The Carpediem Capital team is among the most experienced middle market investment teams in India with a successful track record of incubating, operating and investing in companies. The team provides the required mix of financial, strategic, and operating mentoring to its portfolio companies to increase their growth trajectories, enhance governance, create value and generate superior returns.
Abhishek Sharman is the founder and Managing Director of the Investment Manager. He has over 17 years of experience in private equity investments in India. He is responsible for driving the overall strategy and investment decisions, while also spearheading fund-raising activities. He is deeply entrenched in the Indian financial services industry and has a track record of sourcing proprietary deals and concluding profitable exits.
He was previously Principal at India Equity Partners (“IEP”), an India-focused private equity fund with approximately USD 350 Mn in AUM. During his tenure at IEP, he worked across diverse sectors such as healthcare, education, managed services, consumer services, and financial services. Mr. Sharman has served on the boards of Quess Corp, IL&FS Education, Sagar Ratna Restaurants, RG Stone Hospitals and Axiss Dental and also played key role in IEP’s investments in Coldex and Manappuram. Prior to IEP, he was an investment professional with SUN Group, a private equity firm focused on emerging markets, primarily Russia and India, with USD 2 Bn in investments.
He serves on the board of the following Fund I’s portfolio companies, Gadgetwood eServices Private Limited (Yaantra), Collateral Medical Private Limited and Sindhuja Microcredit Private Limited (Sindhuja). He has received a management degree from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta and an engineering degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi.
Arvind Nair is the Chairman of the Investment Manager and has over 40 years of operating and private equity experience across retail and consumer products companies. He provides guidance and mentoring to the investment team. Further, he is a key strategic advisor and mentor to the portfolio companies and their CEOs. Arvind Nair himself has been CEO of various well-regarded Indian consumer companies and has cultivated strong relationships while building an extensive network of industry partners.
He was previously the Managing Director of Domino’s Pizza India, where he re-invented the business model, and restructured the team to achieve a remarkable turnaround of the business. He was responsible for differentiating the Domino’s Pizza brand by introducing to India a 30-minute delivery guarantee. Prior to this role, he was the global CEO of Jumbo Electronics Dubai, where he managed 18 divisions across multiple locations. As the Managing Director of DLF Retail, he led efforts for mall development and management of 20 malls, and launched DLF Emporio, India’s leading luxury mall.
He serves on the board of the following Fund I’s portfolio companies, Nyssa Retail Private Limited (1-India Family Mart) and Thea Kitchen Private Limited (Biryani Blues). He has received a Management degree from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad.
Hithendra Ramachandran is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of the Investment Manager. He has over 20 years of operating and entrepreneurial experience and brings a deep knowledge in managed services. He is responsible for the operations and drives the transformation agenda and people strategy at the portfolio companies.
He has been a founding member of two of India’s largest HR services companies, Quess Corp, a publicly listed company and PeopleOne Consulting (now Adecco India).
As a key member of the founding team at Quess Corp, he was member of the board and was instrumental in driving management decisions that helped the company grow from inception to its current status as India’s largest HR services company. He was earlier part of the initial team of PeopleOne Consulting, which was sold to Adecco, the world’s largest HR services company, headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland.
He serves on the board of the following Carpediem Capital Fund I’s portfolio companies, Adinath Agro Processed Foods Private Limited (Adinath Agro), Nyssa Retail Private Limited (1-India Family Mart, Sukkhi Online Private Limited (Sukkhi) and Flipspaces Technology Labs Private Limited (Flipspaces). He is a post-graduate in management and has completed an executive program in management from IMD Lausanne.
Pranav has over 10 years of private equity investing experience across consumer, healthcare, financial services, and real estate sectors. He is a founding member at Carpediem Capital, and serves on the boards of Yaantra and Biryani Blues as an observer.
Previously, at FIRE Capital Fund - India’s 1st real estate private equity fund, Pranav participated in investments and portfolio management across its two funds with USD 200 million in AUM. Prior to that, Pranav was at Smart Analyst, a boutique consulting firm, where he led a 20-member cross functional team and established a valuation advisory practice.
Pranav received an MBA degree with private equity concentration from the London Business School, including a semester exchange at The Wharton School. He received a B.Tech. degree from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi.
Rishab Siroya has over 12 years of experience across Private Equity and Corporate Finance. For the last 9 years Rishab has been investing across Consumer, Healthcare and Business Services. Rishab serves on the Boards of Sukkhi Online Pvt Ltd, Ivangel Sales and Services Pvt Ltd, UNH Management Services Pvt Ltd, Hands-On Management Services Pvt Ltd and Integron Human Capital Services Pvt Ltd as a Director and on the Boards of Adinath Agro Processed Foods Pvt Ltd, Collateral Medical Pvt Ltd, Flipspaces Technology Labs Pvt Ltd and Fornax Co Pvt Ltd as an observer.
Rishab was previously at Grant Thornton India LLP as a Senior Consultant handling Private Equity portfolio valuations and valuations for Mergers & Acquisitions where he worked across diverse sectors such as Healthcare, Education, Financial Services, Real Estate, Media and Technology.
Rishab is a Chartered Accountant.
Shom has over 15 years of experience in investment banking and capital introductions, both in India and the U.S. Shom is the Founder & Director of Polymath Advisors, a boutique corporate finance firm. Prior to that Shom worked with Centrum Capital and All America Finance.
Shom received a Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance from Bentley University.
Vinod Sawhny is a senior professional with well-rounded experience in establishing and building diverse businesses, including companies in telecommunications, retail and consumer durables sectors. His last assignment was as the Chief Executive Officer of Reliance Communications Ltd, prior to which he worked with the Bharti Group for more than 10 years in various roles, including Member of the Bharti Airtel Management Board; Joint President - Airtel Enterprises; Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer - Airtel Mobility; and President - Bharti Retail. Mr Sawhny was also Managing Director of Spice Communications from 2000 – 2002 and has spent 16 years at Godrej GE appliances in various roles.
Vinod received an MBA degree from XLRI, Jamshedpur and a B.E(Hon) degree in Mechanical Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology and Science (BITS), Pilani.
Siddharth Bhavnani is a lawyer with over a decade of experience in advising clients on corporate and commercial law. His experience includes advising a number of companies and investors on joint ventures, strategic alliances, and early to mid-stage funding transactions in the manufacturing, e-commerce and retail sectors. Siddharth also has substantial experience in providing advice on employment law, corporate governance and compliance related matters.
Previously, Siddharth has spent several years with one of India's leading law firms, Dua Associates, and also served as General Counsel to Grofers, a large Indian e-commerce company.
Siddharth holds an LLB degree from the University of Leicester, U.K. and is a member of the Bar Council of Delhi.
The demand for branded products and organized services are being fueled by the changing lifestyles and growing income of the world’s largest workforce. Increasing consumption demand in urban India is resulting in the emergence of many new industries and companies with a significant untapped potential. Carpediem Capital’s investment themes include consumer products & services, healthcare & pharmaceuticals, managed services & skills and financial services.
The Fund invests in companies that are creating consumer brands and are leaders in the segments or geographies they operate in. These companies are likely to be major beneficiaries of changing consumer habits and lifestyle, increasing disposable income, and improving supply chain and increasing organized retail penetration.
The team has a strong track record of building and growing consumer service businesses. The team partners with entrepreneurs that are building highly scalable companies by standardizing processes, and optimizing products and services in industries that have been traditionally unorganized and highly fragmented.
Carpediem Capital backs strong teams with innovative models in healthcare services and delivery that are bridging the gap in healthcare demand in unconventional ways. The focus is to invest in asset-light delivery models, technology-enabled services, and consumer-centric healthcare, devices, and diagnostics.
As businesses become more lean and efficient, there is a greater need for expert professional services to manage non-core activities. Carpediem Capital will look to partner with specialist teams who will capitalize on this shift by providing quality and scalable professional services.
Carpediem Capital partners with entrepreneurs who are building innovative platforms for consumer lending, peer-to-peer financing, SME financing, and are providing credit facilities and other services such as payment networks, payday loans, and extended warranties.
