Rajiv Mehta — CEO
The best operators I know all have one thing in common: they've built something, broken something, and lived to tell the tale. I've spent 21 years doing all three, building consumer brands in India: 📍In the 9 years at Puma, I helped launch the brand in India, took it to the #1 sports brand in the country. As CEO at Arvind Sports & Fashion Brands, I built their footwear and private label apparel divisions, both of which are now their fastest growing. 📍As the co-founder of D:FY, Prashant Desai and I attempted to give India an affordable sports brand. But due to various reasons it didn’t work out like we planned. That experience made me a better investor. 📍As CEO of Stove Kraft (Pigeon, Gilma, Black+Decker), I took the company public, turned operations around, brought it to faster growth and profitability. 📍In 2023 I joined Athera Venture Partners as Managing Director and General Partner. I had been angel investing since 2011 with over 15+ cheques across companies like - Druva - Stayzilla - Wow Momos - FabAlley - Fynd and - WedMeGood After some point, the side hustle became the day job. 📍At Athera (formerly Inventus India) we write the first institutional cheque from Seed to Series A for Consumer, SaaS, FinTech, DeepTech for any idea where the founder is solving a real problem and has the appetite to take it the distance. Athera's prior portfolio includes: - redBus - Policybazaar - MoveInSync - HealthifyMe - Pixxel - Euler Motors - PlayShifu Each of these companies that kept compounding long after the firm exited. Outside Athera I run marathons (got 3rd place in hyRox Bangalore in my age category of 45-49 with my men’s doubles partner in April 2026), host Athera's Gambit (our annual chess + VC mixer in Bangalore), and spend time guiding founders with hands-on guidance. If you are building in consumer, tech, or anywhere the unit economics actually have to work then write to me.
Stackforce AI infers this person is a seasoned leader in consumer brands and venture capital.
Location: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Experience: 23 yrs 8 mos
Skills
- Leadership
- Business Strategy
- Business Development
- Team Leadership
- Brand Development
- Retail Sales
Career Highlights
- Built Puma India to the #1 sports brand.
- Took Stove Kraft public and improved profitability.
- Co-founded D:FY to create an affordable sports brand.
Work Experience
Ganesh Consumer Products Limited
Board Member (3 mos)
RBZ Jewellers Ltd
Board Member (11 mos)
HiFy Club
Board Member (11 mos)
ClickPost
Board Member (2 yrs 2 mos)
iD Fresh Food (India) Pvt. Ltd.
Board Member (2 yrs 8 mos)
Athera Venture Partners (formerly Inventus India)
Managing Director & General Partner (3 yrs 4 mos)
Stovekraft Private Limited
Board Member & Chief Executive Officer (4 yrs 9 mos)
KAN DFY Sports Pvt Ltd
Founder & Director (2 yrs 1 mo)
Arvind Sports Lifestyle Ltd & Arvind Fashion Brands Ltd
CEO (2 yrs 6 mos)
Indian Angel Network
Board Member/Mentor, Indian Angel Network Bangalore, IN (14 yrs 5 mos)
Puma
Managing Director (South Asia) (9 yrs 3 mos)
BOC Group
Process Engineer (3 yrs)
Education
MBA at INSEAD
MSE at University of Pennsylvania
B.Chem.Engg at Institute Of Chemical Technology
ICSE at Narsee Monjee Educational Trust's - Jamnabai Narsee School
