Rachit Poddar

Rachit Poddar is a dynamic venture capitalist, entrepreneur, and ecosystem builder known for driving innovation and supporting the growth of emerging startups across India. Coming from a strong textile business legacy through the Rachit Group, he successfully blended traditional business values with modern entrepreneurial thinking, establishing himself as a prominent figure in the startup and investment landscape.

Beginning his venture capital journey in 2020 as an Angel Investor, Rachit co-founded IVY Growth Associates and played a key role in building it into one of India’s fastest-growing micro venture capital firms. Under his leadership, the firm has developed a portfolio of 70+ companies and a network of 500+ global investors while collaborating with renowned investment platforms such as We Founder Circle and 9Unicorns. Over the past few years, he has collectively invested in more than 100 startups across sectors including Fintech, Agritech, SaaS, EV, D2C, and EdTech.

Driven by his belief in the untapped potential of tier-2 cities, Rachit conceptualized the 21BY72 Surat Startup Summit in 2022 with the vision of placing Surat on the global startup ecosystem map. The summit rapidly evolved into one of India’s largest startup events, attracting over 16,000 attendees in its second season. Alongside his entrepreneurial journey, Rachit has further strengthened his expertise through executive education programs from prestigious institutions including the University of Oxford, SPJIMR, IIM Ahmedabad, and HBS Online, reinforcing his commitment to leadership, innovation, and ecosystem development.