Harshal Bhatia

Hailing from the sleepy little town of Mumbai :P, my love for tech drove me to pursue a degree in electronics engineering from VJTI, where I (re)discovered my love for finance – which led to an MBA degree from IIM Lucknow immediately after.

Initially aiming for a career in financial markets, my interactions with startup founders through some live projects fascinated me – the stories they shared, the strength required to build something out of nothing, and the mental fortitude to trudge on – and the desire to meet more such people and learn from them led me to switch tracks, and set out upon an investment banking journey.

On some days, it’s an interesting novel, on others, it’s Discord servers with my ML friends – but mostly, it’s just revenge bedtime procrastination 😛

Cliché as it may be, I find my inspiration from the little things done by people around me – on some days, it’s the friend who travels 3 hours to work every day, on others, it’s the building watchman who stays up all night; on some days, it’s the old neighbourhood uncle who says “How are you, beta?” every time I see him, on others it’s the cat near the metro station who purrs when I pet him on the way home!

Working with founders who are passionate and have conviction about their ideas – who aren’t building a business to exit from, but a business to exist with.

“Ikuyo!” – Shinei Nouzen, 86.

An opportunity – to make a tangible and positive impact to a potential industry leader’s growth story. A classroom – to make mistakes, to constantly improve, and to learn. A home – to start afresh in a new environment.

Any business/idea that uses tech to have a positive impact on the consumer’s lives.

I love exploring new experiences, be it physically through a hike in the hills or a photo walk around the city; or metaphorically by immersing myself in a book or an anime! I also tend to spend a lot of time playing MOBA games with my friends. Always up for a gaming session, as long as you’re prepared to lose!