Stride Ventures

Apoorva Sharma is Managing Partner at Stride Ventures, focused on venture debt financing, with more than 11 years in the lending sector. Her responsibilities include fundraising, investor relations, and deal sourcing, and she has worked on deals across fintech, consumer, B2B commerce, and healthtech. She previously worked in debt capital markets at HSBC and on deal sourcing and investment structuring at Xander Finance, holds a management post-graduate degree from IIM Shillong, and is a CFA charterholder.

Fariha Ansari Javed is Partner, GCC & Global Capital Formation at Stride Ventures, where she oversees fundraising and global investor relations for the firm's INR and USD funds. She previously served as Chief Strategy Officer at Toffee Insurance, was Founding Director at The Common Room, and advised on India-Turkey FDI for the Republic of Turkey Prime Ministry, following underwriting roles at AIG Global Marine and Energy and Zurich Insurance Services in New York. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in International Relations and Quantitative Economics from Mount Holyoke College and is an alumnus of Harvard Business School.

Pankaj Kwatra is Partner and Chief Financial Officer at Stride Ventures, where he oversees finance, fund operations, and strategic business finance functions across domestic and international funds with assets under management exceeding USD 1 billion. A Chartered Accountant from the May 2006 batch with an All India Rank of 31, he has over 19 years of experience spanning venture debt, private credit, real estate, infrastructure, and financial services. He has led Stride's expansion into the UK, ADGM (UAE), and GIFT City, and received the "Best CFO in Financial Services" recognition in 2025 from Business World and Biz Integration.

Hrushikesh Brahma is an Associate at Stride Ventures with over five years of post-qualification experience across statutory and internal audit, direct and indirect taxation, risk, and treasury. A Chartered Accountant (2018), he holds a PGP from Masters' Union (2023) and a B.Com (H) from St. Xavier's Kolkata (2016). In his current role he manages risk functions for portfolio companies and evaluates the creditworthiness of incoming deal flow.

Japshabad Singh Suri is an Associate at Stride Ventures. He holds an undergraduate degree from Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies and previously worked at Bain & Co (Private Equity Group) and Everest Group. He has developed interests in the consumer and cleantech sectors.

Jitesh Wadhwa is part of the Investments team at Stride Ventures and oversees the firm's Abu Dhabi initiative. He previously led the Pharmaceuticals vertical at Invest India, advising multinational companies on entering India and the Government of India on policy, and co-authored a national policy. He began his career in the Private Equity and M&A advisory team of a large Indian private-sector bank, and holds an MBA in Finance and Economics from XLRI and a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from Delhi College of Engineering.

Navneet Sachar is an Associate at Stride Ventures. She qualified as a Chartered Accountant after graduating from JD Birla Institute in Kolkata, then spent about three and a half years at EY in the Indirect Tax Department, leading a team on compliance and litigation across various industries. She now focuses on B2B, Consumer, and EdTech investing at Stride Ventures.

Niranjan Rathi is a Principal at Stride Ventures, where he focuses on investments in D2C, fintech, and healthcare sectors. He previously held roles in financial services and asset management at Bajaj Finserv, co-founded fintech startup Gromor Finance, and worked in audit and assurance at Deloitte. Rathi holds a B.Com from HR College Mumbai, is a Chartered Accountant, and earned an MBA from IMT Ghaziabad.

Rakhi Jain is a Principal Associate at Stride Ventures, a venture debt fund investing in early and growth stage startups across consumer, healthcare, and B2B sectors. She holds a postgraduate degree in management from the Indian School of Business (2024) and a CFA designation, with prior experience in investment banking at JP Morgan and business finance and strategy roles at Zoomcar. She is also a co-founder of Skill Square, a marketplace platform for skill-based workshops and employment generation.

Amaira Singh Balyan works in the Marketing and Communications team and Founders' Office at Stride Ventures, contributing to strategic initiatives. She holds a BSc in Finance from NMIMS Bangalore and a Postgraduate Diploma in Finance and International Banking from the University of Strathclyde, UK. She previously interned on Stride Ventures' Indian Venture Debt Report 2024.

Amay Ganguly is an Analyst on the Capital Formation Team at Stride Ventures, where he works on cross-strategy fundraising and building institutional partnerships. He previously led the South-Indian market expansion for a publicly listed Indian pharma-tech and testing company. He holds a BA with Honors in Economics from FLAME University, Pune.

Anjali Singh is a Senior Analyst in Investor Relations at Stride Ventures, where she manages the limited partner function across four Indian funds and three global funds, covering fundraising, KYC/AML onboarding, contribution agreements, drawdown cycles, quarterly distribution reporting, and SEBI compliance. She has over six years of experience in investor and brand relations, including three years in influencer marketing at POPxo and Adfleuence Hub, where she handled campaigns for clients such as HUL, Dabur, Coca-Cola, Zomato, and Flipkart.

Anshika Puri is a Senior Officer on the Human Resources team at Stride, based in Gurugram. She earned a B.Com from St. Andrew's College, Mumbai in 2022. Her work focuses on recruitment, HR operations, and compensation and benefits.

Asade Tolu completed an MBA at INSEAD, holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Lagos, and has a CPA from the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria. Before his MBA, he worked as a Business Analyst at McKinsey & Company and served as Chief of Staff at AgroMall Discovery and Extension Limited, where he worked on corporate development and fundraising.

Devansh Methi is an Analyst at Stride Ventures with more than two years of post-qualification experience in statutory audit, financial modelling and valuations, and treasury. He is a Chartered Accountant (2023) and holds a B.Com from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College at the University of Delhi. His role covers managing risk functions for portfolio companies and assessing the creditworthiness of incoming deals across regions.

Devin Gupta earned a degree in Economics and Finance from Ashoka University in 2022 and started his career in B2B sales and marketing. After about two years, he returned to finance by pursuing the CFA Institute examinations and moving into private markets. He is a member of the Investments team at Stride's GCC Fund.

Divya Sharma is the AVP of Marketing & Communications at Stride Ventures, where she leads communications and strategy. She previously worked as a Senior Manager at POPxo (Good Glamm Group) on partnerships and PR, was a founding member at WedMeGood handling vendor relations and business development, and served as a Program Manager at IndusInd Bank working with high net worth clients.

Erik Mermet is Head of Fundraising at Channel Capital Advisors in London, where he raises asset-backed private credit capital for the innovation economy and specialty finance sectors. With over 17 years of experience in cross-border business development and fundraising across traditional and alternative asset classes, he structures commitments for institutional investors and family offices across EMEA, North America, and the Middle East, including fund formations, separately managed accounts, co-investments, and Sharia-compliant vehicles. His background includes relationship development with pensions, sovereign wealth funds, financial institutions, and consultants.

Ganeev Chadha is an Investment Analyst with Stride Ventures' India Fund. He graduated from Ashoka University in 2023 with a degree in Economics and Finance, and previously worked as a strategy consultant at EY-Parthenon on due diligence, market assessments, and growth engagements. He focuses on evaluating early and growth-stage businesses across sectors including consumer, fintech, and EV and mobility.

Jhanvi Punia completed an MBA at the Indian Institute of Management, Shillong in 2025. She previously interned in finance at IndusInd Bank, working in corporate finance and financial planning, and is now part of the investment team at Stride Ventures. Her sector interests include healthcare and consumer.

Jyoti Golia is an Analyst at Stride Ventures who focuses on consumer tech across early to growth stage. She holds a BCom (Hons) from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University, and began her career at Redseer Strategy Consultants, where she worked with companies in the foodtech and ride-hailing sectors before moving from advisory into investing.

Kholoud Almohammadi is a Director on the GCC team at Stride Ventures, where she handles investment sourcing, evaluation, and execution across the region. Before Stride, she held investment roles at Nuwa Capital, Impact46, and the Future Investment Initiative (FII) Institute, working on deployments and portfolio oversight across early- and growth-stage companies. She holds an MBA from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business and a bachelor's degree in Business Management from King Saud University.

Kriti Sachdeva is Assistant Vice President of Human Resources at Stride Ventures, where she leads the firm's talent management and acquisition functions, with over a decade of experience in the field. She previously worked at the search firm ABC Consultants, handling business development, search, client management, and employee engagement for its Delhi office, and began her career at a boutique firm recruiting for corporate banking clients. She earned an MBA in HR and Marketing from IILM, Lodhi Road.

Kunal Manocha is an Investment Analyst at Stride Ventures' India Fund. He graduated from Shaheed Bhagat Singh College in 2023 and has cleared Level II of the CFA Program. Before joining Stride, he worked as a Financial Analyst at TresVista, supporting the fund investments team of a US-based family office on diligence and evaluation of PE/VC firms.

Kushvardhan Soni earned a bachelor's in management studies from Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies in 2023 and began his career on the Transactions Team at EY. He currently works on the Investments Team at Stride Ventures' GCC Fund.

Manikandan Sanjive has nearly fifteen years of experience across investment and risk functions, with a focus on credit risk management, deal origination and structuring, negotiations, and portfolio monitoring. He has managed portfolios spanning startups, SMEs, supply chain, mid-markets, large corporates, and project finance. He is a certified Financial Risk Manager (FRM) and has completed certifications in blockchain and machine learning.

Mitesh Pawar is a mechanical engineer from IIT Bombay who developed an interest in finance and entrepreneurship during his studies. He gained finance experience across investments, trading, and risk through internships at Nomura, Aurum Ventures, and the Edelweiss Group. At Stride Ventures he focuses on B2B, consumer, deeptech, and SaaS sectors.

Mohit Kumar Bagra is a finance professional with six years of experience and holds an M.Com from Bikaner University. He has managed financial operations in the education and service sectors. At Stride Ventures, he works on debt funds.

Nandita Chauhan is an investment professional with over eight years of experience across venture debt, impact investing, and NBFC wholesale lending, spanning investment origination and risk management. She previously served as Associate Director at Northern Arc, where she led risk for Emerging Corporates across a portfolio covering logistics, healthcare, B2B, D2C, edtech, and renewable energy. Her current focus areas include B2B, EV, cleantech, and SaaS.

Neelashi Shukla has a background in trade and investment strategy across business and government roles. She previously led investment facilitation in the consumer goods sector and European outreach under the Government of India's Make in India initiative at Invest India, worked on India's strategic economic partnerships, and was a founding member of the Women Entrepreneurship Platform at NITI Aayog. She co-founded Whiter Slates, a talent mapping and discovery startup in the creator economy, and studied at St. Stephen's College, Delhi and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Nishank Shetty works in investor relations at Stride Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm. He holds a finance degree and is focused on the early-stage startup ecosystem.

Purvasha Mansharamani serves as Head of Legal Department at Stride Ventures. She was recognized on the Legal 500 GC Powerlist India 2024 and included in Businessworld's Top 100 General Counsels 2024, as well as receiving the IBLJ In-House Counsel Award for Financial Services in 2025. Her background includes experience at law firms focused on private equity, venture capital, and technology, media, and telecommunications matters.

Pushpesh Dindorkar is Lead Compliance at Stride Ventures with over 12 years of experience in financial services compliance. He holds a Master's Degree in Banking, Corporate, Finance, and Securities Law from the Institute of Company Secretaries of India and specializes in alternative investment fund regulations across multiple categories, portfolio management services, offshore fund structures, and cross-border compliance frameworks including ADGM, DIFC, GIFT City, and jurisdictions such as Singapore, Mauritius, Ireland, and the UK.

Rajat Mohan is a Manager of Administration at Stride Ventures with experience in executive administration within the internet industry. His professional skills include operations management, vendor management, and project management, supported by an MBA in Human Resources Management and Personnel Administration from Al Barkat Institute of Management Studies, Aligarh.

Rutvik Shukla is a Chartered Accountant working as a Senior Officer, Finance at Stride Ventures, with experience related to alternative investment funds and venture debt across jurisdictions including GIFT SEZ, IFSC, ADGM, the UK, and Singapore. His background includes work in the pharmaceuticals industry, with focus areas in financial management, GST compliance, and tax planning.

Samiran Santra is a Senior Manager in the Transaction Fulfilment Team at Stride Ventures, where he manages end-to-end documentation and legal drafting for venture debt, venture capital, and private equity transactions. He holds an LLB and M.Com, is a member of The Institute of Company Secretaries of India, and brings experience in corporate legal due diligence, compliance management, and insolvency matters from prior roles at EY and other organizations. His expertise spans corporate law, FEMA, regulatory compliance, and transaction documentation across alternative investment fund structures.

Siddharth Manohar is a Lead Product Manager at Stride Ventures focused on venture debt and credit platforms, where he develops internal systems and workflows to streamline loan lifecycle operations and portfolio visibility across India and global markets. Previously, he held product roles at Northern Arc Capital in technology-enabled structured finance and retail credit, and worked as a consultant at EY's Financial Services practice on digital transformation initiatives for financial institutions across EMEIA. He holds a degree from IÉSEG Paris and has experience translating business requirements and deal processes into scalable systems across fintech and financial services contexts.

Vandya Sharma is Senior Associate, Global Capital Formation at Stride Ventures, where she works on capital formation across the firm's INR, USD, and GBP-denominated funds and focuses on institutional investor engagement and LP relationships. She previously served as Marketing Manager at Stride Ventures, leading a rebranding effort and working with the Founder's Office on investor roadshows and communications. Earlier in her career of over nine years, she led brand and digital initiatives at Reliance Ritu Kumar Pvt. Ltd. and worked in content and community roles at POPxo.

Vedant Bhasin is an Investment Associate at Stride Ventures focused on identifying investment opportunities in the GCC region. His background encompasses forensic accounting, financial reporting, financial modelling, and fundamental analysis.

Vikram Raghavan is Head of Origination at Stride Ventures, a fintech lending and structured finance platform. He brings 15 years of experience in capital markets, including roles in impact investment, growth credit, structured finance, and fintech lending across the UK and India.

Nakul Khanna is Co-Founder and CEO of Onpoint, an omni-channel rewards platform. He holds an MBA from Kellogg School of Management with a focus on Strategy & Marketing, and a finance degree from College of Business Studies, University of Delhi. His background includes roles at Google, Uber, Meta, and Stride Ventures, as well as co-founding Instago, a ride-sharing application that ranked among India's top 40 transportation apps.