Our diverse and talented team at Kreedo is united by a shared commitment to excellence and a passion for making a positive impact in the world.
Mridula Shridhar is an Instrumentation Engineer with an MBA from IIM-C and more than 15 years of experience in the Early Education space, starting from Montessori and preschool products, sales and marketing, curriculum research, to preschool consulting and running her own Early Education Centre. Her deep understanding on Montessori products and how young children learn through play, led to the creation of Kreedo Early Childhood Solutions. It is a curriculum that has been so far implemented in over 1000 preschools.
VK Manikandan, an Aerospace Engineer from IIT-Bombay and an MBA graduate from IIM-C, ventured into the Early Education industry in 2004 by contributing to the establishment of a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Bengaluru. This facility could efficiently manufacture wooden toys and learning materials through both rapid prototyping and mass production. While collaborating with several preschools across India, he recognized the necessity to revamp the preschool sector, leading to the inception of Kreedo.
A deadly combination of management and engineering, Akash is our head of Sales and Delivery! Constantly evolving is his go-to mantra, and boy does he do a stellar job at it! He is known for his strategic vision, strong analytical skills, and ability to navigate complex business environments. And while he loves listening to podcasts of entrepreneurs, we can assure you that his business ideas too could end up on a podcast one day!
As the Field Sales Head, Sanjeev is passionate about driving growth (and cars too!) and achieving revenue targets for Kreedo consistently! He’s committed to creating a culture of excellence within Kreedo, where everyone is motivated, empowered, and equipped with the tools they need to succeed. A people person by heart, Sanjeev loves spicy Maharashtrian cuisine and is always on the lookout for new and interesting food and trying them out.
Prodipta is more than just our Inside Sales Head. He is also an amateur magician, with a knack for pulling a deal out of a hat when you least expect it. His clients are always amazed by his ability to solve their problems instantaneously! His infectious energy, smiling demeanour, and burning passion for work are what keep him – and us going!
With an MBA under his belt, Shreyas sure knows how to lead and manage a team to success. Our Head of Delivery and Academics, he is always pushing himself to take on new challenges and live life to the fullest. Whether it’s mentoring his team members or volunteering in his community, Shreyas is always looking for ways to make a difference in whatever he does!
Our Head of Products, Suneel is no less than a writing wizard who can pen anything from academic to user manuals! You can often find him on the pitch enjoying a good game of football when he is not in work mode. And the best part about it all? His 3D (disciplined, diligent, and democratic) personality and motivation to learn something new every day is what keep us striving for glory every day!
If utilizing your potential to the fullest had a name, there is no one better than Sneha! With a passion for all things related to early education, and a knack for teaching and upskilling (oh, and we mention her love for movies and music?), she is the one you would want in your team at all costs! But, don’t be fooled by her fun-loving and offbeat personality – when it comes to content and skilling, she means business.
So, how does an engineer become in charge of Operations in an organization? Sudarshan says that it’s his love for new challenges and skills that helped him become who he is! An excellent communicator and collaborator, he is committed to building strong relationships with both internal and external stakeholders. With his ‘It’s never too late to do the right thing’ mindset, he has indeed become a superstar in his field, and for us!
When he’s not busy working his magic with spreadsheets, you can catch Pandian, our Manager of Finance and Accounts, with his eyes glued to the television screen, enjoying a good game of cricket. One of his core beliefs is that helping others is the key to success and he is indeed always looking for ways to support and uplift those around him. So, if you’re looking for a finance manager who knows how to have a good time, Pandian is your guy.
“Tavneet leads our HR team and honestly, she is an unstoppable force of nature. With a passion for extensive traveling and spending quality time with her adorable kid, Tavneet is a true family woman. But don’t let her charming persona fool you – when it comes to work, she is a stickler for detail! Always up for a challenge and a firm believer in the ‘never give up’ motto, she is a force to be reckoned with – and for all the right reasons.
“
Mr. Kuruvilla is currently based in Bangalore and works intensively with Indian entrepreneurs who have founded early stage companies by both investing in them and then providing them the requisite expertise to scale. He does this in his capacity as Co-Founder of 1Crowd which is a 7 year old venture capital firm and investment platform. He spends his weekends helping Persons with Disabilities (PwD’s) in his capacity as the Trustee & Treasurer (Hony) of the Cheshire Disability Trust as well as the Trustee, Secretary & Treasurer of the Cheshire Homes India National Council. He is also an Independent Director of DBS Bank India Ltd which is a wholly owned subsidiary of DBS Bank, Singapore. In his spare time, he plays tennis and cycles.
Prior to founding 1Crowd, Mr. Kuruvilla was in the banking industry for over 30 years having done stints at Citi, Chase Manhattan, ABN Amro & RBS. He spent the first 10 years of his banking career in India and the next 20 years in the Far East between Singapore, Jakarta & Hong Kong. In his last role, he was Managing Director of Loan Syndicate for RBS in Hong Kong. He has also been on the Managing Board of Asia Pacific Loan Markets Association (APLMA) for over a decade and was also the Co-Chairman of APLMA’s Singapore Chapter for a few years.
He has done his B. Com from Loyola College in Chennai, and his MBA in Finance from XLRI in Jamshedpur. He is also a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.
Pranay serves is the Head of Investments At Gray Matters Capital. Pranay has 15 years of work experience with investments of over $300 mm across over 14 deals with sector expertise in healthcare, education, BFSI in both traditional and tech enabled businesses.In his past role at BCCL, he was responsible for leading the sourcing, investing and managing of investments in Ed-tech, fintech, health-tech, and D2C for certain regions in India & cross-border deals w.r.t US & MENA region. Prior to this for a year, he was a Director (Alternative investments & strategy) at Lighthouse Canton, a Singapore based Multi-family office. Prior to that he spent 10 years at India Equity Partners (India focused $450 mm PE fund) where he led negotiations with management, managing due diligence, legal documentation, structuring, M&A and deal closure and was an active Board member at all portfolio companies. He started his career as an investment banking analyst at Morgan Stanley in Mumbai & Singapore.Pranay has served on several boards including India School Finance, RG Stone Hospitals, Schoolnet India, Ocean Sparkle.lHe is an Executive MBA from INSEAD (Singapore)’2018 and a Chartered Accountant from India. He is a Masters and Bachelors – in Finance & Accounts, completed from N.M. College (Mumbai University).
Head of Social Impact & Philanthropy India & Middle East, UBS and Head of Social Finance, UBS Optimus FoundationDhun Davar is Head of Social Impact & Philanthropy India & Middle East, UBS and Head of Social Finance, UBS Optimus Foundation leading the foundation’s growth. She joined the foundation in 2017 as Program Director for Education and Early Childhood Development. Dhun has expertise in program design, management and impact measurement having worked across Europe, India and Sub-Saharan Africa. She applies her global and grass-roots experience to improve the lives of children and youth by developing innovative and results based approaches to fund social programs and drive greater impact. Dhun was previously COO at Hand in Hand Switzerland, and before that CEO at Apnalaya in India. She has also worked at GiveIndia and the Monze Mission Hospital through VSO Zambia. Her interests and expertise include education, early childhood development, maternal and newborn health and innovative development finance. Dhun serves on the board of the Innovation Edge in South Africa. She holds a degree in Economics, and a master’s in Development Studies from the London School of Economics.
Program Manager, Social Finance at UBS Optimus Foundation Gayatri joined the Social Finance team at the UBS Optimus Foundation in 2022. She focuses on investments into social businesses, outcomes-based funding and blended finance initiatives globally in the areas of education, health and environment/climate. Gayatri is based out of the Mumbai office in India. Prior to joining UBS Optimus Foundation, Gayatri worked for LGT Venture Philanthropy Foundation, where for close to four years she helped to develop and expand the Foundation’s education and health activities in India. Before this, Gayatri worked with Goldman Sachs and Ernst & Young in M&A roles. Gayatri has a Bachelor’s degree in economics and holds a Master’s degree in economics and finance from the London School of Economics and Political Science.
Akash has over twenty years of experience in investment management and global banking. He is currently the Investment Director at Regis and Savoy Privy, where he specializes in family office investments, private equity, ESG management, and Development Impact Bonds. Prior to this role, he was Vice President at Morgan Stanley, Global Wealth Management.
He holds a Master’s in Public Administration (MPA) from The London School of Economics. Akash leads the Import Substitution and Product Acceleration programme, a joint initiative of Regis and Savoy and the Foundation for Science Innovation and Development – established by Indian Institute of Science (IISc).
In addition, he serves as an Advisory Mentor at The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust, supporting and investing in innovative social enterprises across 54 Commonwealth countries. He is also an Honorary Fellow at the Royal Society of Arts, London and NITI Aayog, Atal Tinkering Labs. Akash is actively involved in social impact enterprises across Asia and Africa, with a focus on Financial Inclusion and Performance-Based Philanthropy, and has provided consultancy for UNICEF in Africa.
Copyright 2023 © Kreedo
