Finance Monthly Game Changers Awards 2017

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ABOUT AJAY HATTANGDI
Ajay Hattangdi currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer for InnoVen Capital Group
and Chief Executive Officer responsible for leading the Group’s business in India. He is being
recognized for his pioneering work in starting the venture debt industry in India which is one
of the key hubs of innovation and venture capital in the world, and for his equally ground-
breaking efforts at establishing what is currently the first and only venture debt business to
cover Asia as one market.
Ajay was recognized by FINTECH ASIA as being among the ‘Top 100 Leaders shaping
finance across the Asian region’ in 2016, and among ‘The 40 Who Matter in the Indian
Start-up Ecosystem’ by HT Media’s MINT business newspaper in December 2016.
Ajay Hattangdi started the country’s first venture debt program while at Citibank in 2005
and subsequently went on to create SVB India Finance, India’s first venture debt financing
company in 2007. The company was subsequently renamed InnoVen Capital following a
buyout of the business in 2015. Since the buyout, Ajay has led the group’s expansion into
other markets in Asia having started the Singapore office in late-2015 to service the ASEAN
markets.
Ajay spent over 10 years at Citigroup prior to starting his venture lending journey where
he held several senior positions including senior banker and automobile industry head as
well as practice head for technology, media and life sciences. In his final two years at the
bank he had the added responsibility of being the head of strategy for the company’s
corporate and investment bank in India alongside starting the venture lending practice.
Prior to joining Citigroup, he was a research analyst at CRISIL, India’s first credit rating
agency, and he began his career with Miranda Tools Ltd as a management trainee.
Ajay serves on the Advisory Board of Mumbai Angels which is among the largest
angel groups in India. Ajay is a regular speaker on the circuit on angel and venture
capital activities across the Asian region. In 1998, Ajay co-founded PRAJA Foundation
, a voluntary Mumbai-based non-profit organization committed to
reestablishing accountability and transparency in public governance.
In addition to his work at InnoVen Capital Ajay enjoys reading, watching food shows,
playing squash and discovering new destinations around the world with his wife and twins.
Ajay has a Masters in Banking & Finance from Bombay University and an MBA from the
State University of New York at Buffalo.
FIRM PROFILE
InnoVen Capital is Asia’s leading venture
lending firm with offices in Mumbai and
Singapore. Started in India in 2008, the
platform was re-branded InnoVen Capital
following a buyout of the business led by
Temasek Holdings and UOB Group in 2015.
InnoVen Capital provides venture debt
solutions to high growth innovative companies.
Venture debt is a form of flexible capital which
works in tandem with entrepreneurs and
investors to help improve the ability of the
company to increase enterprise value.
In India, InnoVen Capital is the country’s
oldest and largest venture debt provider to
bootstrapped and venture capital backed
start-ups. The business lends across all stages
of growth and sectors. The India business
has a credit rating of ‘IND AA-’ for its term
borrowing and ‘IND A1+’ for its commercial
paper issuances.
The Singapore office established in late-
2015 serves the needs of clients across the
South East Asian market including Malaysia,
Indonesia and Thailand in sectors across
e-commerce, financial technology, logistics
and big data.
Since inception, InnoVen Capital has backed
over 100 leading high growth venture capital-
backed companies with loan commitments
exceeding $200 million across Asia.
CONTACT
Ajay Hattangdi
Email:
Website:
AJAY HATTANGDI
Group Chief Operating Officer & CEO India at InnoVen Capital
AREAS OF EXPERTISE
● Venture Capital ● Venture Debt
● Growth Capital ● Acquisition Finance
● Startups ● Angel investing
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FINANCEMONTHLY
GAME CHANGER AWARDS 2017