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Kedaara Capital adds industry vet Jai Shankar Krishnan as operating advisor
MUMBAI: Kedaara Capital is laying it on thick with advisors. The latest to be added on its roster is Jai Shankar Krishnan as an operating advisor, effective immediately.
With over three decades of diverse experience in high-impact industries such as FMCG, pharma, industrials, life sciences, and diagnostics, Jai’s career began at Hindustan Unilever. He has since held key leadership roles at prominent companies including GlaxoSmithKline, Novartis, and Danaher Corp.
Notably, Jai served as managing director &d CEO for Danaher Corp in India, where he scaled the business nearly tenfold within six years. He later became regional president for Asia Pacific, overseeing a revenue stream exceeding $2.5 billion and chairing the APAC board.
In 2019, he took on the role of president for high growth markets at Danaher, managing critical markets that contributed significantly to the company’s $10 billion+ revenue.
In addition to his corporate roles, Jai is active on the boards of several respected organisations and is committed to community service with various non-profits.
At Kedaara, Jai will provide strategic guidance to its healthcare team, advising on both existing and new investments in the sector
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Aman Gupta’s OFF/BEAT secures Rs 100 crore seed funding round
Bessemer backs new venture betting on AI and India’s digital shift
MUMBAI: Aman Gupta has raised Rs 100 crore in seed funding for his new venture OFF/BEAT, with Bessemer Venture Partners leading the round as it bets on a new wave of AI-led, consumer-first businesses in India.
The funding marks an early but significant push for OFF/BEAT, which is positioned to tap into a rapidly evolving market shaped by a digitally native generation and advances in artificial intelligence. The venture aims to build at the intersection of culture and technology, where brand identity and innovation increasingly go hand in hand.
Gupta, best known for co-founding boAt and scaling it into a Rs 3,000 crore-plus business, is now looking to apply those learnings to a new playbook. His focus this time is not just on building a consumer brand, but on leveraging AI and global networks to accelerate growth.
OFF/BEAT founder Aman Gupta said, “Having built from scratch before, I know what capital can do and what it cannot. This time, I was looking for partners with a global perspective who can help me leverage technology and AI, because that is where the future lies. Bessemer’s track record with companies like Anthropic, Shopify, Canva and LinkedIn says it all.”
The choice of investor reflects that ambition. Bessemer Venture Partners has backed global technology players such as Anthropic, Shopify, Canva and LinkedIn, bringing not just capital but strategic support and global reach.
Bessemer Venture Partners partner Anant Vidur Puri said, “We back founders who see around corners. Aman saw how a new India would come to think about aspiration, identity and quality, and built boAt as proof. He is now applying that same instinct to a market being reshaped by AI and by a generation with entirely new expectations.”
The investment comes at a time when India’s startup ecosystem is being reshaped by both consumer behaviour and technological disruption. Founders are increasingly expected to understand not just products, but the cultural shifts that drive adoption.
For OFF/BEAT, the journey is just beginning, but the signal is clear. In a market where attention is fleeting and expectations are rising, building something truly distinctive may be the only way to stay on beat.
