Our Team
Shweta Rajpal Kohli
President and CEO, Startup Policy Forum
A public policy and media veteran with over 25 years of experience across venture capital, technology and media companies. Shweta has led public policy teams in Asia for Peak XV, Sequoia Capital India, Salesforce and Uber. She has worked closely with founders, government and regulators to champion key issues within the startup ecosystem. An award winning journalist, Shweta provided in-depth coverage of India’s economic policy making landscape during her media career.
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Avantika Gode
Vice President, Startup Policy Forum
A seasoned public policy and media professional, Avantika has led public policy at Razorpay and federal affairs at Uber India. Formerly a journalist with Bloomberg TV India, she holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the National Law School of India.
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Anita Menezes
Head of Operations, Startup Policy Forum
A seasoned professional with 17+ years of experience, she excels in driving high-level administrative and operational success for leading companies like Netflix and Viacom18. Her expertise lies in communications, strategic planning, and seamless operations across diverse industries. Anita's proactive approach, strategic vision, and collaborative spirit make her a valuable asset.
Avantika Gode
Vice President, Startup Policy Forum
A seasoned public policy and media professional, Avantika has led public policy at Razorpay and federal affairs at Uber India. Formerly a journalist with Bloomberg TV India, she holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the National Law School of India.
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Subject Matter Experts
LEGAL PARTNER - AP & Partners
AP & Partners is a corporate law firm advising prominent international and domestic technology companies. The team advises Indian startups and founders on exits, fundraises, disputes, and regulatory challenges across sectors such as consumer tech, fintech, telecom, satellites, and media.
Anand Prasad
Senior Partner, AP & Partners
Arjun Sinha
Partner, AP & Partners
Mriganki Nagpal
Associate, AP & Partners
TAXATION PARTNER - Aeka Advisors
Aeka Advisors is a tax advisory firm focused on startups. Abhishek Goenka and Hemanth Danda have helped founders navigate the evolving tax landscape around GST, M&A, structuring, and FDI issues.
Abhishek Goenka
Partner, Aeka Advisors
Hemanth danda
Partner, Aeka Advisors
POLICY KNOW HOW & RESEARCH PARTNERS - CHASE INDIA
Chase India is Asia Pacific’s leading research and public policy consulting firm with expertise across sectors. The team led by Manash Neog and Kaushal Mahan has consulted private sector organisations, NGOs, and investors to develop compelling strategies, connect with key stakeholders, and navigate the political, legal, policy, and regulatory environment.
Manash Neog
Managing Director, Chase APAC
Kaushal Mahan
Senior Vice President, Chase India
TECH POLICY PARTNERS -
Ikigai Law
Ikigai Law has made a mark in the tech policy space, contributing to developing new regulatory frameworks for innovative startups. Anirudh Rastogi was recognised as ‘a pioneer’ by the Economic Times for his influential work on India's policy for drones.
Anirudh Rastogi
Founder & Managing Partner, Ikigai Law
Aparajita Srivastava
Partner, Ikigai Law
Nehaa Chaudhari
Partner, Ikigai Law
POLICY COMMUNICATIONS PARTNER - Avian WE
Leading PR firm AvianWE are experts in messaging and reputation management. Nitin Mantri and Neha Mehrotra have a proven track record of shaping narratives on policy issues.
Nitin Mantri
Group CEO, AvianWE
Neha Mehrotra
Managing Director, AvianWE
COMMUNITY BUILDING AND CAMPAIGN PARTNERS - Kaio
Lavanya Singh specialises in community building and executing impactful campaigns to drive policy change. She was a founding member of the Public Policy teams at Netflix and Uber during their early stages in India.
Lavanya Singh
Founder and CEO, Kaio
Subject Matter Experts
LEGAL PARTNER - AP & Partners
Anand Prasad
Senior Partner, AP & Partners
Arjun Sinha
Partner, AP & Partners
Mriganki Nagpal
Associate, AP & Partners
AP & Partners is a corporate law firm advising prominent international and domestic technology companies. The team advises Indian startups and founders on exits, fundraises, disputes, and regulatory challenges across sectors such as consumer tech, fintech, telecom, satellites, and media.
TAXATION PARTNER - Aeka Advisors
Abhishek Goenka
Partner, Aeka Advisors
Hemanth danda
Partner, Aeka Advisors
Aeka Advisors is a tax advisory firm focused on startups. Abhishek Goenka and Hemanth Danda have helped founders navigate the evolving tax landscape around GST, M&A, structuring, and FDI issues.
POLICY KNOW HOW & RESEARCH PARTNERS - CHASE INDIA
Manash Neog
Managing Director, Chase APAC
Kaushal Mahan
Senior Vice President, Chase India
Chase India is Asia Pacific’s leading research and public policy consulting firm with expertise across sectors. The team led by Manash Neog and Kaushal Mahan has consulted private sector organisations, NGOs, and investors to develop compelling strategies, connect with key stakeholders, and navigate the political, legal, policy, and regulatory environment.
TECH POLICY PARTNERS - IKIGAI LAW
Anirudh Rastogi
Founder & Managing Partner, Ikigai Law
Aparajita Srivastava
Partner, Ikigai Law
Nehaa Chaudhari
Partner, Ikigai Law
Ikigai Law has made a mark in the tech policy space, contributing to developing new regulatory frameworks for innovative startups. Anirudh Rastogi was recognised as ‘a pioneer’ by the Economic Times for his influential work on India's policy for drones.
POLICY COMMUNICATIONS PARTNER - Avian WE
Nitin Mantri
Group CEO, AvianWE
Neha Mehrotra
Managing Director, AvianWE
Leading PR firm AvianWE are experts in messaging and reputation management. Nitin Mantri and Neha Mehrotra have a proven track record of shaping narratives on policy issues.
TECH POLICY PARTNERS -
Ikigai Law
COMMUNITY BUILDING AND CAMPAIGN PARTNERS - Kaio
Anirudh Rastogi
Founder & Managing Partner, Ikigai Law
Ikigai Law has made a mark in the tech policy space, contributing to developing new regulatory frameworks for innovative startups. Anirudh Rastogi was recognised as ‘a pioneer’ by the Economic Times for his influential work on India's policy for drones.
Lavanya Singh
Founder and CEO, Kaio
Lavanya Singh specialises in community building and executing impactful campaigns to drive policy change. She was a founding member of the Public Policy teams at Netflix and Uber during their early stages in India.
