After completing a degree in Business Administration in the US, Sasha Mirchandani joined Mirc Electronics as Head of Corporate Affairs. Mirc owns the Onida brand of consumer electronics. Sasha has worked in several capacities while at Mirc including as Marketing Executive, Area Sales Manager – Mangalore Branch and Manager – Bombay Branch. Sasha was also responsible for establishing Adonis Electronics which provides service for several multinational companies and Imercius Technologies which is a telecommunications related BPO. In addition, Sasha is a venture partner for BlueRun ventures where he is responsible for all of BlueRun’s activities out of India . Noticing a lack of seed stage funding in India , he founded Cocoon Ventures in the year 2000. Some of the companies he has funded include Fractal Analytics, TheoryM and Algorhythm. Sasha has been an active angel investor for many years.

Praveen Chakravarty is a co-founder and board member of Mumbai Angels. Professionally, he is the COO & Head of Research at BNP Paribas and is based in Mumbai. Prior to this, Mr. Chakravarty was a Founder-Director at Thomas Weisel India. Mr. Chakravarty spent 14 years of his working life in the technology and financial services sectors. Mr. Chakravarty is an active investor in various start-ups and sits on the board of 3 start-ups in India. He is a voracious non-fiction reader, active cricketer, a history buff and is a keen follower of the randomness of the financial markets. Mr. Chakravarty received his MBA from the Wharton School and an undergraduate degree from BITS, Pilani.

Shantanu Surpure is a Managing Advocate/Attorney at Sand Hill India Advisors . Shantanu focuses on venture capital and private equity transactions and has extensive experience in representing venture capital and private equity funds in fund formations and venture capital and private equity financings in addition to representing emerging and public companies in venture capital and private equity financings, mergers and acquisitions and public offerings. Shantanu has a special focus on cross-border India-US transactions and has previously practiced law with a large US law firm in Silicon Valley. Shantanu holds a BA from Brown University/London School of Economics, an MA Juris from Oxford University and a Juris Doctor from Columbia Law School. Shantanu is admitted to practice law in India, California, New York and England and Wales. Shantanu is a Charter Member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) and is active in mentoring entrepreneurs and start-up companies in developing the Silicon Valley “ecosystem” in India.

Javed Tapia graduated from Sydenham College and completed his MBA from Duke University . He is the founder of Duke University ‘s Fuqua Alumni Club in India and also serves on the interview panel for prospective applicants to Fuqua School of Business. Javed started his career with his family’s real estate business, Clover Constructions. Javed then established an end-to-end IT solutions company, Clover Technologies, that provided enterprise level Unix and Oracle solutions and support. Javed took an early lead in understanding the Linux market when he founded a group under Clover Technologies to focus on Linux early in 1999. Javed then brought Red Hat, Inc., a leading US Linux company into India and led Red Hat India for five years before selling his stake to Red Hat, Inc. Javed continues to serve on the board of Red Hat India .

Prashant Choksey is the CEO of Choksey Constructions, a real estate company with a focus on providing large scale affordable housing. The company is currently working with leading financial institutions to explore innovative development solutions and advocate urban policy reforms and regulatory frameworks. Prashant is also an Executive Director at Choksey Chemicals, a leading manufacturer of construction chemicals, and Hindustan Mineral Products, which processes and markets minerals. Prashant holds a mechanical engineering degree from the University of California at San Diego and has completed executive management programs from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad and the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Prashant has mentored to and made angel investments in a number of start-ups in the technology, media and entertainment sectors since the mid-1990s. Prashant is also a co-founder of the Young Entrepreneurs Organization (YEO), India chapter, which is part of a global community of business owners who run companies that exceed US$1m in revenue.

Manoj Maheshwari is a second-generation entrepreneur with interests in the information technology, marketing, pharmaceutical and chemical industries. He is a graduate from Bombay University with a major in Chemistry and has done his post graduation in Industrial Management. Manoj’s work experience encompasses project management, production, marketing, financial and general management with respect to medium sized companies and is on the board of directors of a number of public and private companies as an executive and independent non-executive director. Manoj brings a mix of entrepreneurial and professional skills to the various Boards that he serves on.

Anand is the founder, Chairman and CEO of Rave Technologies. Since Rave’s inception in 1987, Anand has guided Rave from a small company to a medium sized organization providing software solutions with offices across Europe, USA and India. Anand started his career in designing controller chips with Advanced Micro Devices in Silicon Valley as a Senior Systems Engineer. After two years at AMD, he joined a start-up company, Clarity Systems, Inc., as an Applications Engineer developing CAD tools for VLSI semiconductor devices. Upon Anand’s return from the US, he founded Rave Technologies. Anand holds both Bachelors and Masters degrees in Electrical Engineering from Cornell University, graduating with distinction.

Parthiv Kilachand has been an active entrepreneur in India since 1989. Parthiv has ongoing joint ventures/operations with AVX Corporation, USA (for capacitors), Connell Bros. Co., USA (for manufacturing and distribution of speciality chemicals), Diageo, UK (for premium adult beverages) amongst others. He is also the founder of Sun Tan Trading Company which is the authorized distributor for Diageo in India for all its premium spirits including Johnnie Walker, J&B, Smirnoff, etc. and was responsible for bringing them to India. Parthiv was previously a venture capitalist at antfactory and is currently an active angel and strategic investor and sits on the boards of several companies. These companies include a company which imports gourmet foods into India and another which promotes premium bars and restaurants in India (including the Hard Rock Café.)
Parthiv is also active in various bodies such as the Indian Merchants Chamber and the West Wind Nursery school and is also a member of the Young Presidents Organization. He was educated at the Cathedral and John Connon School in Mumbai, at Eton College in England and Brown University in the USA from where he holds a dual Bachelors degree in Engineering and Economics.

Ranjan Kapur is currently Country Manager – India of WPP, which is one of the world’s largest communications groups and the holding company that owns JWT, Ogilvy, Grey, Y&R and Bates, some of the largest advertising agencies globally and in India.
Ranjan started his career with Citibank. Ranjan is a veteran of the advertising business having spent 40 years with Ogilvy. He was Chairman of Ogilvy India from 1993 to 2003 and is largely credited with its turnaround and accelerated growth which led to it becoming India’s largest communications group.
Ranjan has worked in several countries with Ogilvy, including New York and in his last assignment prior to becoming Chairman of Ogilvy India he held a senior regional Asia Pacific assignment and was based in Singapore.
Ranjan was inducted into the Ogivly Worldwide Board in 1998 and was elected Vice Chairman Asia Pacific in 2001.
Ranjan is currently a director on the board of MIRC Electronics, Pidilite Industries, Annik Technologies, Eon Premedia, among others. In his personal capacity Ranjan is involved in the development of technology based on line and mobile services companies and has substantial equity in an online publishing company, a BPO journalism company and a mobile tagging services company.
Ranjan is also Chairman of the Strategic Planning Group at Bombay First, an NGO that actively works with government and civic bodies for the development of Mumbai into a premier global city. Ranjan has recently been inducted into the Citizen’s Action Group, a watchdog body under the chairmanship of the Chief Minister that works directly with the Government of Maharashtra towards Mumbai’s development. He has also recently joined The Economic Times Marketing Editorial Advisory Board.
Ranjan was born in Lahore on 25 November, 1942 and holds a Masters in English from Delhi University.

Manish Choksi is a member of the Management Board of Asian Paints Group responsible for new businesses, corporate planning and information technology across the Asian Paints group. He has spearheaded company’s move into the successful ERP and SCM initiatives as well as new information technology solutions across the Extended Enterprise. He has been a catalyst for the company’s foray into services such as painting / décor / home improvement solutions as well as strengthening its Industrial paints business.

Rafique A. Malik is the Chairman and Managing Director of Metro Shoes. Ltd. – The largest national chain of fashion footwear and accessories in India. Mr. Malik now heads the countrywide network of 70 exclusive showrooms at prime locations across 25 cities and over Rs.200 crores in sales turnover. Mr Malik brings to the table over 30 years of commercial experience. A graduate of Harvard Business School, Mr. Malik is also a member on the CII National Committee for Retailing and a member of the World President’s Organization.

Manish Kejriwal is the Senior Managing Director & Country Head of Temasek Holdings Advisors India Pvt Ltd., and has key responsibility for Temasek’s Investments in India, Russia and in the Financial Services sector. Temasek Holdings is an Asia investment firm with a diversified portfolio of US$ 80 billion. Temasek is among the most active buy-side firms in Asia and has invested over US$20 billion in last 3 years. It has delivered an 18% per annum average compounded total return to its shareholder since inception. Prior to joining, Mr. Kejriwal was a Partner at McKinsey & Company, Inc. where he worked with a number of clients across North America, South America, Europe and Asia and was a part of their New York, Cleveland and Mumbai offices. He had previously worked with Goldman Sachs and the World Bank. Mr. Kejriwal received an AB from Dartmouth College, where he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a major in Economics and Engineering Sciences. He holds an MBA from Harvard University, where he graduated with high distinction as a Baker Scholar. Manish is a member on the board of Fullerton Financial Holdings Pte. Ltd. and Bajaj Auto Limited. He is an active member of the Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO), and the co-President of the Harvard Business School Association of India (HBSAI). He was named a Young Global Leader (YGL) by the World Economic Forum in 2005.

As the Chairman and Managing Director of Mirc Electronics, Mr Gulu Mirchandani is responsible for formulating, incubating and delivering emerging technologies and services in the area of consumer electronics. Mr Gulu also takes personal interest in conceptualizing and delivering various designs which appeal to Indian consumers. Under his leadership and guidance, Mirc Electronics won an “Award for Excellence in Electronics” in 1999, from the Ministry of Information Technology, Government of India. As a visionary leader of Indian industry, he represented the industry on various forums and was the President of the “Consumer Electronics & TV Manufacturers Association” (CETMA) for two consecutive years in 1992-94. He has also been awarded “Man of Electronics Award – 2004” by CEAMA (erstwhile CETMA). He was awarded “Electronics Man of the Year Award” for the year 2004-2005 by Elcina Electronic Industries Association of India. He also shares his wealth of experience and industry knowledge as a member of the Board of Directors of KEC International Limited, VIP Industries Limited, BP Ergo Limited, Ador Welding Limited and Shoppers Stop Limited. He is a member of the World Presidents’ Organization, (WPO), an international organization of more than 3000 CEOs with operations in more than 60 countries. He is an alumnus of BITS, Pilani, and holds a degree in B.E. (Mechanical).

Harshal Shah is the CEO of Reliance Technology Ventures Ltd. the corporate venture arm of the Reliance Anil Dhirubhai Ambani Group. He also sits on the Boards of Reliance Venture Asset Management Ltd., Yatra Online, Inc., Setco Automotive Ltd., and Telsima Corporation. Prior to joining Reliance, Harshal had more than 14 years of experience in various strategy, private equity and entrepreneurial roles at IBM Global Strategy (USA), Northstar Global Partners (USA and Switzerland), Infostakes, Inc. (USA and India), and Accenture (USA, Singapore, Hong Kong). At Infostakes, where he was founder and CEO, he grew the net worth of the company by 90 times in three years, and applied with Fidelity to join NASDAQ. Harshal has an MBA from the Wharton School of Business and is also a Truman Gray Scholar from MIT where he earned dual BS degrees in Management, and in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science. He resides in Mumbai, India with his wife, Urja, who is a graduate from Parsons School of Design New York, Duke University and University of Massachusetts (Amherst). She had also been accepted into the PhD Program at Stanford University.

Bhavik Bhimjyani is a Director at Neelkanth, a real estate developer based in Mumbai. He holds a Bachelor’s degree and MBA degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated with Honors – Summa cum Laude. Previously he worked on Wall Street at Lazard Freres where he led some of the firm’s most successful deals such as the sale of HotJobs.com to Yahoo!. He also worked at Merrill Lynch Investment Banking in New York.

Rajesh Sehgal is currently Senior Executive Director with the Emerging Markets Group (EMG) of Franklin Templeton Investments and manages pre-IPO, PIPE (Private Investment in Public Enterprises) and Private Equity investments across Emerging Markets with special focus on India. He has additional responsibility of researching Global Emerging Markets for Templeton’s public funds. Franklin Templeton Investments manages about USD650bn in assets, of which the Emerging Markets Group manages about USD48bn having 13 offices worldwide with over 35 investment professionals.

Rajesh started his career with SBI Capital Markets in the Investment Banking division and then shifted focus becoming part of the Treasury & Investments Group managing SBI Capital’s proprietary portfolio. He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management from XLRI, Jamshedpur and is a CFA charter holder from the CFA Institute, USA. He has a Post Graduate Diploma in Securities Law from the Government Law College, Mumbai. In his personal capacity, Rajesh conducts Equity Valuation workshops for Dun & Bradstreet in addition to sharing his thoughts and knowledge at various business management schools from time to time. He is keenly interested in working with budding entrepreneurs across business segments and has invested in start ups in the financial services and outsourcing space.

Mr. Vaish is a Director of the Boston Consulting Group’s Mumbai Office. He leads BCG’s Operations and Health Care practices in India. He also works extensively in the Industrial Goods area. Prior to joining BCG, Mr. Vaish was a partner with McKinsey and Company, Inc. where he was part of the leadership team which founded McKinsey’s Indian practice. Mr. Vaish has also worked in the past at Intel Corporation and at the World Bank. Mr. Vaish holds an A.B. with honors in Computer Science and Economics from Dartmouth College and an M. B. A. with distinction from Harvard Business School.