About Pontaq

Rachit has over eleven years of experience in BFSI including eight years in the Private Equity space. He has managed about $125 million through multiple funds. He started his VC experience with Canbank VC managing their $75 million VC fund. He was also involved in the structuring, investing, and monitoring of a Sovereign sponsored Fund of Funds backing the technology space in India. He is an active angel investor. He has joined Pontaq as Principal – Investments and Head – Compliance. Rachit is a Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India and holds a CFA (USA) Charter.

Started his career as an engineer hailing from real rural, able to demonstrate growth, save tons of money for the company and build growth. He worked extensively in the Technology domain for Post Production & broadcast industry for more than 18 years, the credits involve working on 400 Indian movies behind the scenes of technology. He was also responsible for building India’s first 4K Digital Intermediate Workflow & many Studios in India. In a turn for passion, he started his own firm, Botzlab Innovations and Services Pvt Ltd to build indigenous 3D printers, and served start-ups, MSME, and Manufacturing companies to make their prototypes in the last 6 years. He is now also an Industrial Consultant in Additive Manufacturing Domain as well. Never afraid to take on challenges, he is also a Business/Growth Consultant who has helped many start- ups and start-up specialists with very high acumen & knowledge to build multiple businesses.

Rajini Vislavath currently leads the investments and fund raising for Nextgen Technology Fund I. In over 17 years of experience so far, she held multiple roles of being an advisor, banker and investor, led transactions across the capital spectrum and the investment cycle spanning multiple businesses, industries and sectors.

Prior to joining Pontaq, she was the founding partner at The Argan Fund, a tech-focused impact investment fund. And prior to that, in her role with the World Bank group, she led the advisory to enhance the investment framework for Fund of Funds for Startups with a corpus of INR 100 billion (~USD 1.3 billion), managed by SIDBI on behalf of Govt. of India. Prior to this LP role, she was part of the investment team of TARA India Fund IV managed by IL&FS private equity.

She has also worked with organisations like SBI Capital Markets, Deutsche Bank and IL&FS Group across investment banking, private equity/venture capital and corporate strategy. She led multiple transactions across the capital spectrum aggregating over INR 27 billion, with experience over the complete investment cycle. She has an in-depth understanding of various financing options and brings an extensive network of industry relationships including startup founders, bankers and investors.

She holds a master’s degree in management from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (2005) and bachelor’s in computer science and engineering from Osmania University College of Engineering (2002).

Dr Kaul is the president of Indian Professionals Forum, a leading think tank related to the UK–India partnership and BREXIT. He is a member of the Advisory Council of British Expertise and the Board of Crown Agents Foundation. He is also the Vice Chair and Director of Indo-UK Institute of Health and the Chairman of Commonwealth Inclusive Growth Services, an India-based social venture.

Dr. Kaul is a Liveryman of the City of London, a Member of the Board of Directors of Europe India Chamber of Commerce (EICC) at Brussels and an Emeritus Director of the Commonwealth Association of Public Administration in Canada. He has served as a Senior Commonwealth Diplomat and to the United Nations as a Public-Sector Advisor. In his earlier days, he was the professor and later dean of IIM Ahmedabad. ​

Dr Kaul has led over 50 high-level initiatives and Forums, involving Heads of Government, Senior Ministers and top Business Leaders, in a number of countries primarily in South Asia and Africa including countries that had never received FDI before. He also advised the South African Government of President Nelson Mandela and the Malaysian government of Prime Minister Mahathir on areas such as public service reforms and economic policies.

Website: https://www.kaul.co.uk/

A citizen-centric innovation approach is key to demonstrating long term sustainable growth.
Growth is progressive and requires meticulous planning

Ramki has 28+ years of experience with 26+  years of experience in Venture Capital /  Private Equity – Kotak PE, Carlyle Group & ICICI  Venture. He was recently the CEO of Kotak  Private Equity, the Private Equity arm of Kotak  Mahindra Group, where he was responsible for managing various growth funds with an AUM  of over $700mn.

Prior to joining the Kotak Mahindra group,  Ramki had stints with Carlyle Asia Venture  Partners (CAVP), The Carlyle Group’s technology-focused fund, and ICICI Venture,  the PE and VC arm of the ICICI Group. After graduation, Ramki worked for two years at the  Management Services Division of Tata  Motors, the largest automobile company in  India.

His investment experience spans Life Sciences, Technology, Retailing, and Services, and he has developed a strong network in these segments. He actively participates on the  Boards of his portfolio companies and has helped them scale the businesses while managing growth.

Ramki is a Computer Science and Engineering graduate from the National Institute of  Technology, Warangal, and is a Postgraduate in  Management from IIM, Bangalore.

Shri G R Chintala was the Chairman of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD). After his graduation from the prestigious agriculture college, Bapatla, Shri Chintala did his Post Graduation in Seed Science and Technology from the world renowned Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi. He was also the Chairman of NABARD Consultancy Services (NABCONS) Ltd., NABVENTURE Ltd. and NABFOUNDATION. He was on the Board of prestigious institutions like Institute for Rural Management (IRMA), DICGC and on the Advisory Board of IIM-Ahmedabad.

He has a vast experience of over 35 years in NABARD. His key initiatives include the digitization of the world’s largest microfinance program under project ‘e-Shakti’, “Roadmap for Amalgamation of Regional Rural Banks” and many more.

Mr Martin is a successful CEO and entrepreneur, with a unique background which includes over 40 years of domestic and international business experience in more then 11 different industries ,including outdoor hospitality lifestyle, publishing , consumer branding ,technology licensing ,real estate development,franchising and the medical industry . Mr Martin also brings years of experience in FDA regulatory matters . Mr Martin has served in various capacities including CEO,COO,Board Member ( private and public), Managing Partner , General Counsel and Patent Counsel including Field & Stream , JS Karlton , Eveia Medical , Neuromed , eMaxHealth Systems ,Bonnier Corporation, US Summit ,JMJ Development , US Summit Company,International Health Council, Biomedical Innovative Research Center , Florida Medical Device Association and the ATT Project . Mr Martin holds degree in Engineering and Patent Law

Susanne Chishti is the CEO of FINTECH Circle, Europe’s 1st Angel Network focused on fintech opportunities & Founder of the FINTECH Circle Institute, the 1st peer-to-peer fintech learning platform. She is also the Co-Editor of the Bestseller “The FINTECH Book” which has been translated into 5 languages and is sold across 107 countries.

Susanne is recognised in the European Digital Financial Services ‘Power 50’ 2015, an independent ranking of the most influential people in digital financial services in Europe and also acts as a NED for Crown Agents Bank

Mauro is a seasoned CIO with over 20 years experience in strategic IT management within an international environment in the Media and Communications industry.

He is currently responsible for the overall IT function of Sky Deutschland. Mauro provides deep insights on the need for effective management of technology and product management gained from his on-the-ground experience at Sky.

Mahesh is a Global Strategy and Transactions expert with ~3 decades of diverse, cross-functional & cross-sectoral experience driving FDI and strategically advising some of the leading global organizations and governments.

He is the founder of LiveBean Partners, a specialist Geo-Economics and Investment Advisory firm engaging with Private Equities, Development Finance Institutions, and #ESG focused Impact Funds globally to drive responsible investments with offices in India, Kenya, #UAE & #Indonesia.

Mahesh also serves as the Special Economic Advisor to Narok County, Republic of Kenya, promoting ‘Special Economic Corridor’ initiatives with participating states in India, the USA, Kenya, and UAE. He architected a bill passed both in the House & Senate in the State of Indiana, the USA declaring Indiana and Narok as sister-states. At the same time, he has established a framework for economic collaboration between the states of #Telangana, India, and Narok, #Kenya.

Mahesh has secured projects of approx. value of USD 1 billion in the form of private investments, structured state debt, and philanthropic initiatives.

Mahesh was earlier the Managing Partner of KPMG East Africa and has had a corporate career with respected global brands like PwC, DHL and Expeditors as well. His expertise spans Government, Healthcare, Telecom-Media-Technology, and Manufacturing sectors.

Mahesh is a global citizen passionate about creating eco-systems to facilitate Geo-Economic collaborations based on true economic drivers while making a significant social impact.

Alice is currently the CEO of DAZN DACH (Germany, Austria, and Switzerland), a digital leader in global sports media with 2,800 employees in 25 countries.

Alice was earlier the Chief Product and Strategy Officer at Foxtel Group earlier, prior to which she was the Executive Vice President, Products & Marketing at Sky Deutschland GmbH.

Alice brings 20 years of experience in launching and scaling up new businesses, products and brands, M&As, turnarounds, business transformation, strategy, and execution, with a focus on consumer and subscription markets.

Alice is a business leader in the media and telco industry where she has been leading the transformation of traditional business models towards digital platforms and streaming, in Europe and the Asia Pacific.

John Renard, President of Cyient Europe, and Director and Secretary-General of the World Geospatial Industry Council (WGIC) joins Pontaq’s advisory/ mentor board.

John specialises in financial management, business leadership, and global outsourcing, and provides the strategic leadership that underpins Cyient’s strength and presence in the eight European countries. John has led Cyient’s efforts in the geospatial sector, including growing global relationships with key industry players such as Esri and Amazon Web Services (AWS).

John has been instrumental in setting up WGIC and has seen the association grow to over 40 active members who represent all areas of the #geospatial industry. WGIC provides a platform for creating business opportunities for the industry and is focused on advancing global policy matters relevant to the geospatial sector and meeting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

John received his Master’s degree in Geography and Management Studies from the University of Cambridge. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG).

Arun Sridhar, former executive at Galvani Bioelectronics joins the mentor board of Pontaq.

Arun is a scientist, and entrepreneur and has over a decade of experience in the field of Bioelectronic Medicine. He was the head of discovery and set up GSK #Bioelectronics R&D from the ground up into a company that garnered over £500 million in investment from GSK and Verily.

Arun has over 20 patents and more than 50 publications to his name. He also hosts a podcast called Skraps on science, technology, and innovation in #Healthcare.

Arun has a Ph.D. from The Ohio State University and prior to that, has extensive clinical cardiac surgical experience having trained under Dr. KM Cherian.

Vetri is an internationally recognized thought leader in water strategy with multiple patents managing the entire water requirements of Kimberly Clark.

Vetri also served as an Advisory Board Member of Cape Town Water Hub, a Western Cape National Government initiative aiming to bring solutions to mitigate “Day Zero” water risks in the region.

Vetri has delivered over 60 billion gallons of water savings and eliminated 10 million metric tons of waste from landfills. He has led projects that delivered over $100 million in cost savings

Vetri has facilitated public-private partnerships in 2 high water stress countries and holds multiple publications. He developed a globally renowned water scarcity tool/ management tool, WaterLOUPE, being used by countries like #Southafrica and #Brazil

Vetri is also an advisory board member of Nexus Water Resilience, Abu Dhabi Innovation Hub.