Ajay is an investment professional with experience in venture capital and financial
research. At C4D Partners, a VC fund focused on India and Southeast Asia, he played
an active role in deal sourcing and supported the team across various functions-
including evaluating sector-agnostic deals, conducting due diligence, and preparing
investment memos. He also contributed to portfolio monitoring, valuations, and ESG
reporting. Prior to C4D Partners, he was at Morningstar, where he developed
expertise in performance analytics, research on structured debt, tranche-based term
loans, and other debt instruments, as well as investment compliance.
He holds an MBA from NMIMS University and has cleared CFA Level II, scoring in the
90th percentile in CFA Level I. He earned his bachelor’s in commerce from PSG
College (Bharathiar University), completed the Executive level of the CS program
(ICSI), and was an All-India Rank Holder at the Foundation level. He also secured a
state-level rank in the Tamil Nadu high school board exams.
Riddhi Chopra is an Investment Associate at MMC, bringing a sharp mix of venture
capital acumen, startup acceleration experience, and international strategic
consulting to her role. She contributes across the investment lifecycle, with a focus
on sourcing and evaluating early-stage consumer opportunities and supporting
portfolio companies with strategic execution.
Before joining MMC, Riddhi led Draper University’s Silicon Valley accelerator, where
she designed and delivered high-impact programs for global founders. Her work
facilitated access to capital and establish strategic partnerships with platforms like
Google Cloud and Carta.
Earlier in her career, Riddhi worked as a strategy consultant at ANZ Bank in Australia,
where she supported enterprise-wide workforce transformation and organizational
redesign initiatives. She also worked with HCL Technologies to optimize service
delivery within its insurance client portfolio.
Riddhi holds a Master of Management from the University of Melbourne and a B.A.
(Hons) in International Relations from Pandit Deendayal Energy University. She is an
alumna of VC Lab, UC Berkeley’s VC University, and the GoingVC Fellowship. With
professional roots across India, Australia, and the United States, Riddhi brings a
distinctly global perspective to MMC’s investment practice.
Lohit Biswal manages Strategic Investments and Investor Relations for Mercurius Media Capital (MMC). He is responsible for spearheading key initiatives that drive the firm’s investment strategy and foster strong investor relationships. Prior to joining MMC, he worked at an investment bank, where he focused on sell-side M&A transactions. He also worked with Brand Capital International (BCI), the strategic investment arm of The Times Group, where he spearheaded business development initiatives. His focus was on identifying, assessing, and scoping potential investment opportunities with early and growth-stage ventures across the U.S. and international markets, including the UK, EMEA, and Asia.
Lohit began his post-MBA career in venture capital through a Times Bridge internship in San Francisco, where he developed a passion for exploring startup ecosystems and identifying synergies between promising startups and investment strategies. He has also worked with the leadership team of an early-stage social venture in the technology and innovation space in India and in the commercial vehicles division at Tata Motors, a Fortune 500 company.
Lohit holds a degree in Production Engineering from India and an MBA from Olin Business School, Washington University in St. Louis, with a specialization in Strategy and Finance. During his time at Olin, he served as president of the Healthcare and Life Sciences Club.
In addition to his professional work, Lohit has been involved in pro-bono initiatives, including a role with Unleashing Potential, a non-profit organization in St. Louis focused on closing the opportunity gap for children and youth through early childhood education, youth development, and enrichment camps.
Kavitha Ramaswamy is a founding team member and Principal, Investments
at Mercurius Media Capital (MMC), where she also serves as Chief of Staff to the
President. She helped launch MMC’s $130M media-for-equity venture fund, investing
in high-growth companies where media drives market expansion. In its first year, she
spearheaded nine investments and now leads Mercurius Bridge, the fund’s founder-
first platform for cross-border scale.
Her earlier roles include driving Silicon Valley investments for Brand Capital
International, the corporate venture arm of the Times of India Group in North
America, where she managed a $41M portfolio; managing finance and operations
for Tesla’s $400M Energy Products business; building and scaling a $25M healthcare
venture in India for family office of Harsh Mariwala (Sharrp Ventures, Marico); and
advising global clients at Deloitte.
Outside of venture capital, Kavitha is creator at heart. Passionate about expanding
access to entrepreneurship, she also serves as Chair of CAStartups, a nonprofit
supporting finance and accounting professionals on their path to becoming
founders. Her ongoing research explores capital models that broaden access to scale
Salome Bodaji is a US licensed attorney specializing in venture capital, private equity, and corporate development, currently serving as the Senior Legal Counsel at Mercurius. With a background that includes roles at law firms JurisCorp and ANM Global, Salome has developed a sharp understanding of the ins and outs of investment transactions, regulatory compliance, and risk management.
At Mercurius, Salome is responsible for managing all legal dimensions of fund operations, overseeing everything from deal structuring, investment transactions and due diligence to compliance and risk mitigation. She works closely with investment and finance teams, ensuring that each transaction is efficiently executed and thoughtfully aligned with the fund’s strategic vision.
She values collaboration and is committed to supporting Mercurius’s goals while protecting its interests. Her insight and level-headed approach have been key in building a proactive legal function that supports the company’s growth in a fast-paced industry.
Devesh Ramchandani currently leads Investor Relations at Mercurius Media Capital,
where he partners with innovative consumer-tech startups to help them scale and
succeed in the U.S. market.
Born and raised in India, Devesh moved to the United States at 16. His first jobs-
taken while still in high school-were in customer service roles at a consumer goods
company and later at a D2C electronics startup in India. These early experiences
sparked his appreciation for solving customer pain points and laid the foundation for
his approach to business and communication.
In college, Devesh discovered a deep interest in finance and strategy. While pursuing
his degree, he interned at Kotak Mahindra Bank and Prudential Financial, gaining
valuable exposure to the financial services industry. These internships paved the way
for his next professional chapter.
At Prudential Financial, Devesh spent seven years honing his project management
and business strategy skills. He led cross-functional initiatives and navigated complex
challenges, consistently driving measurable outcomes while growing as a leader.
Kiran Shah is passionate about finding and backing ideas with the potential to shape industries and inspire change. As a member of the Investment Committee at Mercurius Media Capital (MMC) and Director of Investments at Brand Capital International (BCI), the strategic investment arm of The Times Group, he plays an active role in sourcing, evaluating, and supporting companies across various stages.
Based in Silicon Valley, Kiran leads the entire investment process at MMC, from identifying opportunities and conducting diligence to partnering with portfolio companies throughout their journey. As a generalist investor, he has been involved in investments across sectors such as fintech, consumer marketplaces, SaaS, and other technology driven businesses. Across MMC and BCI together, he has been involved in deploying over $50 million across more than 35 companies, with a focus on helping businesses scale thoughtfully and navigate their next stages of growth.
Earlier in his career, Kiran built his foundation in asset management, working with AIG Investments, PineBridge Investments, and LIC Nomura Asset Management. He partnered with institutional investors to develop investment strategies based on portfolio analysis, market research, and asset allocation across asset classes.
Kiran holds a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from Gujarat University, an MBA in Finance from Ahmedabad University, and a Master’s in Investment Management from St. John’s University in New York.
Whether he is crunching numbers or helping a founder think through their next big move, Kiran believes the best investment decisions come from a mix of curiosity, discipline, and empathy.
Neha Kothari Ranavat is an Investment Committee Member and Brand Strategy head of Mercurius Media Capital. Additionally, she is the Sr. Director of Brand Strategy of Brand Capital International (BCI) in Silicon Valley of BCCL Worldwide Inc. (BWI), the strategic investment arm of The Times Group. Neha has a demonstrated history of working in the investment management industry, with multiple years of marketing leadership experience and a brand solution strategist. Her dynamic role at BCI aligns cross-functional teams between corporate communications and connects founders with each viable brand solutions facet through multi-media channels.
Prior to joining BCI, Neha has worked in various industries of media, public relations, philanthropy, and advertising global companies throughout her career with a proven track record of crafting and ideating brand stories. She has launched several highly effective integrated marketing brands, as well as taken international companies to their next level of growth in India. She thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment where she can ideate and create opportunities for founders, destined for international growth.
Neha has dual master’s degree in Marketing & Communications from Southampton University, UK and Master of Commerce from Sydenham College of Economics, India.
Siddharth Bhawnani brings over three years of deal origination experience collaborating with U.S. and U.K.-based investment banks and private equity firms on sell-side and buy-side mandates during his time at SG Analytics, where he crafted high-impact investor and client-facing materials ranging from pitchbooks, teasers, information memorandums, and buyer/target sourcings to industry primers, deep-dives, and quarterly newsletters.
His execution enabled targeted outreach and engagement across sectors such as consumer, business services, and industrials. He also partnered closely with healthcare teams on sub-sectors including HCIT, payor services, providers (LTSS, behavioral health, primary and urgent care), and more to equip deal teams with timely market intelligence, which helped refine thesis-driven investment strategies.
Siddharth holds an M.Sc. in Finance and Management from Strathclyde Business School and a B.Sc. (Hons) in Sport Management from Loughborough University in the U.K., bringing over a diverse range of experience spanning finance and sports governance.
