Feb 2025 – Present · 1 yr 3 mos · Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India · On-site

• Bolt91 builds electric cycle and light EV rental platforms for guest houses, hotels, ashrams, universities and long-stay ecosystems. Designed as a clean, quiet and sustainable mobility option, we serve long-stay pilgrims, students and modern nomads while reducing congestion and pollution in sacred city environments.
• We started in Kashi by design, with a clear seva bhav - serving the pilgrim, the long-stay seekers and the city itself. Kashi is our living proof ground, from where we are expanding to other Sanatan Dharma destinations, taking an operations-first, capital-efficient approach to sustainable mobility that aligns with culture, not just convenience.

Jan 2024 – Jul 2024 · 6 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India · On-site

• I was heading the startup acceleration & Global Strategy for Marwari Catalysts (MCats) helping it expand in other thriving startup ecosystems worldwide.
• Left the organisation as personal ethics, vision, expectations and style of working did not match.

Sep 2021 – Aug 2022 · 11 mos · Bangalore

Jun 2019 – Feb 2021 · 1 yr 8 mos

• Got first exit for Bluebolt Startup Factory... Fintech, B2B eCommerce - Helping small 5000+ merchants in tier 3 & 4 towns and villages accept digital payments and pay bills. www.minkspay.com.
• Got an exit now!!

May 2018 – Dec 2025 · 7 yrs 7 mos

• Escrowffrr is a unique, escrow focused, digital payments platform owned and operated by Trustmore Technologies (P) Limited. The platform is powered by leading banks like ICICI Bank and Axis Bank. Escrowffrr allows users to seamlessly set up and transact in a safe and secure manner using a convenient digital escrow account in minutes.

Dec 2017 – Mar 2023 · 5 yrs 3 mos

• Industrial IoT & AI Startup - Fitbit for industrial machines for device level Energy monitoring and analytics. Selected by Schneider Electric as top 10 hot startups in Asia.

Sep 2017 – Dec 2022 · 5 yrs 3 mos

• An AI & SaaS based Zero Code Development Platform that reduces Enterprise Software Development & Deployment cycle from months to weeks.
• Successfully exited!

Sep 2017 – Dec 2020 · 3 yrs 3 mos

• PS: We are in an exit phase and not taking on any more startups.
• Bluebolt Startup Factory focused on identifying brilliant entrepreneurs who solved critical challenges in business and consumer domains through tech-driven disruptive solutions. We assisted them in transitioning from an MVP to a successful startup, positioning them for Series A investments. Our approach involved providing global access to experts, Fortune 500 companies, angel investors, and seed funds keen on investing in deep tech startups. We helped refine their target customer base, market positioning, pricing & licensing strategies, and the establishment of distribution networks - all essential components for their success.
• Bluebolt Startup Factory developed a distinctive, asset-free, face-to-face, and one-on-one turbo-acceleration model that addressed startups' fundamental needs. We offered practical assistance in refining their business models, connecting them with industry mentors, guiding them to market entry, helping them achieve predictable revenue stages, and facilitating funding opportunities.
• Founded and actively managed by serial entrepreneurs who had successfully built businesses themselves, Bluebolt Startup Factory differentiated itself from others. We possessed firsthand entrepreneurial experience and understood the practical nuances of startup building and scaling. Once the business models were refined, we facilitated startups' engagement with their customers, validating their ideas and eventually launching their products. This often involved connecting them with large corporations for validation, early adoption, and potential go-to-market partnerships.

Oct 2018 – Sep 2019 · 11 mos · Doha, Qatar

• The Digital Incubation Center (DIC), under Qatar’s Ministry of Transport and Communications, was designed to foster ICT innovation and support young entrepreneurs in building tech-driven businesses. It provided essential resources such as office space, mentorship, and media exposure to help startups succeed.
• While consulting at DIC, I introduced a structured approach to help startups scale efficiently. I developed a unique 30-60-90 days plan, review, and grow framework, which offered startups a clear roadmap for working towards specific milestones, ensuring steady progress and scalability. This framework helped entrepreneurs structure their operations, focus on key growth metrics, and align their strategies for the long term.
• With my experience guiding early-stage startups through product positioning, audience targeting, go-to-market strategies, and investor pitching, I am well-equipped to assist incubators and accelerators in setting up and running successful startup cohorts.
• For international organizations, leveraging my expertise offers the opportunity to tap into India’s deep experience in building a thriving startup ecosystem. Having witnessed and contributed to India’s journey from an emerging to a leading global startup hub, I provide valuable insights on how to create scalable, sustainable businesses, no matter the region.

Mar 2018 – Sep 2018 · 6 mos · Australia | India

• The Virangana, Jhalkari Bai, was a mighty woman warrior in Indian history. Born an untouchable in a poor home, she rose to become the General of Queen Laxmi Bai’s women’s army through sheer grit, courage and determination. She was martyred in 1858 while fighting the British Army.
• India is booming as a startup hub and today’s Virangana Entrepreneur is doing her conquering with her brains instead of a sword… However, she continues to face challenges in credit-worthiness, travelling alone, having informal business meetings and sexual overtures.
• The Virangana Project has been created specifically to empower such Indian Women Entrepreneurs, a cause close to my heart!

Dec 2017 – Mar 2021 · 3 yrs 3 mos · Bengaluru Area, India

• India continues to solidify its position as one of the most dynamic and thriving startup ecosystems globally. In recent years, India has emerged as the third-largest startup ecosystem in the world, with thousands of innovative ventures reshaping industries. The Indian startup ecosystem now boasts over 100 unicorns, with a combined market valuation exceeding $320 billion, driving both economic growth and innovation.
• Startup India Foundation, a not for profit organisation, was established by a group of seasoned entrepreneurs who have built successful businesses from the ground up. Having navigated the challenges of founding startups, raising multimillion-dollar investments, expanding global operations, and establishing strategic partnerships, these founders deeply understand what it takes for a first-time entrepreneur to succeed and scale.
• The foundation is committed to supporting first-time entrepreneurs, particularly those from Tier II and Tier III towns, in their journey to build thriving startups. Startup India Foundation offers practical, no-nonsense events where early-stage startups can connect with key players in the ecosystem, foster meaningful relationships, and access critical support.
• In addition to hosting events, the foundation collaborates with hundreds of incubators across the country, providing them with mentorship, resources, and guidance to ensure entrepreneurs have the tools they need to succeed.
• PS: This organisation is not related to Startup India, the Indian government's initiative to develop the startup ecosystem.

Dec 2017 – Mar 2018 · 3 mos · Cabo de Rama Beach, Goa

• Seaside Startup Summit, one of its kind and unique non-formal startup event organised in a form of tent camp which aims to establish a new type of startup platform worldwide. It was first held on shores of Lake Sevan in Armenia and is now going global. The first location of choice for launching the Summit in India is Goa from March 6 - 11, 2018 - the perfect place for this concept.
• Over 100 Startups and 100+ early stage investors from all over the world were invited to the Seaside Startup Summit - making it the bridge between startups ecosystems worldwide. During the summit 1500+ participants including entrepreneurs, guests, mentors, speakers, trainers, investors etc. had an opportunity to:
• Improve their skills and acquire new knowledge during the Workshops,
• Campfire talks and mentoring sessions,
• Obtain new valuable contacts,
• Discover possibilities of cooperation and partnership,
• Compete with their teams and ideas during the Startup Battles, Pitching sessions
• Participate in the Startup Bootcamp built into the summit,
• Win grants and get investments,
• Have a great time during the leisure activities.
• The four describing words for the Summit are: CONNECT, LEARN, WIN and HAVE FUN. Pls see the brief video below to know more or visit www.SeasideStartupSummit.in.
• Top startups from all over India and abroad were chosen in 10 different tracks like Fintech, Healthcare, AI/ML, Social Impact etc. through an online competition. Top startups in each track were invited to attend the summit FREE of cost and winners in each track and overall winners got prizes including the $1m Alpha Benefits card from F6S, invite to Level 4 of 100 Open Startups Open Innovation Week in Brazil/Europe, all expenses paid investor & customer connect trip to Japan besides cash prizes rangign from US$5000 to $1500 among host of other awards and benefits and for investors an opportunity to discover interesting startups to invest in.

Aug 2016 – Dec 2016 · 4 mos · Across 10 Indian Cities

• Haywards 5000 Hauslay Ki Udaan’ is India’s first startup reality show that aims to support the entrepreneurial spirit of Indians. This initiative has been introduced by Haywards 5000 Hausla Buland Academy. Auditions were conducted in 10 cities across India, which served as a platform for aspiring entrepreneurs from small towns to showcase their innovative business ideas and share their stories. The participants were mentored by the Interview Panel consisting of well-known entrepreneurs and industry experts as well as Hausla Buland Academy Professional Counsellors. The winning idea received a seed funding of Rs 15 lakh from the academy without parting with any equity.
• The finalists were selected based on a combination of factors including market opportunity, uniqueness of the idea, growth potential, strategy, enthusiasm and passion, knowledge of the industry, realistic goals, and total investment required. As a judge and mentor on the show, I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and discovering awesome startup rockstars!

Aug 2016 – Dec 2016 · 4 mos · New Delhi Area, India

• The Vault is an investment platform cum television show open to the student community, rural & household ventures, startups, and budding entrepreneurs seeking funds for their business ideas. The televised series gives promising entrepreneurs an opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of investors and possibly get funded on the spot, while the nation watches them in their moment of glory.
• I coached the shortlisted entrepreneurs on how to position their business, the 30 second investor hook pitch to get called into the Vault and the closing 2 min pitch to close the deal.

Jun 2016 – Mar 2017 · 9 mos · Gurgaon, India

• Jaarvis Accelerator takes early stage technology based startups and helps them rapidly build a sustainable business. Jaarvis Accelerator guides entrepreneurs and helps them with Go-to-Market strategy, marketing and revenue generation. Besides the active support, we also invest upto US$50,000 in the startups to help them go from a prototype or initial service to a viable business with revenue traction.
• Continuing my journey of incubating and nurturing innovative startups, I am creating the right ecosystem of corporate adopters, early-stage investors, industry experts & mentors and go-to-market collaborations to give startups the boost they need to rocket up.

Feb 2016 – May 2016 · 3 mos · Bengaluru Area, India

• IncubateHub is India’s most vibrant community and virtual incubator of entrepreneurs and enterprising talent - 4000+ startups, 5000+ aspiring entrepreneurs, 120,000+ students from 600+ colleges across India, angel investors and mentors.
• IncubateHub specialises in helping organisations - corporates, incubators, investors, academic institutions - discover and engage with hard-to-get enterprising talent through focused hackathons and competition events. We truly believe that real enterprising talent does not depend on which college or geographical location it belongs to but the passion and ability it brings to the table.
• IncubateHub has successfully executed competition format events for companies like ITC Infotech who wanted to do discover and engage with IoT talent, Tata NEN’s India’s first national mentoring and recognition platform for student start-ups or Axilor, an Accelerator launched by Infosys veterans.

May 2015 – Oct 2015 · 5 mos · India

• D2L is the company that created Brightspace: the online teaching and learning platform that’s easy, flexible, and smart. D2L technology is used by more than 1,100 clients and 15 million learners in higher education, K-12, healthcare, government, and the enterprise sector.
• I helped D2L kickstart their business in India by creating and executing a India-focused go-to-market strategy. Evaluated biz potential in various target segments (Vocational, K12, Higher Ed). Shortlisted, evaluated and finalised the channel partner for India. Also developed the first bunch of prospects.

May 2014 – May 2015 · 1 yr · India

• United for Hope is a non-profit empowering India's rural poor through a holistic and economically sustainable “model village” strategy. In partnership with local communities and local government, we organize resources and projects to improve access to basic infrastructure such as clean water, sanitation, clean energy and education, as well as developing the economic conditions for sustainable living.

Sep 2013 – Dec 2015 · 2 yrs 3 mos · Dubai, UAE

• Marco Polo Ventures is an innovative startup accelerator, Go-to-Market Strategy and Execution consulting firm.
• We incubate and work with startups wishing to expand to new markets aggressively. The real value for any innovative product or service is the impact it has on people's lives. And this impact is only possible when this innovation is available to its ultimate customers in its target markets. Innovators may be adept in developing such products and services but often need help in reaching out to the markets. Through a mix of equity ownership and revenue share, we develop, implement and manage a custom go-to-market strategy & distribution network for startups wishing to quickly scale up their revenues.

Apr 2013 – Jun 2013 · 2 mos · Latchi, Polis Chrysochous, Cyprus 

• ZENING is a family wellness holiday destination in Cyprus.
• Created as a new-age healthy resort it is ideal for solo travelers as well as couples and families with children who treasure a healthy lifestyle.
• ZENING is an eco village resort , Grade A, with traditional Cyprus village landscape and features. It is built as a village destination – a 25 year old traditional Cyprus village turned into an eco resort.
• I spent blissful 3 months there helping out my friend and mentor, Ajay Goyal who had acquired this resort and was refurbishing it from ground up into its current beautiful avatar. Not a bad work to do just for food and stay and option to go anytime I want to the beach in front with beers! It was exactly what I wanted to sort out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.

Jun 2001 – Mar 2013 · 11 yrs 9 mos · Bangalore

• As one of foremost pioneers in the eLearning field, 24×7 Learning’s eLearning solutions transcend geographical barriers and spread learning to the farthest corners of the civilized world – all with the help of internet connectivity. Since 2001, 24×7 Learning’s solutions have touched learners in over 225 global corporates that include the likes of Samsung, JP Morgan, Dubai Airports, Dell and Vodafone.
• I founded the company and was responsible for the company's global sales operations and all customer-facing functions, including sales, implementation, consulting and defining technology and enterprise products roadmap and strategy. It was a lot of fun building the company from a startup to the largest eLearning implementation company in India!
• I exited in 2013 to focus on my first love - working with early stage tech startups!!

Jan 1998 – Jan 2000 · 2 yrs · Pune Area, India

• This was a JV with Cimatron Israel. Got acquired by them.
• Cimatron develops and distributes CAD/CAM software for the manufacturing industry. Cimatron caters to all manufacturing sectors, offering specialized solutions for mold and die makers, as well as solutions for 2.5-5-Axis production milling and turning. Ranked among the top six CAD/CAM suppliers in every global region, Cimatron has subsidiaries in Asia, North America and Europe, and works with certified independent service providers in over 40 countries worldwide.
• I launched Cimatron's business in India. I drove aggressive growth through strategic distribution partnerships. I was actively involved in acquisition of marquee customers like Videocon, Voltas, BPL etc. From an unknown brand, I was able to establish it as top brand in its market segment within two years of launch.

Sep 1996 – Oct 1998 · 2 yrs 1 mo · Pune Area, India

• Patni (now acquired by iGate) was a top IT outsourcing company serving global customers. Its Engineering Services Division provided CAD/CAM and GIS services to customers in US, UK and Japan.
• I was responsible for Global sales and marketing of the Engineering Services Division of Patni. Besides managing sales in the US, Europe and Japan, I also developed key strategic partnerships in UK and large marquee accounts like Hitachi in Japan.

Jul 1995 – Aug 1996 · 1 yr 1 mo · Delhi and Pune

• PTC (NASDAQ: PTC) is a global provider of technology platforms and solutions that transform how companies create, operate, and service the “things” in the Internet of Things (IoT).
• I set up the New Delhi office for PTC in India and started direct sales operations in North and East India. I managed sales of Pro/Engineer range of high-value CAD/CAM software products and was able to crack open marquee accounts like Tata Motors, Videocon etc.

Jan 1991 – Jun 1995 · 4 yrs 5 mos · New Delhi Area, India

• Wipro Ltd (NYSE:WIT) is a global information technology, consulting and outsourcing company with 145,000 employees serving over 900 clients in 61 countries. Wipro helps customers to do business better leveraging our industry-wide experience, deep technology expertise, comprehensive portfolio of services and a vertically aligned business model.
• I was responsible for sales of software products in North India region. I developed and managed a vast reseller network all over north India. I successfully ran special campaigns for software sales in higher education market. In later years, was involved in B2B sales of high-end, high value CAD software products.

Jan 1988 – Jan 1991 · 3 yrs · New Delhi

• HCL is a leading global Technology and IT Enterprise with annual revenues of US$ 6.4 billion. The 37 year old Enterprise, founded in 1976, is one of India's original IT garage start ups. Its range of offerings span R&D and Technology Services, Enterprise and Applications Consulting, Remote Infrastructure Management, BPO services, IT Hardware, Systems Integration and Distribution of Technology and Telecom products in India.
• I started as a Tech Support Engineer supporting CAD/CAM software (RoboCAD, ArcInfo) in IDM which was acquired by HCL. After an year I shifted to business development and managed sales of CAD/CAM software and Apollo/HP workstations in north India.