and investor material preparation.
Stakeholder Partnerships (Strategic Collaborations): Supported alliance-building with key stakeholders to increase deal flow and provide portfolio access to late-stage investors, partner benefits, and technical enablement.
Firm Building: Designed and maintained Excel trackers to log inbound startups, monitor evaluation status, and record investment details for portfolio reporting and IC reviews.

Deal Flow GenerationInvestment ExecutionThesis DevelopmentPortfolio AdvisoryStakeholder PartnershipsInvestment Management+1

Venture Capital Intern

Sep 2019 – Nov 2019 · 2 mos

Supported investment evaluation, accelerator operations, and cross-border startup initiatives for one of India’s leading early-stage venture capital funds.
Startup Evaluation (Consumer Internet, SaaS, FinTech): Conducted market and company analyses to identify early-stage investment opportunities; supported screening and due diligence.
Venture Investments (Lightspeed EE 2019): Supported investment evaluation of participating startups leading to one investment in the Real Estate tech space.
Portfolio Support (Investment Tracking): Monitored and updated portfolio and fundraise details to support investment decisions and performance reviews.
Accelerator Operations (Agri-FoodTech): Assisted Gastrotope incubator in managing cohorts by organizing mentoring sessions, site visits, and strategy workshops.
Cross-Border Collaboration (Korea Startup Centre): Co-hosted a 6-week Indo-Korean accelerator program; coordinated workshops, investor sessions, and mentorship for participating startups.
Firm building: Organized monthly conferences featuring leading founders, investors, and VCs to strengthen the early-stage ecosystem.

Market AnalysisInvestment EvaluationAccelerator OperationsInvestment Management

Hdfc securities

Summer Analyst

Jun 2018 – Aug 2018 · 2 mos

Institutional Equity Research Team – TMT Coverage
Supported the lead analyst in preparing client-facing research for institutional investors, contributing to both initiation coverage and quarterly sector updates.
IPO Coverage (Business Services): Built DCF, comps, and SOTP valuation models to support initiation coverage of a mid-cap IPO; conducted due diligence through management interviews, channel checks, and financial and benchmarking analysis; contributed to the research report shared with institutional investors.
Sector Tracking (TMT sector): Maintained and updated financial models for 8 listed technology companies, incorporating quarterly earnings and management commentary to provide timely updates for buy-side clients.
Market Intelligence (Financial Analysis): Analyzed financial reports, gathered data via Bloomberg, and participated in investor conference calls to inform sector notes and valuation updates.
Team Exposure (Institutional Research): Attended daily analyst briefings on global macro trends and their impact on Indian equities, developing perspective on market drivers for institutional portfolios.

Financial ModelingMarket IntelligenceResearchEquity Research

Bill connect

Founder's Office Intern

Jun 2017 – Aug 2017 · 2 mos

Founder’s Office (VC-backed SaaS RBF startup)
Worked directly with founders to build the GTM and fundraising infrastructure for an early-stage SaaS revenue-based financing startup, supporting sales, investor relations, and digital presence.
Sales Operations (CRM Development): Structured a pipeline of 500+ SaaS prospects using Agile CRM and created adoption manuals to streamline tracking and reporting.
Market Research (FinTech & E-commerce): Produced whitepapers analyzing European FinTech and e-commerce ecosystems to inform revenue projections, customer pain points, and market entry strategy.
Investor Relations (Collateral & Storytelling): Developed pitch decks and collateral for investor and partner discussions (e.g., Deutsche Bank, Rakuten), refining the GTM narrative and positioning.
Digital Marketing (Website & SEO): Designed and launched the company’s WordPress microsite; improved online visibility using SEO and Google Analytics.

Sales OperationsMarket ResearchDigital MarketingBusiness Development

Inme learning

Business Development Intern

Jun 2016 – Aug 2016 · 2 mos

New Initiatives & Sales Team
Supported the launch of a new B2C college counseling initiative while enhancing customer experience for existing K–12 experiential education programs.
Sales Execution (B2C Counseling Initiative): Generated $30K+ in revenue during the pilot phase by prospecting and pitching directly to parents; achieved a 20% conversion rate from 300+ leads.
Customer Insights (Satisfaction Surveys): Conducted structured surveys and interviews to identify key NPS drivers; shared insights with senior leadership to inform service improvements and marketing messaging.
Sales Operations (Pipeline Management): Built and maintained lead-tracking dashboards in Excel and CRM, improving visibility into conversion stages and follow-up accountability.

Sales ExecutionCustomer InsightsBusiness Development