Serial Entrepreneur · Venture Builder · Board Advisor

Vikas Gupta

IIM Ahmedabad alumnus, Company Secretary, and differently abled entrepreneur with two decades of experience founding and scaling businesses across distribution, real estate, food & agri, investing, and retail innovation.

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Years of Entrepreneurship: 20+
Ventures Founded: 5
Portfolio Investments: 6
PGDM Alumnus: IIMA

Profile Summary

Operator. Investor. Ecosystem Builder.

Vikas Gupta brings a rare combination of operator instinct, institutional rigour, investor perspective, and governance expertise. He has founded and scaled businesses across distribution, real estate, food & agri, early-stage tech investing, and retail innovation — each built around category-driven models, capital-efficient scaling, and systems built to last.

As a differently abled entrepreneur, he is also a committed advocate for inclusive and sustainable growth — bringing lived experience to governance, policy, and social impact work.

PGDM

IIM Ahmedabad, 2003

Company Secretary

ICSI, New Delhi, 2001

Core Competencies

Venture Building

0-1 company building · Business model design · Go-to-market strategy · P&L ownership

Investment & Incubation

Early-stage investment · Portfolio management · Deal structuring · Founder mentoring

Governance & Compliance

Board advisory · Regulatory compliance · Corporate governance · Legal structuring

Ecosystem Building

Accelerator programs · Sector ecosystem mapping · D2C brand support · Policy research

Entrepreneurial Track Record

Ventures Founded & Built

Next-generation industrial and commercial park development venture — building purpose-designed, category-driven infrastructure clusters in high-growth Tier-2/3 markets of India. Replaces fragmented industrial areas with planned, well-serviced commercial ecosystems.

Category-Driven ModelCo-locates complementary manufacturers, distributors & D2C brands

End-to-End ExecutionLand identification, regulatory approvals & capital structure

Replicable TemplateDesigned for deployment across multiple high-growth corridors

Food & Agri Venture Accelerator enabling entrepreneurs to create innovative and sustainable enterprises. Accelerates market access for D2C food brands, food-tech platforms, and agri-based ventures through structured programming, ecosystem connections, and hands-on operational support.

Accelerator DesignStage-gate milestones from validation to commercial traction

Market AccessDistribution partners, institutional buyers & channel intermediaries

D2C Brand BuildingDigital & offline channel strategies for consumer acquisition

Retail-tech venture upgrading India's traditional Kirana stores — automating supply chains and digitising in-store and online ordering without replacing the neighbourhood retail model.

Supply-chain automation · Real-time inventory · Online ordering integration

Hyper-local rollout · Capital-efficient · Tier II/III store operators

Pioneering digital company operating marquee B2B portals across travel and utility domains. One of India's first companies to take e-commerce to Tier II & III towns — establishing a template for digital distribution in non-metro markets.

Multi-category B2B internet platform · Tier II/III pioneer

Structured divestment 2016–17 · Capital recycled into next-gen ventures

Early-stage incubation and investment platform supporting passionate entrepreneurial teams. Built a portfolio of six ventures across home décor, B2B consumer durables, employment assessment, jewellery, wholesale, and medical appliances — spanning D2C and B2B models.

BrandBuy Store

B2B consumer durables — branded mobiles & smart TVs for neighbourhood stores

TestMerit

Online employment assessment & HR screening platform

TenSky Wholesale

Internet-first wholesale serving 300+ wholesalers across North India

RatnaLalit

Design-centric jewellery — traditional craft meets contemporary aesthetics

Urban MediMart

Medical appliances marketplace for hospitals, labs & institutions

Full Investment Cycle

Deal sourcing · Investment structuring · Post-investment governance

Investment Focus

Sector Expertise

Food & Agri / D2C Brands

D2C food brands · food-tech platforms · agri-supply chain · sustainable farming · accelerator ecosystems

Consumer & Retail-Tech

Home décor · B2B consumer durables · Kirana digitisation · internet-first wholesale

Real Estate & Infrastructure

Industrial parks · commercial park development · Tier-2/3 market activation

EdTech, SaaS & Assessment

Online assessment platforms · entrepreneurship learning · e-commerce infrastructure

Board & Advisory

Governance Engagements

Founding Board Member — Diksha Foundation

Nonprofit creating transformative, inclusive learning spaces for children rooted in economic inclusivity and socio-cultural innovation.

Strategic Advisory Board — ICWAI Railway Project

Government infrastructure initiative driving railway sector reform.

Jury Member — ET 'Power of Ideas' (2015 & 2018)

CII / CIIE, IIM-A Partnership — evaluated and selected India's most promising startup ideas.

Contributor — GEM India Report 2014

Global Entrepreneurship Monitor — national research team producing the annual entrepreneurial ecosystem report.

Knowledge & Thought Leadership

Academic & Publications

Adjunct Faculty

Institute of Management Technology (IMT), Ghaziabad · 2013–2016

Entrepreneurship, Strategy, Public Policy & Marketing

Headed the Research Centre for grass-root innovation research
Delivered sessions at IIM Ahmedabad, IMI New Delhi, JGU Business School
Designed curriculum to build entrepreneurial mindset in management students

Executive Education

MDP — Creativity & Problem Solving
Conducted for senior scientists of CSIR (2005–2009)

LDP — Appreciating the Macro Environment
Community leaders of Chinmay Tapovan Trust (Nov 2004)

Publications

Case Study · 2009

Sulabh International: Social Transformation Through Sanitation

Vikalpa, IIMA Journal

Research Article · 2005

Augmenting Entrepreneurship Among the Privileged Class

ICFAI Journal of Entrepreneurship Development

Article · 2025

India's Disability Rights Crisis: 27 Million Left Behind

Disabled World, USA

Honours & Recognition

ABILIS Foundation, Finland — Emerging disability leader; World Social Forum delegate (2004)
Leadership Development Programme in Human Rights — ActionAid India (2004)
Scholarship, ICSI — Top performance in CS Foundation & Intermediate Exams (1999–2000)
ET Power of Ideas Jury — Recognised evaluator (2015, 2018)
GEM India Report Contributor (2014)

Available For

Board Advisory & Consulting Engagements

Open to board advisory roles, early-stage investment opportunities, accelerator partnerships, academic collaborations, and speaking engagements.

Board Advisory
Early-Stage Investment
Venture Consulting
Speaking
Academic

Emailvrv.gupta@gmail.com Phone(+91) 9212201149 LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/vikas1gupta