Guruprasad Deshpande
Investor / Founder Director
Guruprasad comes with over two decades of entrepreneurial and corporate experience. He is an angel investor and entrepreneur himself who strongly believes in and advocates entrepreneurship. Having traveled across 48 countries to his credit and being an Indian both by citizenship and heart, he dreams of seeing a self-reliant India with numerous entrepreneurs in the decades to arrive.
He is a mentor to many budding entrepreneurs and has been an advisor to a couple of startups in the South East Asian region. Along with his other portfolios, Guru is currently an active Co-Founder and CEO of Zaapko, based in Indonesia.
Advice for budding entrepreneurs:
The greatness of working professionals does not lie in an 8-hour job fulfilling the dreams of someone else. They lie in dreaming for themselves, ideating their dreams into realities, being the boss of their own businesses, creating opportunities for others, and contributing to national development.
Balram P H
Co Founder & CEO
Balram comes with more than eight years of experience in helping brands with scalability and growth. He has worked with the likes of startups and legacy organisations in the digital commerce space. He brings battle-tested expertise in building growth engines that drive revenue while optimising for efficiency. His cross-functional approach allows him to bridge technical and business objectives to foster a culture of experimentation and iteration. As a self-starter who has consistently achieved respectable targets in competitive environments, Balram thrives with his data-driven approach to overcome ambiguity and identify opportunities. He currently consults with multiple digital-first businesses to streamline their growth, marketing and advertising efforts.
Advice for budding entrepreneurs:
Empathising with customers to understand their core problems should be the first step of any entrepreneur. Building an organisation with the right fundamentals and culture is a primary requirement over chasing temporary fads. A great vision can guide an entrepreneur, but it is essential to chip away at the small tasks every day to make continuous progress.
Manish K
Co-founder / Director
Manish comes with over two and a half decades of experience across digital strategy, entrepreneurship, and media innovation. A serial entrepreneur and creative strategist, he has co-founded ventures spanning education, technology, and content industries. Manish strongly believes in creating real-world impact through digital solutions that empower individuals and businesses alike.
He is a mentor to young entrepreneurs and has advised several early-stage ventures in India and East Africa. Manish has also been a visiting faculty member at prestigious institutions, where he shares practical insights on entrepreneurship, branding, and digital transformation. Alongside Knock Technologies, he actively leads initiatives under Kyrascope Media and other platforms focused on youth mentoring and sustainable growth.
Advice for budding entrepreneurs:
Dreams only matter when you dare to build them. Your journey starts the moment you stop waiting for permission — and start creating your own path. Focus on solving real problems, stay rooted in learning, and remember: success is not just about scaling fast, but scaling right.