Karthik Chandrasekar

Managing Partner & Co-Founder at Synapses

Speaker

Karthik Chandrasekar is Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Synapses, a VC Fund focused on STEM-led investments in ClimateTech and HealthTech.

Prior to Synapses, Karthik ran Sangam, an early-stage climate fund co-created with support from Shell Foundation and USAID to find a new model to provide early-stage support for climate change pioneers. He spends a lot of his time with the portfolio & within the clean technology innovation eco-system in India & globally. He led investments in eight clean technology start-ups bringing game-changing technologies and business models to the market. He is also the founder & director of AIC-Sangam, India’s first cleantech Incubator set up in partnership with AIM, Niti Aayog, Government of India.

Karthik has also led clean-tech investments in India for Acumen and started his India investment journey with TVS Capital Funds, where he served as EA to the MD of the fund and focused on developing investment thesis for providing basic services in water, energy, and agriculture for inclusive growth. Prior to TVS, Karthik has also worked in IB at Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch across New York and London.

Karthik holds an MBA from Chicago Booth, MS in Public Policy & Mgmt. from Carnegie Mellon University and a BTech from IIT Bombay.

Karthik is a morning person, enjoys the outdoors, cooking, and copious amounts of coffee.