Ecosystem Ventures: Partner in India's Startup Growth Story
At Ecosystem Ventures (ESV), we’re more than just investors; we’re partners in the growth stories of India’s most promising startups. Our portfolio companies are making significant strides in their respective markets. In 2023 alone, we saw a logistics company grow its ARR from 15 Cr to 28 Cr, an ed-tech company leap from 12 Cr to 30 Cr, and a health-tech company secure a major government contract.
Our success stems from a distinctive investment philosophy: a deep understanding of the Indian startup landscape, honed by the evaluation of over 2600 startups. We focus on “industries we understand and companies with a proven product-market fit,” typically those with traction and strong founding teams. We also look for companies with the potential for category leadership and the ability to scale 100x.
While we value ambition, conservatism is key to our approach. We’ve adopted best practices from private equity, capital markets, and successful VCs to minimize the risk of failure. Our rigorous process involves “thorough due diligence: conducting comprehensive assessments of operations, financials, and systems.” This includes analyzing traction metrics like MRR and ARR to ensure a tighter control on investment quality.
We believe in fostering a collaborative environment, working alongside our portfolio companies to unlock their full potential. We leverage our experience and network of investors, advisors, and mentors to provide strategic guidance and operational support.
We’re confident that our unique approach to investing in Indian startups will continue to generate strong returns for our investors.
Core Team
Abhishek SanghviFounder
Abhishek is a well-known entrepreneur, investor, and strategic advisor, with deep expertise in growing organizations multi-fold.
Abhishek spent a decade in management consulting and investment banking, having managed multiple $100M+ impact projects across 15+ countries while based in New York.
Apart from investing in many stellar companies, he has also built ventures grounds-up in education, technology & finance.
Abhishek is an Engineer and an MBA from IIM Bangalore.
Nikhil KaushikPartner
Nikhil Kaushik is an Investor and an Entrepreneur with over 20+ years of experience working in several industries including Finance, Pharmaceuticals and Engineering with large multinational corporations like Citibank, GE and Pfizer, etc.
Nikhil was the promoter of a pharmaceutical business with 300 employees which he successfully sold to an Indian strategic major in an all-cash deal in 2023. Prior to that, he was managing over $200 million of Citibank’s private equity portfolio in India.
Nikhil brings deep finance experience along with the operational expertise to run diverse businesses in India. He has been the Zonal Chair for CII Bhopal and an active member of Entrepreneurs Organization, Bhopal.
Nikhil is an Engineer from the Texas A&M University, USA and an MBA from the Indian School of Business, Hyderabad.
Advisory
Abhijeet Bhandari
Abhijeet Bhandari has 15+ years of experience in investments & consulting firms across the globe. He is passionate about entrepreneurship and helps companies improve their business plan, raise funds and identify key partnerships.
Abhijeet has invested in companies across ed-tech, logistics-tech, healthcare and specialized in B2B ventures. He is also conservant in Italian and French.
Abhijeet is a B.Tech from IIT Kanpur, MBA from INSEAD and a CFA Charter holder.
Ravi Ajmera
Ravi has 20+ years of experience in Financial Services and Analytics. He has led business-critical initiatives like large technology transformation projects, implementing enterprise solutions, and organizational redesign for startups and midsize companies like Capital One, Deutsche Bank, Nomura Securities, Greendust, ESDS & Finance Ministry.
Ravi has led multiple funding rounds for Greendust and ESDS and worked for funding of over $100 MM
Ravi is a B.Tech from IIT Delhi and an MBA from Weatherhead School of Management Cleveland, USA
Sureel BhuratTechnology Expert
Sureel is a seasoned technology leader with 18+ years of experience, based in Boston, US
His work spans across Data centers, Multi-cloud Architecture & Implementation, DevOps, Big Data, Application Architecture, QA, Systems Engineering and building AI/ML platforms.
Sureel has worked with several large corporates like Disney, Marriott, Nike, Abbott Labs, Novartis, AIG, Google, Verizon, Reed Elsevier.
Sureel is an MS from Illinois Institute of Technology.
Rahul VaidyaBrand Enthusiast, Advertising and Marketing Professional
Rahul Vaidya, with over 27 years of experience in strategic business development and P&L management, is the ideal leader for the “Startup Growth Hub” at ESV. His extensive track record in converting strategic inputs into tangible business outcomes, coupled with his expertise in developing and executing growth strategies, positions him as the perfect mentor for startups aiming for rapid expansion.
Rahul’s ability to manage P&L, drive business development, and lead large teams across diverse industries—including IT, Automobile, Telecom, Media & Entertainment, FMCG, and Real Estate—ensures that startups will receive unparalleled guidance and support.
Aditya Somani
Aditya is a seasoned fund manager, enterprise leader, and entrepreneur with 18+ yrs of experience. He has covered and invested in multiple sectors including Food, Consumer Tech, Education, Health-tech, Retail, etc. His investments ($1-100M) have spanned from Angel funding, Series A to Pre-IPO, and control buyouts.
Aditya is also a food-tech expert, having supported the building of FreshMenu throughout its journey.
Aditya is an engineer from NIT Calicut and MBA from IIM Bangalore.
Aravind ThippanaikAdvisor, Marketing & Sales
Aravind has over 18 years of experience across Food, Personal care, Consumer health & QSR industry.
He has held leadership positions at J&J across Malaysia, Singapore & India. His expertise spans Growth & Market-entry Strategies, Brand Building & Consumer Thinking, Sales Acceleration & Channel Strategy.
Aravind is also a Subject Matter Expert for McKinsey and has driven client engagements across the Consumer sector. Aravind is an engineer and an MBA from IIM Bangalore.
Team Members
MONICA
KINJALK
NUPUR
POOJA
AMAN
GURLEEN
HIMANSHI
SAMYAK
JERRY
KARALI
VINIT
ESV Times
Welcome to the ESV Times Archive, your comprehensive repository of our monthly newsletter dedicated to empowering startup founders and investors alike. Each edition of ESV Times offers invaluable insights into the startup ecosystem, featuring expert advice, success stories, and practical resources tailored to meet the needs of early-stage companies.