At Agna, our journey began with the coming together of a passionate team that has a singular vision to bring to life a pioneering dedicated frontier tech fund in the Middle East region, bridging the East-West corridor. Learn more about our Genesis and Values here
Agna Team
Core Team
Pranav Sharma
An investment and financial services veteran with over 17 years of experience. As Founding General Partner he has managed two Funds (Woodstock Capital Fund I & Fund II) focussed on thesis-driven investments in Web 3.0 space across the East-West corridor of India, the Middle East & the US. Within financial services, he has straddled across roles in asset management (both domestic and offshore), distribution, structured finance & insurance. His prior experience in precision manufacturing and renewable energy along with a proven investment track record puts him at a vantage point to launch Agna, a pioneering thesis-driven fund focussed on India & the Middle East region. Pranav is also a 10x Angel Investor, Advisor to multiple startups & a distinguished speaker at multiple forums.
Indrajeet Sirsikar
A Seasoned Strategy and Business Development professional with more than 17 years of diverse industry experience across various organisational setups viz. Venture Capital Fund, Start-ups, SMEs (Small and medium-sized enterprises), and MNCs. Throughout his distinguished career, Indrajeet has successfully navigated the complexities of international markets while delivering significant value.
At Agna, he is a Partner and Head of Operations.
Rahul Nagaraj
An Engineering, Finance, and Strategy professional with more than 8 years of diverse industry experience across various ‘engineering & technology driven’ organizational setups, viz. Venture Capital Fund, OEMs, a Defence Organisation, and a Consulting Firm. Rahul has a deep orientation towards donning multiple hats- handling high-stake multifunctional roles effortlessly with a ‘can do’ attitude.
At Agna, he focuses on Research and Investments.
Advisors
We onboarded Advisors with experience and subject-matter expertise
Ashok Ranadive
CEO & Co-Founder, CarbonMinusEx-commander, Entrepreneur, Leader, Investor, Technologist, and Strategist – with education from premium institutes and experience across diverse geographies in multiple domains and business functions.
Ashok will be helping us in representing in the West, Frontier tech due diligence and Portfolio growth (especially B2B growth in the East (India and Middle East)).
Marios Tryfonides
Founder – Integritas CFS20+ years in finance. Key roles at Henderson Global Investors, Dresdner Kleinwort Wasserstein, HedgeMAP, and Goldman Sachs. Founded Integritas CFS. Expert in trading, financial software, and fund management. Extensive knowledge and experience in structuring, launching, and operating 30+ investment funds. An industry leader in fund services. Board member and Independent Director in companies and investment funds across multiple international jurisdictions.
Marios will be helping us in Risk, Compliance, and Governance.
Ravinder Pal Singh
Advisor | Founder, VishvasutraAn award-winning Technologist, Rescue Pilot, Venture Capitalist, and Professor with several hundred global recognitions, 34 patents, and 1000+ hours in emergency response expeditions. Acknowledged as Person of the Year, the World’s Top 10 Robotics Designer, #1 Artificial Intelligence Leader in Asia, and the World’s Top 25 CIO.
Ravi will be an advisor to the fund.
There were a few other important/ key milestones that we achieved during 2023 in this journey!
Soft launch of the brand on Social Media
We made a soft launch of Agna with the debut of our social media handles and the launch presentation that gives an introduction to who we are and what drives us in our pursuit.
Building Core Structures
Adoption of the Governance and Compliance frameworks to build an institutional fund with a strong foundation.
At Agna, with a deep focus on transparency, ethics, and responsibility, we have built a strong foundation for an institutional fund by developing and adopting robust governance and compliance frameworks. This commitment to integrity and accountability underpins all our operations.
Agna team at various forums in 2023
Our team participated in multiple forums and networking events to meet and greet relevant ecosystem participants.
Speakership:
- At the World Investment Forum (Abu Dhabi), on 17th October 2023, to share our perspectives on “Sustainable investments in emerging markets including FDI, creation of sustainable jobs & specifically investments in Climatetech”.
- At The Finance Today Summit (Dubai), on 22nd November, to share our perspectives on “Sustainable practices in Web 3.0 investments”.
Ecosystem Events:
- Coffee’r Drinks meetup for Deeptech stakeholders, organised by SanchiConnect in association with StartupMovers, HSBC, and Arctic Invent in Bengaluru on 12th December 2023.
- Networking Mixer organised by IIMA-CIIE in Bengaluru on 24th November 2023.
- Terrarium Deeptech networking event in Bengaluru on 10th September 2023.
- COP28 Summit in Dubai b/w 30th November and 13th December 2023.
- Dexter Badminton Tournament hosted by Dexter Group of Companies in Bengaluru on 10th December 2023.
Others:
- One of our team members, Rahul Nagaraj from the Research & Investments team, participated in a pioneering short-term course on “Orbital Mechanics, Attitude Dynamics and Control, and Space-Based Navigation and Mission Planning” offered by IN-SPACe in collaboration with ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) in December 2023.
Our aspirations for 2024 and beyond
- Publication of our detailed Fund thesis (Soon!)
- Detailed study of precision manufacturing hubs in India with a focus on Defence and Aerospace. (Soon!)
- As always, our North Star is to collaborate with exceptionally skilled individuals and establish enduring mutually beneficial relationships. We’re actively seeking top talent who align with our values and possess expertise in Research, Investments, and Capital Formation. If you believe you can champion our mission, please reach out to us personally or email below.
- Furthermore, we have an exciting initiative on the horizon—a one-of-a-kind Venture Fellow Program aimed at nurturing future leaders within the frontier tech venture capital and entrepreneurial landscape. Stay tuned for more details.
- Actively work towards capitalising the funds (Frontier Tech Fund & other institutional mandates) that we will be raising from India, the UAE, and the US.
- We will be taking up more initiatives to collaborate and expand our ecosystem into other countries.
For any collaborations or if you wish to explore an opportunity to invest with Agna or if you are a founder building something groundbreaking for land/sea/air/space do reach out to us at mail@agnaholdings.com with the relevant subject headline.
