Business Mentors Directory

I am a development professional with over 18 years of experience in research, programme implementation, and blended finance design across South Asia and Africa. I have worked closely with communities on the ground and national and international levels with donors, investors, financial institutions structuring capital for startups. Worked at multiple organizations namely IMRB International (Kantar now),BBC Media Action, Digital Green, IPE Global. I designed the award-winning Mobile Kunji and Mobile Academy platforms now scaled nationally. Experience across various sectors agriculture, health, and nutrition programmes and across India and Africa. At IPE Global, set up and led the SAMRIDH Blended Finance Facility, funded over 90+ start ups through structuring BFF instruments and mentored 90+ funded startups. Developed the Gender Lens Investing Toolkit. What she brings as a mentor: Ritika has sat on both sides of the table — as an implementer building programmes from the ground up, and as a funder structuring capital for start ups. She knows what breaks in the field, what funders actually look for, and how to bridge the two.

As an IIM Calcutta alumna with over seven years across top-tier strategy consulting, tech execution, and founder leadership, I specialize in helping businesses scale, optimize operations, and navigate hyper-growth. My career bridges high-level strategic vision with hands-on operational grit, making me uniquely equipped to advise and mentor early-to-growth-stage startups. My advisory foundation was built at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Ernst & Young (EY), where I led enterprise transformations—ranging from redesigning organizational frameworks for 83,000+ employees to modernizing capital market infrastructure handling $1.3T in daily volumes and unlocking $20M+ in automation and SG&A savings. I bring operational scaling experience from leading a 150+ member delivery team at Tech Mahindra and doubling regional customer acquisition as P&L owner at DesignCafé. Most recently, as the founder of two direct-to-consumer fashion brands, Swaastik and Kali-Raé, I navigated the realities of building a business from scratch—managing D2C e-commerce, physical retail, supply chains, and unit economics. I understand both board-level strategic rigor and ground-level founder challenges.

Seasoned ecosystem specialist offering high-growth management strategic oversight and scaling infrastructure recommendations.

I am the GP of a UK based VC fund that invests from Pre-Seed to Series startups in Europe, India and South Korea. I also run two funds in Impact and Stablecoin in South Korea and Singapore. My strengths are fundraising rounds, pitching and global investor relations. Simsan likes to invest in Deep Tech and Fintech businesses. My aim is to work with more founders, mentor where I can and deploy/add value to investment targets. It is not easy being a founder today, let alone being a VC operating internationally. I also wish to connect and work with Limited Partners globally. Co-investing with like minded LPs and onboarding them strategically into Simsan's global funds is a lifelong goal of mine. From Corporations to Family Offices. All investors are seeking early stage deal flow since that is where they can truly add value, as well as breathe life into the next generation of tech companies developing novel solutions that will benefit the planet. I personally believe India and South Korea is where all the action will be.

A visionary leader with a 17-year career defined by the intersection of business intelligence and technical innovation. Specializing in AI, Machine Learning, and Advanced Analytics, Vijay has spent over 13 years leading the end-to-end development and deployment of complex IT solutions. He is an expert in transforming raw data into "analytic stories," providing C-suite executives with the actionable insights and strategic roadmaps necessary to drive global business growth. Core Expertise • Strategic Leadership: 17 years driving Technology/Functional development and organizational design. • AI & ML Integration: 13 years of hands-on delivery in Machine Learning, Simulation, Automation, and Tools development. • Research & Consultancy: Deep proficiency in research methodology, large-scale survey design, and quantitative analysis. • Client Relationship Management: Serving as the primary architect for client expectations, managing everything from problem definition to executive-level presentations. • Business Development: Skilled in evangelizing analytics value, generating new business through compelling business cases, and identifying cross-sell/up-sell opportunities.

Driven by 25 years plus of global experience across North America, Europe, Africa, Middle East & Asia Pacific, I lead Infusion Multimedia, a next gen creative studio blending cinematic storytelling with AI innovation. • Experience across various domains like Media & Entertainment, Films, Marketing, Creative Agency, Telecom, Education, Travel & Digital Technology. • Over 5+ years of experience in delivering creative projects & AI Film Making. • Over 10+ years of experience in designing brand strategies and implementing creative plans. • Over 10+ years of hands-on experience in digital marketing strategy, planning, tools & techniques. Over 2+ years, we have built & refined a complete end-to-end AI-native production workflow – covering concept development, storyboarding, screenplay writing, visual storytelling, character design, image and video generation, animation, visual effects, music, voice performances & cinematic post-production. We use AI to accelerate production, allowing us to invest more time in story development, character creation & world-building. My motto: Transform how stories are told: where AI empowers creativity, & every frame evokes emotion, culture & impact.

I am a technology entrepreneur with 17+ years of experience building and scaling technology businesses across AI, enterprise software, and retail automation. After graduating at the top of my class from IIT (ISM) Dhanbad and MDI Gurgaon, I worked at LoginRadius, Cognizant, ITC, and Alcatel-Lucent before co-founding Brysk. As CEO of Brysk, I lead the development of AI-powered autonomous retail solutions that help businesses automate operations and create frictionless shopping experiences. My journey has given me hands-on experience in product strategy, customer discovery, go-to-market execution, enterprise sales, fundraising, financial planning, partnerships, and team building. I enjoy mentoring founders, product leaders, and aspiring entrepreneurs, helping them validate ideas, achieve product-market fit, build scalable business models, prepare for fundraising, and navigate the challenges of growing a startup. I believe great mentorship is rooted in practical experience, honest conversations, and actionable guidance that helps entrepreneurs make better decisions and build enduring companies.

Seasoned ecosystem specialist offering high-growth management strategic oversight and scaling infrastructure recommendations.

As CTO, Dayal leads the architecture and execution of scalable technology ecosystems across AI, Blockchain, and Digital Identity. He specializes in designing enterprise-grade platforms from decentralized identity frameworks (DID/VC), tokenization systems, and DAO governance models to AI tools marketplaces and multi-agent infrastructures. With over nine years of experience in software engineering and distributed systems, he has architected solutions across banking, supply chain, ESG, and developer ecosystems, ensuring they are compliant, secure, and built for long-term scalability. As a builder at heart, Dayal focuses on transforming complex ideas into structured, production-ready platforms with clear product roadmaps and monetization strategies. He combines deep technical expertise in Hyperledger Fabric, Node.js, Golang, and distributed architecture with strategic thinking around ecosystem growth, creator economies, and enterprise adoption. His mission is to build platforms that empower developers, startups, and enterprises to leverage AI and Web3 technologies in practical, impactful ways.

Seasoned ecosystem specialist offering high-growth management strategic oversight and scaling infrastructure recommendations.

Seasoned ecosystem specialist offering high-growth management strategic oversight and scaling infrastructure recommendations.

Darshan Reddy is an entrepreneur, investor, and business strategist focused on AI, startups, workforce transformation, and renewable energy. He is the Founder & CEO of ARBEIT AI, an AI-powered recruitment platform helping businesses streamline hiring through intelligent automation and data-driven insights. Previously, he founded and successfully exited Swasthyami, gaining hands-on experience in building, scaling, and commercializing startups. He is also an investor in Rayoka Solar Renewable Energies, supporting innovation in the clean energy sector. Darshan has strong knowledge of the Indian market and emerging opportunities across the Middle East and Southeast Asia. His expertise includes startup strategy, AI adoption, business development, go-to-market planning, sales growth, fundraising readiness, and market expansion. As a mentor, he helps founders, startups, and professionals transform ideas into scalable businesses through practical, execution-focused guidance backed by real entrepreneurial experience.