ICREATE - Key Persons


Aditya Pradhan

Job Titles:
  • Technology Analyst ( Hardware )
Masters of Business Administration in Operations Management and Finance and graduation in Mechanical Engineering, Aditya has experience of working in automobile sector Research and Development while dealing with clients like Mahindra & Mahindra, Maruti & Suzuki along with gaining skills like Due Diligence, Patents Drafting, Team leadership and Management while working for various organizations.

Akash Sharma

Job Titles:
  • Marketing & Event Promotion Specialists
Akash Sharma is a highly qualified professional with an Engineering in Dairy Technology and an MBA in Agribusiness Management. With a rich and diverse background in the agricultural and allied sectors , he brings a wealth of experience to the table. Currently, Akash is making significant contributions in the field of incubation, leveraging his expertise to drive innovation and growth in this dynamic startup ecosystem

Akshat Gupta

Job Titles:
  • Incubation Executive
Akshat comes from an engineering background with Practical experience in startup ecosystem. Driven by a passion about entrepreneurship and innovation, he assists to identify and evaluate new startup ideas. As an incubation executive his primary work is to deal and communicate with stakeholders, He is skilled in execution, Problem solving, Data structuring and visualization, and also able to coordinate effectively with other departments to deliver high quality results.

Anish Chavda

Job Titles:
  • Industry 4.0 Consultant
  • Senior Business Analyst
Anish Chavda is a seasoned Industry 4.0 consultant with over 12 years of experience in delivering successful IT transformations and contriving impactful financial and technical outcomes. He has visited 4 continents and has a wealth of knowledge in investment banking, private equity, business process management, and RoI. His core focus includes functional expertise in Industry 4.0 technologies, capitalizing IoT, VisionAI and ML tech stacks, business analysis, supporting digital transformation practices and data security.

Ashik Shetty

Job Titles:
  • Marketing & Event Promotion Specialists
Ashik Shetty, a Management Post Graduate in HR, has been working with the start-up/incubation ecosystem since 2012. Has actively contributed to Technology Business Incubator and healthcare-focused startups and managed the BIRAC BIG Grant for a healthcare startup.

Ashish Kanaujia

Job Titles:
  • Consultant - Technology Innovation
Ashish Kanaujia is known for the conversion of ideas from lab scale to commercial scale. He brings more than 20 years of experience in multiple dimensions of technologies, Ashish's area of expertise varies from Artificial Intelligence, Internet of Things, and Brain Computer Interface to Healthcare as well as ICT. He has worked as a consultant with various offshore clients and MNCs. Ashish is very instrumental in mentoring startups and already running incubation centres at Greater Noida, Lucknow and Kanpur. Currently, he is mentoring and providing technological guidance to a number of startups at iCreate (a Government of Gujarat TBI). His experience to work with engineers, academicians, patent attorneys and being inventor by himself make him sync well with the new emerging technologies. He has been an expert in software and electronics. He has been instrumental in ideation and implementation of various electronics and software products in different capacities.

Avinash Punekar - CEO

Job Titles:
  • CEO
Avinash brings with him 30 years of experience in leadership roles in technology and operations with various organisations, both startups and large businesses. He is a BTech in Aeronautical Engineering from IIT Bombay, and has more than 60 IPRs in diverse domains and technologies. He has worked extensively in the startup ecosystem as an entrepreneur, mentor, facilitator and enabler.

Bhavesh Dholaraiya

Job Titles:
  • Network Engineer
  • Senior Executive - Admin & Network
Network Engineer with 6+ years of experience in network design, escalation support, network administration, and systems administration. Skilled in delivering technical support, managing network operations, and maintaining enterprise-wide area networks across multi-platform and high uptime Data Centre environments.

Divyalax Chauhan

Job Titles:
  • Technology Analyst

Dr. Asish Gupta

Job Titles:
  • Co - Founder & Managing Director, Helion Advisory
  • Co - Founder of Helion
Dr. Asish Gupta is a co-founder of Helion and serves on several boards including InfoEdge (NAUKRI), Kirusa, Komli, MySmartPrice.com, Pubmatic, and SMSGupshup. He has co-founded two successful companies - Tavant Technologies and Junglee (AMZN). He has also worked at Woodside Fund, Oracle Corporation and IBM research. Some of his past investments include redBus (MIH), Mu Sigma, Daksh (IBM), Odesk, and MakeMyTrip. Ashish is a Kauffman Fellow, holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Stanford University, and a Bachelor's degree from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur where he was awarded the President's Gold medal. He has authored several patents, publications, and a book by MIT press.

Dr. Harry Yuklea

Job Titles:
  • Independent Management Consultant & Visiting Professor at Michigan State University
An academic and practitioner at once, Dr. Yuklea has been directly involved for the last 35 years in the remarkable build-up process of the Israeli high-tech sector, his career ranging from technology development and engineering to marketing, management, consulting and investment. Dr. Yuklea is an advisor to the Israeli National Economic Council, the Israeli Chief Scientist Office, the UNECE and to EUREKA -the EU Industrial R&D Network. Harry holds a MSEE from TUI, a MSM from Boston University and a PhD from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Dr. Madhukumar Mehta

Job Titles:
  • Chief Mentor Emeritus
Dr. Madhukumar Mehta is a technocrat who turned to being a coach for pursuit of next gen entrepreneurship. In the past he has founded three companies. First was a consulting firm to design digital electronics based products (notably calculators). This was followed by Digital Innovations, which designed and marketed computers for diverse applications. The third venture - Anjaleem, created attended PCO and shaped the birth of STD PCO markets in India. Dr. Mehta has mentored many startups and is also involved with many industry, non-profits, university bodies to promote technology and entrepreneurship.

Dr. Navneet Vasani

Dr. Navneet Vasani had an illustrious teaching career spanning more than three decades at Under Graduate and Post Graduate Engineering Programmes. He was a member of important committees like University Grants Commission (UGC) and All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE). He has served as the Chairman of Central Regional Committee of All India Council for Technical Education; Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Institute of Technology, Surat and various committees of Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI). He served the Government of Gujarat as a Joint Director of Technical Education. He was also an Advisor - Science & Technology to the Chief Minister of Gujarat. At this time, the prestigious projects of 'Science City' and 'Info City' were planned and implemented in Ahmedabad.

Dr. Raashid Saiyed

Job Titles:
  • Consultant - Research, Programs & Marketing
  • Professor, Director, CEO
  • Representative, Sales Executive, Business Manager, Management Consultant
A former Production Supervisor, Plant Supervisor, Medical Representative, Sales Executive, Business Manager, Management Consultant, Professor, Director, CEO and Dean, Dr. Raashid Saiyed coaches startup founders in the art and science of planning, managing and growing their ventures to create value.

Dr. Sanjeev K. Yadav

Job Titles:
  • Head - Digital Technology
With 30 years of multinational company experience, including Quest Global, Wipro Technologies and AremisSoft, Dr. Sanjeev is a seasoned leader adept at delivering global programs across diverse domains and technologies. Skilled in strategising, conceptualising, and crafting technical roadmaps, he excels at establishing and managing niche technology practices.

Dr. Tarun Kanade

Job Titles:
  • Senior Technology Analyst
An industry and academic professional with 20+ years of experience delivering successful technology, outcomes and transformation.

George Paul

Job Titles:
  • Director - Corporate Strategy & Govt Relations / Sahasra Electronics Pvt. Ltd.
With over 30 years of industry experience, George is a versatile business leader in Information Technology, Design & Manufacturing Services, and Aerospace. His expertise spans Integrated Marketing, Customer Service Delivery, R&D, and Mechatronics. He has managed nationwide service delivery to B2B and B2C customers, offering diverse services. Additionally, he has led marketing, product management, and corporate affairs across multiple regions. He has represented the industry on government panels, set up R&D labs, established greenfield Aero-manufacturing units, and promoted industry-academia collaborations. His career embodies a commitment to innovation, industry growth, and knowledge exchange.

Gladis Nair

Job Titles:
  • Senior L & D Manager
Gladis Nair is a management professional with 17 plus years of experience with multinational companies like Wipro Technologies, HSBC & Tech Mahindra. She has also worked with few of the renowned educational institutions. A university topper in M.phil from Barkatullah Vishwavidyalaya, along with 3 Master's degrees in English Literature, Sociology and Human resources. She is a globally certified transform trainer. She has also worked as a freelancer with some of the national leading newspapers like MP chronicle, Danik Bhaskar. She has also worked as moderator and hosted various National and international programs.

Harshid Thummar

Job Titles:
  • HR Executive
Harshid, a recent graduate, excels in strategic HR initiatives for fostering inclusive cultures. Proficient in talent acquisition, employee relations, and performance management, with a passion for driving organizational success through effective people management.

Jayant Kamat

Job Titles:
  • Managing Director / Factell Consulting Pvt. Ltd. Specialty Chemicals and Petrochemicals, Manufacturing and Operations Management, Sustainability and Compliance
Jayant's industrial experience of over three decades has seen him play several roles in leading Agri companies, Specialty chemical/ Polymer companies besides owning a startup consulting company in business strategy, OpEx - operational excellence, sustainability, carbon footprint and mentoring. He has worked in diverse geographies, cultures and a rich cross functional expertise in problem solving, mentoring, startup project management, operations and general management. Jayant has been guiding and helping many reputed companies for Safety, Sustainability, Due diligence, Quality, Process/ Plant Design, Training, Mentoring, Inventory/ Cost Optimisation, Lean/ Operational excellence, Business Strategy, assistance for green field/ brown field project. He is also a regular speaker at various conferences in Chemical Industry, Supply Chain and Logistics. In his last job, he served as Regional Operations Director - India and ASEAN handling 16 manufacturing sites. Mr. Kamat received his Diploma in Business Management from Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai and B Tech degree in Chemical Engineering from Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai.

Milan Trivedi

Job Titles:
  • Account Executive
Milan has been associated with iCreate since February 2022 as an Account Executive. He is responsible for day-to-day accounting operations and assists the senior accountant in the Account department. Prior to iCreate he has worked with JMPV & Co, Chartered Accountant Firm, Bhavnagar as an Account Executive. Milan hold a Bachelor of Commerce degree from MKBU University.

Mr. Anil Nair

Job Titles:
  • Managing Director, Country Digitization Acceleration, APAC, Cisco

Mr. Dilip S. Shanghvi

Job Titles:
  • Chairman of the Advisory Board
  • Chairman of the Advisory Board / Founder & MD Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.
  • Founder of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd
Mr. Dilip S. Shanghvi is the founder of Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and has extensive industrial experience in the pharmaceutical industry. A first generation entrepreneur, Mr. Shanghvi has won numerous awards and recognitions. Mr. Shanghvi is also Chairman and Managing Director of Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Ltd., and Chairman of the Shantilal Shanghvi Foundation.

Mr. Guy Diedrich

Job Titles:
  • Vice President, Sales Strategy and Planning, Cisco
At Cisco, the Country Digital Acceleration (CDA) program is a long-term commitment for us to partner with national and state leadership, industry and academia to deliver real digital Outcomes faster and more effectively. Our collaboration with iCreate deepens Cisco's commitment to strengthen Gujarat's vibrant innovation ecosystem and accelerate the digital transformation of the state.

Mr. Harkesh Kumar Mittal

Job Titles:
  • Chairman of Startup India Seed Fund Committee
An alumni of the National Dairy Research Institute (1981) and the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad (1984), Shri Harkesh Mittal has been instrumental in giving a new vibrancy to promote the innovation and entrepreneurial acumen among a wide section of Indian entrepreneurs ranging from simple rural industries to high end technological enterprises. His two decades long association with the Government has coincided with the beginning of India's economic liberalization initiatives. With his untiring efforts and personal initiatives, Shri Mittal has made the innovation and entrepreneurship programme of Department of Science & Technology a much sought after programme by the individual entrepreneurs as well as by the industry and technological circles - not only in India but among the industrially advanced countries of the world. Shri Mittal has been instrumental in involving the private sector - both national and international- in the task of innovation and entrepreneurship development in India. Companies like Intel, TCS, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, P&G, The Economic Times, etc. have now been involved in this task and quite many of them are making matching contribution and are bringing world class technology commercialization knowledge to India. He was the Secretary of Technology Development Board during 2011 to 2014. He was the founder Co-chairman of Global Innovation and Technology Alliance(GITA) a PPP initiative with CII. He has been responsible for establishing networks with international development institutions like the World Bank and EU for bringing the global incubation knowledge to the Indian business incubators. He has worked with UNIDO for Cluster Development as a National Expert. He has helped many Governments to set up incubation facilities and advises them on building up an incubation system. He was an international expert for UNDP on business incubation. He has represented India at various international forums on innovation, entrepreneurship, incubation etc. He was a member of the Global Agenda Council of World Economic Forum (WEF) on Entrepreneurship during 2011-2014.

Mr. Harsh Mariwala

Job Titles:
  • Vice Chairman of the Advisory Board
  • Vice Chairman of the Advisory Board / Founder & Chairman
Over the last 3 decades, Harsh Mariwala has transformed a traditional commodity driven business into a leading Consumer Products & Services Company, in the Beauty and Wellness space. From a turnover of Rs.50 Lakhs in 1971, Marico generated a turnover of about Rs. 4008 crores during 2011-12. Marico markets wellknown brands such as Parachute, Saffola, Kaya, Mediker, Revive, among others.

Mr. John Chambers

Job Titles:
  • Executive Chairman, Cisco
Digitization and innovation are the key drivers of the Indian economy, leading to the creation of new jobs, GDP growth and long-term prosperity. Cisco's collaboration with iCreate will help position Gujarat to take a leadership role in the digital transformation of India. Our partnership to help start-ups rapidly adopt and rollout digital technology solutions will expand Gujarat's innovation ecosystem.

Mr. Jyoti Sagar

Job Titles:
  • Founder & Chairman, J. Sagar Associates, New Delhi
Jyoti Sagar has been practicing law since 1976. He founded a Corporate Commercial practice - J. Sagar Associates (JSA) - in New Delhi in 1991 as a solo practitioner. JSA is now one of the leading national firms with over 300 professionals. Jyoti also founded K&S Partners, an Intellectual Property boutique in 1994. K&S now has over 80 professionals and is a leading IP practice.

Mr. K. Thyagrajan

Mr. K. Thyagrajan has a professional career journey of over 30 years that has traversed across a variety of fields; hard-core engineering (involving design-manufacturing-project management), management consulting, mentoring and propagating next-generation entrepreneurship, and academic teaching in diverse areas of technology, business management and entrepreneurship, and advisory in policy making. He is currently mentoring start-ups and aspiring entrepreneurs in the areas of Bio-medical diagnostics, Edutainment, Digital records management, ERP & CRM, Special equipment design and manufacturing, Energy conservation products, Environmental conservation, and APPs development. Mr. Thyagrajan was earlier involved in setting up and running a unique Technology Business Incubator - NirmaLabs for close to four years (2004-2007), as its Chief Executive where he mentored over 40 potential entrepreneurs across 8 projects that have been set up as commercial ventures in High Technology sectors including electronics, computer science, mechatronics, biotechnology, and pharmacy. He is currently on the Advisory Board of some of these ventures. In his earlier stint for over 25 years with Mott MacDonald Pvt. Ltd., Mr. Thyagrajan served in various capacities; starting out as a Management Consultant to heading their India operations as General Manager - HR and Learning & Development. As a Management Consultant he was associated with a variety of business advisory projects and consulting engagements for several leading business houses in India, MNCs, central and state governments and multilateral agencies like The World Bank, ADB, EC, etc. Mr. Thyagrajan is a Mechanical Engineer by education, with a PGD in Business and Industrial Management.

Mr. K. Venkataramanan

Job Titles:
  • Chairman, L & T Hydrocarbon Engineering, Mumbai
Mr. K. Venkataramanan has been associated with L&T with over four decades in various positions of responsibility. A graduate in Chemical Engineering from IIT, Delhi, he joined L&T in 1969. After a series of successful assignments, he was elevated to the Board of Directors of the Company in May, 1999, and appointed Chief Executive Officer and Managing Director on April 1, 2012.

Mr. Karl Mehta

Job Titles:
  • Chairman of the Quad Investors Network
Karl Mehta is a Silicon Valley based serial entrepreneur, author, engineer, investor and civil servant with over 20 years of experience in founding, building, and funding technology companies. He was Founder & CEO of EdCast Inc., a next-generation knowledge platform company and investor in various venture capital funds in the US. Previously, he was the Founder & CEO of PlaySpan Inc., acquired for over $240 million by Visa Inc. (NYSE:V), the world's largest payment network. Karl also served as a White House Presidential Innovation Fellow, selected by the Obama Administration during the inaugural 2012-13 term. He was recently appointed by Governor Brown to the Workforce Investment Board of the State of California. In 2010, Karl won the "Entrepreneur of the Year" award from Ernst & Young for Northern California. Karl is on the boards of Simpa Networks and on the advisory board of Intel Capital and Chapman University's Center of Entrepreneurship. Karl is founder of several non-profit's including - Code For India (http://codeforindia.org ): a network of 1000+ software engineers volunteering for non-profits - Grassroots Innovation (http://grassrootsinnovation.org): a bootcamp for military women embarking on entrepreneurship. He is co-author of upcoming book, "Financial Inclusion at the Bottom of the Pyramid" (http://openfininc.org) - which has been reviewed by the Gates Foundation and the UN.

Mr. M. C. Gupta

Job Titles:
  • Company Secretary & Visiting Faculty
Mr. Gupta is practising as a Company Secretary for more than 25 years. He is also a visiting faculty at many institutes. He is mentoring many new projects for technocrats at various incubators. He is also associated with various NGOs - the social organizations.

Mr. N. R. Narayana Murthy

Job Titles:
  • Founder and Chairman Emeritus, Infosys
The International Centre for Entrepreneurship and Technology is guided by an advisory board led by Shri N. R. Narayana Murthy. Mr. Narayana Murthy founded Infosys, a global software consulting company headquartered in Bangalore in 1981. He served as the CEO of Infosys during 1981-2002, as the Chairman and Chief Mentor during 1981-2011, and as the Chairman Emeritus during August 2011-May 2013. Under his leadership, Infosys was listed on NASDAQ in 1999. Mr. Murthy articulated, designed, and implemented the Global Delivery Model, which has become the foundation for the huge success in IT services outsourcing from India. He has led key corporate governance initiatives in India. He is also an IT advisor to several Asian countries.

Mr. Nitin Shukla

Job Titles:
  • Independent Director, GMDC
Mr. Shukla's career spans over four decades and nearly half as CEO-MD with JVs of MNCs in India. He successfully implemented two large green-field projects that are still in operation in the energy sector in Gujarat, India. Mr. Shukla retired from Shell Group in September, 2016 as MD & CEO of Hazira LNG Pvt Ltd & Hazira Port Pvt Ltd (Shell Group companies). He lead this business since FID (Final Investment decision) taken by Shell in December, 2001. He successfully developed LNG business based on a novel spot cargo model and later based on combination of service provider coupled with spot cargoes/short term contracts. He played key role in development of non-LNG cargo port development of Hazira port through sub-concession route through international competitive bidding process. Prior to his leadership role with Shell Group Mr. Shukla was the Managing Director of Gujarat PowerGen Energy Corporation Limited (PowerGen, UK Group company) from July1999 to February 2002. Mr. Shukla was Executive Director, Gujarat Torrent Energy Corporation Ltd from November, 1992 till July 1999 playing key role in developing 655 MW gas based duel fuel power plant within budget and on schedule. Mr. Shukla had been associated as office bearer or Executive Committee member with various business and social organizations including CII, FICCI, AMA, GCCI. He was Chairman of CII-Gujarat, and member of National Hydrocarbon Council of CII and FICCI, Member of Advisory Council of CSIR-NEERI (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, National Environment Engineering Research Institute. Mr. Shukla is an Independent Director nominated by Government of Gujarat on the Board of Gujarat Mineral Development Corporation Ltd and Dahej SEZ Ltd. Mr. Shukla is associated with not-for profit organizations such as Gujarat Vishwakosh Trust, Sabarmati Ashram Preservation Trust (Gandhi Ashram), Anuvad Academy and Research Foundation as Trustee.

Mr. Parag Amin

Job Titles:
  • Chief Mentor
  • Secretary
Parag Amin is a global entrepreneur with business interests in technology, banking, retail and real estate. Parag is the President and Principal of two technology companies: Radiqal, in Horsham, PA. USA, a software products and service's company specializing in gaming and digital television; and Surya InfoTech Pvt. Ltd., in Baroda, India, a state-of-the-art software development company. He was a member of a team that won the '95 EMMY for pioneering of Direct To Home (DTH) Satellite TV. In the field of technology, he globally advises businesses and government entities. Parag holds a B.S in Computer Science from Stockton State College and an M.S in Computer Science from Drexel University. His company Radiqal, provides solutions for digital TV and Gaming industries and is based in Horsham, PA.

Mr. S. B. Dangayach

Job Titles:
  • Independent Director, GMDC

Mr. Sunil Parekh

Job Titles:
  • Advisor - Zydus / Board Member - FICCI National Executive Council
Sunil Parekh a start-up evangelist since 1996 with 47 years of work experience with corporates in India, Africa at the board level. He is a member of various industry associations, a board member of a few prominent NGOS, Research & Educational institutions, Government Labs, Think tanks and a recipient of prestigious awards at the national as well as the state level. Believes in India's great future.

Mr. Uday Kotak

Job Titles:
  • Executive VC & MD, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Mumbai
  • Executive Vice - Chairman and Managing Director of the Bank
Mr. Uday Kotak, is the Executive Vice-Chairman and Managing Director of the Bank, and its principal founder and promoter. Mr. Kotak is an alumnus of Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies. Over the years, Kotak Mahindra Group has grown into several areas like stock broking and investment banking to car finance, life insurance and mutual funds.

Mrunal Panchal

Job Titles:
  • Assistant Manager - HR & Administration
Mrunal Panchal is Masters in Human Resources and has been working with the start-up/incubation ecosystem since 2015. He started his career as an HR Generalist with NBFC and after that he worked on various profiles within Startup domain like; HR and Administration, Incubation, Outreach, Event Management and many more. Mrunal has a very Dynamic personality and fun loving character. He loves to sing, watch movies and a typical Gujarati Garba lover.

Ms. Sulajja Firodia Motwani

Job Titles:
  • Vice Chairperson of Kinetic Engineering Ltd
  • Vice Chairperson, Kinetic Engineering
Ms. Sulajja Firodia Motwani is the Vice Chairperson of Kinetic Engineering Ltd. She is also the Managing Director of Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions. She is responsible for Kinetic group's overall business strategy and development. Kinetic Group's business interests include Automotive Systems and Engineering, Multilevel parking solutions, Elevators & Escalators and Green Energy. Kinetic's partners include companies like Hyundai, Ducati Energia, Taigene Electrical, Magna, Ikaros of Europe and TGB of Taiwan. Sulajja plays a key role in steering this business strategy and in its implementation across group companies. Sulajja has received numerous awards for her achievements and has been invited to speak at a large number of forums. Sulajja was selected by the World Economic Forum as a "Young Global Leader". She was featured as a business "Face of the Millennium" by leading magazine India Today; and was voted among the top 25 business leaders of the next century in a poll of industrialists conducted by Fortune India. Sulajja has received the Society Young Achiever's Award for Business, Young Super Achiever Award by Business Today, and MTV's style icon award, "India's Most Powerful Women award" from Business Today, and Top Management Consortium Award of Excellence, among others. She has been invited to participate in and speak at a large number of industry forums and associations. She has been a member of the National Executive Committee of CII, member of the prestigious Governing Body of CSIR (Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, India), and co-chairperson of the Indo-US business committee of ASSCHAM. She is currently the Chairperson of FICCI Young Leaders forum. Sulajja is also the Brand Ambassador for Plan International, for their "Save the girl child" initiative. Sulajja holds an MBA from the prestigious Carnegie Mellon University, Pennsylvania, USA and has previously worked with BARRA International in their office at Berkeley, California. She is a fitness enthusiast and a marathon runner. Her interests include adventure sports such as skiing, scuba diving, mountain biking and travelling.

Neeraj Darwai

Job Titles:
  • Senior Technology Analyst
Specialized in mechatronics and control system hardware, backed by over 7 years of teaching experience at renowned engineering institutions. Additionally, have held directorship positions in three start-up companies focused on automation.

Nikunj Chauhan

Assisting iCreate's Technical labs from 19th July 2018. He Has done Bachelor and Masters in Electronics and Communication Systems. He has experience in electronics, PCB Design, Machine Operations, Understanding Startup ecosystems, Lab Management, Helping startups in Prototyping Development, Inventory Management, and Application Evaluations.

Nikunj Trivedi

Job Titles:
  • Chartered Accountant
  • Account Consultant
A qualified chartered accountant having 5 years of experience in the area of accounting and finance. He helps startups build up their financial roadmap and also provides mentoring on taxation and legal matters.

Parth Suthar

Job Titles:
  • Engineer
  • Senior Executive - Data Science
Engineer-cum-Entrepreneur. With experience as a co-founder of two startups and various events, Parth is skilled in Digital Marketing and Data Analysis. He is also a blogger and traveller. He has done BTech in Electrical Engineering from IITRAM.

Prasen Vinchurkar

Job Titles:
  • Consultant - Projects
Prasen Vinchurkar brings 15+ years of research experience. He is an experienced nanotechnologist and is also a known expert in various Bio-MEMS device designs along with its successful implementations. With a master's degree in nanoscience and nanotechnology and a background in microbiology, he excels in interdisciplinary research and projects. Prasen's areas of expertise include nanomaterial synthesis, quantum chemistry, nanosensors, and graphene-based smart devices. He has received several grants and works with many prestigious research institutes across India. Prasen is also a serial entrepreneur and also doing consultancy to multidisciplinary industries. He is also a recognized expert in green hydrogen by I-STEM (Platform from PSA of Govt. of India). He is more prominent in the validations of technologies as well as the Techno commercial interface of TRL 9 innovations and is also known for mentoring many Deep tech startups across. Prasen is passionate about exploring innovative applications of nanotechnology.

Priyesh Ramani

Job Titles:
  • Event Manager
Priyesh is a seasoned professional with over 7 years of experience in the hospitality industry, specialising in client servicing and event management. With a strong passion for event planning and execution, Priyesh brings a unique blend of creativity, professionalism, and organisational skills to every project.

Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood

Job Titles:
  • Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government of India
  • Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India
Prof. Ajay Kumar Sood is the Principal Scientific Advisor to the Government of India (PSA to GoI) from April 2022. He is also the Chairperson of the Prime Minister's Science, Technology & Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC). Prof. Sood is also a National Science Chair at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore. He was a member of the Prime Minister's Science, Technology, and Innovation Advisory Council (PM-STIAC) from 2018 to March 2022 and from 2009 to 2014, he had also served as a Member of the Scientific Advisory Council (SAC) to the Prime Minister of India. Prof. Sood has a Doctorate in Physics from IISc Bangalore. His research interests include the Physics of Quantum materials, soft and active matter. He has published more than 450 papers in peer-reviewed journals and holds several patents. His work has been recognised by many awards, including the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in India. He was President of the Indian National Science Academy (2017-19), President of the Indian Academy of Sciences (2010-12), and Secretary-General, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Trieste, Italy (2013-2018). He was elected to the Fellowship of the Royal Society, UK (FRS) in 2015. He has also received the Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prize, the G. D. Birla Award for Scientific Research, the TWAS Prize in Physics, the Millennium Gold Medal of the Indian Science Congress Association, the Sir C. V. Raman Award of the UGC, the Homi Bhabha Medal of the Indian National Science Academy, G. M. Modi Award for Science and Technology, 25th SIES Sri. Chandrasekarendra Saraswathi National Eminence Award in the category of Science & Technology and Asutosh Mookerjee Memorial Life Time Award by Indian Science Congress, among others. He has been conferred Doctor of Philosophy (Honoris Causa) by many universities. He serves as Associate Editor in a reputed International Journal, ACS Nano.

Prof. B. H. Jajoo

Job Titles:
  • Adjunct Faculty, Former Professor & Dean, IIM Ahmedabad
Prof. Jajoo joined IIM Ahmedabad in 1980. Previously, he was a Visiting Professor in the Department of Computer Science at University of Delaware, USA from 1987 to 1989. He has participated in more than thirty consulting projects for national and international, private and public sector organizations. He has been invited several times to design and conduct workshop and seminars at several reputed institutions, corporate houses, and professional bodies like CSI and IEEE. Currently, he serves as a Member of Board of Directors of many technology companies.

Prof. Jagdish Bhagwati

Job Titles:
  • University Professor
Prof Bhagwati is University Professor (Economics, Law, and International Affairs) at Columbia University and Senior Fellow for International Economics at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

Riya Singha

Job Titles:
  • Project Associate
Riya is assisting the programs team, Business incubator in facilitating entrepreneurship and Startup development. Collaborating and maintaining strong relationships with the existing stakeholders and promoting iCreate's entrepreneur programs in possible networks. She has around 5 years of experience in Project management, Management consultancy and Key Account Management in the Education and Development sector. Prior to iCreate, she worked with Pratham Education Foundation, I-PAC and Extramarks Education. She pursued a Master's in Education Management from Azim Premji University, Bangalore. As an individual, she is eager to learn new things and develop new skills.

Sandeep Madan

Job Titles:
  • Consultant - Business & Strategy
Sandeep's industry experience of nearly three decades, has seen him play several roles in leading BPO, Telecom and IT companies, besides a start-up venture in the soft-skills and employability training space. He has worked in diverse geographical and market environments and has a rich cross-functional exposure to varied industries ranging from manufacturing to food and dairy. Sandeep started his career with a 9-year stint in HCL. His other assignments include COO - Satyam-Nipuna, President - HeroITES, Head - Capital One India Liaison Office and Director - AT&T Consumer Services for South Asia. While he has several accolades and accomplishments to his credit, Sandeep considers establishing Genpact's first Call Center in Hyderabad as one of his biggest challenges as it involved changing the prevailing India mindset towards Hyderabad itself. This, in several ways, paved the way for Hyderabad being seen as a more likely destination for ITES companies. As a strong team player, Sandeep has worked with, and led, diverse teams to deliver performance exceeding expectations. Like his work, his interests are varied - from dramatics, debates and being a movie buff, to photography, mountaineering and bridge. Sandeep has done B.Tech (Mech), IIT-Bombay and Integrated Management Programmes, XLRI, Jamshedpur.

Sangrambhai Chauhan

Job Titles:
  • Assistant
Assisting iCreate's Technical Labs from 3rd December 2018. I have done my ITI with Electricals. I have 14 years of experience as a fitter. As a lab Assistant at iCreate, I used to do All kinds of Fabrication Work for startups and icreate, Machine Operations, Lab Maintenance, Inventory Management with the Team.

Shailendra Karki

Job Titles:
  • Power Electronics Specialist
  • Technology Analyst
A power electronics specialist with a focus on electric vehicles. He holds a Master's degree from IIT Mandi and works as a Technology Analyst at iCreate. With expertise in DC-DC converters, motor controllers, and tools like MATLAB Simulink and ANSYS Maxwell 3D, he excels in converter and transformer design.

Shantanu Poddar

Job Titles:
  • Head - Sales and Promotions
Versatile Result-oriented business leader having close to 28 years of rich experience spanning across leadership & tactical roles in diverse industry landscape including Electric Vehicles, Automotive, Telecom and Office Automation. Adept at working in high pressure environments with strict deadlines and multiple deliverables, having been recognized for driving high-value revenue & profit gains and improved organizational productivity & performance. Identifying practical opportunities and implementing strategic plans to secure strong and sustainable streams of revenue.

Shubhtal Singh

Job Titles:
  • Executive

Siddharth Pareek

Job Titles:
  • Head - Programs and Initiatives
Siddharth has an experience of 12+ years in managing programs, business development and strategic relations. He holds a PGDM in Human Resource Management. In his current role at iCreate, he is responsible for managing program operations, leading alliances with Government, Industry and International partners. He is passionate about helping entrepreneurs who are trying to solve problems related to energy consumption, water treatment, waste management, early disease detection and provision of affordable healthcare services to rural population.

Suryavirsinh Chauhan

Job Titles:
  • Business Analyst

Tarun Sisodia

Job Titles:
  • Director / Chanakya Niti Consultancy Pvt. Ltd.

Tejashree Shah

Job Titles:
  • Consultant - Govt. Liasioning & Stakeholder Engagement
Tejashree Shah has more than 2 decades of experience in the domains of Entrepreneurship Development, Partnerships, Training and Education Management backed by a multidisciplinary educational background, including an MBA in Business Leadership and CELTA. She dons multiple hats of an entrepreneur, a Startup mentor, a spoken language examiner with the University of Cambridge and looks after Board matters and stakeholder engagement at iCreate.

Upin Makwana

Job Titles:
  • Office Executive

Vijay Nair

Job Titles:
  • Head - HR & Administration
  • Head of Human Resources, Administration and Facility Management
Vijay Nair is the head of Human Resources, Administration and Facility Management at iCreate. At iCreate, Vijay oversees the day to day functioning of the campus with a focus on activities such as staff management, vendor contract management, event management, logistics and transportation, budgeting and cost control measures, safety, security, facilities and campus administration With over 25 years of work experience, Vijay is a seasoned professional with rich experience in managing large industrial, educational and training campuses. Prior to iCreate, Vijay has worked with Centre for Organisational Development, Hyderabad - a pioneer executive institute for training, research and consultancy as Head of Administration and Logistics. Vijay has also been associated with Lupin Laboratories Ltd., Insulator & Electrical Ltd., and Bonnie Foi Group of Education. Vijay holds a Masters in Human Resources Management and a Bachelors of Business Administration from Barkatullah Vishwavidyalaya with a specialisation in Marketing and a diploma in hotel management from Management Studies Promotion Institute (MSPI), New Delhi. In his spare time, Vijay enjoys watching movies, tracking the stock market and is an offline financial advisor to many!

Vijoy KR

Job Titles:
  • Senior Executive - Branding & Data Visualization
He is a blend of tech and business with a B.Tech in Mechanical and an MBA in operations management. He comes from the automotive domain, where he has worked in the field of process improvements, auditing, data optimization and supply chain management in the plant. He loves to play with data and pull something useful out of it. A talented individual with a Post Graduate degree in Product Design and Commerce. He has a passion for CAD software and excels in creating models using various design tools. With expertise in Illustrator and Photoshop, he crafts captivating digital marketing creatives. During his leisure hours, Vijoy indulges in playing football and expressing his artistic side through freehand sketches.

Vikas Sathwara

Job Titles:
  • Senior Accountant
Vikas has been associated with iCreate since January 2021 as an Accountant. He manages the overall day to day accounting process at iCreate. He is responsible for vendors payment on time to time, salary processing, Manage Petty Cash, Project Fund Expenses, TDS Return Filing & Other Taxation compliances. He is well equipped in accounting and analyzing the books of accounts at regular intervals. Prior to iCreate he has worked with Ayma Creations Private Limited, Ahmedabad as an Accountant. He Pursued Company Secretary Executive Programme from Institute of Company Secretaries of India & Bachelor of Commerce from Tolani Commerce College, KSKV Kutch University.

Vivek Singh

Job Titles:
  • Technology Analyst
An accomplished professional with a Master's degree in Materials and Energy Engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Mandi. With expertise in MATLAB Simulink, dSpace, and EV-related areas, he contributes to innovative solutions in sustainable energy and electric vehicle systems.