Somdutta Singh is a first-gen serial entrepreneur, angel investor, best-selling author and philanthropist. She is an MIT Alumna and a former apprentice of the Columbia University Presidents Program. She is also a student of Harvard Business School (OPM).

She has been named Woman Entrepreneur of the Year in E-commerce at the Entrepreneur 2024 Awards. She is also the recipient of the very prestigious Champions of Change award, India.

Her third and current entrepreneurial venture, Assiduus is a leading global middleware platform that empowers brands to accelerate their e-commerce growth through optimized distribution and supply chain management. She is building Assiduus to be a billion-dollar revenue generating company.

Her honours include being adjudged one of India’s 100 most influential women innovators & entrepreneurs in 2023 by Business World and the 2023 ET Inspiring Women Leaders Award.

She has served as the youngest and only woman Vice-Chairperson of NASSCOM Product Council. She has facilitated the Government of India to form the visionary Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) by NITI Aayog helping enterprising women on their entrepreneurial journeys.

When she was 25, she became an angel investor and has invested in 70+ global startups since. As an ardent believer in giving back to society, Som’s not-for-profit organization Bhavi, supports youth education and skill development and helps support women led ventures in Tier 2 and 3 cities in India.

She is a celebrated author having published two best-sellers - Decoding Digital: Unlocking Digital Barriers and Stories from New India: Policies, Hope And Change. Outside of work, she is a trained Indian classical singer, an amateur golfer and a combat training and kickboxing enthusiast.

Ankita Vashistha, founder of Arise Ventures, is a dynamic leader revolutionizing venture capital with her focus on innovation, inclusivity, and sustainability. With a strong academic foundation in engineering from VTU and an MBA from Cranfield and Stanford, Ankita combines technical expertise with global business acumen.

Her career spans groundbreaking investments in unicorns like Licious and Uniphore, establishing her as a discerning investor. In 2015, she launched Saha Fund, the first venture capital fund for women entrepreneurs, backing impactful startups like Fitternity. In addition to her leadership roles, Ankita serves as a Board Member at various organizations, including GoCoop, Velmeni, and formerly Gingercrush. Her expertise and influence extend into angel investing, where she supports emerging startups and entrepreneurs.

Through Arise Ventures, Ankita champions early-stage startups across AI, healthcare, and sustainability, fostering an inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem. She also leads StrongHer, a global platform supporting 15,000+ women founders with resources and mentorship. A passionate advocate for gender equity, Ankita empowers women through initiatives like MyStepUp. Her work reflects a holistic approach to leadership, blending purpose and profit to create lasting global impact. The foundation equips women with essential skills like digital fluency, innovation, and leadership, aiming to bridge the wage-wealth gap and enhance women’s power and influence in various fields.

Proficient business leader with over three decades of experience, offering strategic insights and a proven track record in sales, business development, and corporate governance with a unique blend of engineering expertise, global market understanding, with a keen eye for emerging technologies and business opportunities.

Core competence, Sales & Business Development: Currently spearheads the Domestic & International sales across diverse industry segments - Power, Health & Personal Care, and Material Sciences. Is a member of Senior Management & Leadership Team, driving organizational growth and innovation. Leverages 30+ years of industry experience.

Investment Portfolio:

Is an active venture capitalist, having invested in several early to growth stage companies, spanning across diverse sectors:

• Artificial Intelligence: Perplexity
• E-Mobility: Zypp Electric, BluSmart
• Fintech: AssetPlus, FatakPay
• Space Tech: Agnikul Cosmos
• E-Commerce: Assiduus
• Digital Advertising: Adonmo
• Aerospace & Railways: Kineco Limited
• Gaming: Rooter, Jetapult
• Venture Firm: Venture Catalysts
• Venture Funds: Blume, Spring Marketing, Arali Ventures, Chakra Growth Capital
• Debt Funds: Strides Ventures
• Wealth Management: Incred Capital & Financials

As a member of the Board of Advisors for Goomti, he shall offer a wealth of experience in strategic planning, market expansion, and technology integration. His background in engineering, coupled with extensive business development expertise, positions him to provide valuable insights into operational efficiencies and growth opportunities. His active involvement in the startup ecosystem keeps him at the forefront of innovation, enabling him to guide Goomti through the evolving business landscape with a forward-thinking approach.

Renowned Multidisciplinary Art and Design Practitioner Artist Swarup Dutta is a multidisciplinary art and design practitioner, educator, photographer, scenographer from Kolkata, India but working professionally worldwide. He holds a masters degree in the field of Fashion & Textiles from Nottingham Trent University. His passion for education and academic excellence, not only got him to undertake responsibility of heading the Fashion & Textiles Design Department at NIFT (Kolkata), but also got him to become internal design consultant to the organisation, imparting design and skill development training to more than 5000 grassroots artists in the district of Birbhum, West Bengal, over a period of three years.

He took responsibility as Dean of Academics at Indian Institute of Crafts & Design, where he has shaped the framework of teaching and learning of traditional craft techniques, and making them relevant in today’s day and age. He is a heritage enthusiast, actively involved in restoration of old houses in Kolkata, the city he lives in. His initial training was in the field of fashion; however, indigenous folk art and craft caught his attention and he has been actively collaborating with various folk and urban craft practitioners for his projects ever since. Swarup’s interdisciplinary approach to design, has led him to his Scenography practice, wherein he creates unique sensory experiences.

The India Story : an annual event celebration Indian art, design, crafts, music and culinary practices, which completed its fifth edition this year has been conceptulised and curated by him. His desire to express himself has taken him to different mediums, from scenography to styling, graphics to interiors, crafts to clothes.