Rajiv became an early-stage venture investor in 2023 following a 21-year operating career in the consumer & retail industry.
Industry Executive
Rajiv has been in the Indian consumer space since 2005. He launched Puma in India taking it to #1 position in 9 years. He subsequently joined Arvind Brands to launch their footwear and private label apparel divisions which are now their fastest growing. He was also an entrepreneur attempting to give India an affordable sports brand named D:FY. Most recently he was the CEO of Stove Kraft Ltd (kitchen brands like Pigeon, Gilma & Black+Decker) where he took the company public and turned around the operations to bring about faster growth and profitability
Venture Investor
Rajiv has been an active Angel Investor since 2011 and has done over 15 investments. He was part of the Indian Angel Network and not only invested, but mentored companies for their growth and marketing strategies. He invested in companies like Druva, StayZilla, Unbxd, Wow Momos, Faballey, Bird’s Eye systems, Fynd & Wedmegood. In 2017 Rajiv also consulted with Urban Ladder in order to help them establish their offline retail channel.
India Entrepreneurial Leader
Rajiv has a well established network of business contacts throughout the Indian consumer industry, consulting as well as the startup ecosystem
Education
He holds a B Chem Engg from the Institute of Chemical Technology (ICT), Bombay, a Master’s in Chem Engg from University of Pennsylvania (U of Penn) and an MBA from INSEAD, France/Singapore.