Sandeep is the Founder and Managing Partner of Kaizenvest, an education focused fund management firm, headquartered in Singapore. He is responsible for overseeing the firm’s strategy, growing operations across regions, driving the company's thought leadership and building the firm’s investor and entrepreneur networks across the globe.

He has 25 years of experience in private equity, investment leadership, consulting and operations management. His passion is to work closely with entrepreneurs who have a deep sense of purpose similar to one that led him to establish Kaizenvest. Under Sandeep’s leadership Kaizenvest has established itself as the only education sector focused fund manager with private equity and private debt funds across South Asia, South East Asia and Sub Saharan Africa.

Prior to founding Kaizenvest, Sandeep spent seven years working in the Silicon Valley. During his time there, he was a Partner at Outlook Ventures, a leading US-based venture capital fund, where he was involved in 11 investments and delivered superior returns to his investors. He also served as a board representative for the firm’s portfolio companies, providing active support in areas of sales operations, business development and product marketing leadership.

Sandeep sits on the boards of various education companies across the Philippines, Vietnam and India. He is also an established thought leader, having been frequently featured as a speaker on private equity, emerging investments, globally impactful trends and the importance of continuous research and innovation.

Sandeep holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the Graduate School of Business at Stanford University.

Gaurav Jain is a Partner at Kaizenvest with over 15+ years of private equity and venture capital experience, specializing in the education sector across emerging markets, including India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Vietnam. As the first employee of Kaizenvest, Gaurav brings extensive expertise across the entire investment lifecycle.

His experience encompasses fundraising, fund structuring, commercial due diligence, term sheet negotiations, deal structuring, investment execution, portfolio management, exits, and ESG reporting.

Gaurav has led numerous investments across diverse segments such as EdTech, Edu Finance, consumer-focused training, K12 school chains, and higher education businesses. He has successfully managed multiple exits through strategic sales, promoter buybacks, and distressed asset transactions. As a board member of several portfolio companies, Gaurav has significantly contributed to strategy development, enhancing cost efficiencies, and streamlining internal processes.

In addition to his investment and portfolio management responsibilities, Gaurav leads fund structuring initiatives and has established funds across India, Mauritius, Singapore, and the Netherlands. He has also played a key role in advancing thought leadership at Kaizenvest by contributing to strategic discussions and helping shape the fund’s investment thesis.

Gaurav holds an MBA in Finance from NMIMS Mumbai, where he graduated as a silver medalist in 2009.

Dr. Phillip's career spans multiple roles as global education leader, company and nonprofit advisor, and investor for social change.

She has been the Chief Education Officer at the National Geographic Society; the Director of Education at the Gates Foundation, a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Harvard University; the Pennsylvania Secretary of Education; the Superintendent of two school districts, and a teacher.

She sits on the boards of EdTech, investment, and nonprofit entities. Her leadership and investments have led to trajectory-altering social change for millions of young people, educators, and our world.

Dr. Phillips holds a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Management from the University of Lincoln (UK), a Master's in School Psychology, and a Bachelor's in Elementary and Special Education from Western Kentucky University.

Koji is the founder of Alpha Wave Ventures and is actively involved with venture building and open innovation between Japanese investors and startup companies in Southeast Asia. Previously, Koji was a Chief Marketing Officer and a board member of EduLab, Inc. where he founded and successfully scaled ventures in AI (artificial intelligence), automation, and education technology in Southeast Asia, India and the US. Also, as a Managing Partner of the group’s venture capital arm, he led investments in early-stage companies across the globe.

Earlier in his career, Koji worked in management consulting and investment banking at McKinsey & Company, Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital.

Koji holds a B.A. in International Studies from University of California, Irvine and an M.B.A. from INSEAD.

Sunil is an experienced business leader with a career spanning almost four decades in the Tata Group. He has held several leadership positions and serves on the boards of international companies, including Tata International West Asia. Sunil's leadership style is rooted in Tata's commitment to ethics and excellence.

As CEO of the Tata Business Excellence Group, Sunil spearheaded the implementation of the Tata Business Excellence Model (TBEM) for over 100 Tata companies. This transformational program is modeled on the USA's Malcolm Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. Sunil's contributions to business excellence were recognized by the Malcolm Baldrige Foundation, leading to his appointment to their board in 2015.

Sunil is a respected academician and serves on the Board of Trustees in the International Academy for Quality (IAQ) and as Vice Chair of its Think Tank on Quality and Sustainability. He has delivered keynote addresses on business excellence and innovation at prestigious institutions, including the Harvard Business School and the University of Chicago - Booth School of Business.

Sunil's extensive leadership experience and expertise in business transformation and development make him a valuable asset to any company seeking to improve its operations and achieve excellence. He is currently the Founder and CEO of Ignite Excellence Advisory, a Dubai-based advisory company.

Jetu is a Managing Partner of Kaizenvest, an education focused fund management firm, headquartered in Singapore. He is responsible for driving the firm’s portfolio management, impact assessment and sits on the firm’s investment committee. He is Kaizenvest’s ESG officer and supports portfolio companies in strategy definition, operations execution, hiring, reporting management, and corporate governance.

He has 30 years of experience in investing and building companies from the ground up. Prior to his current role with Kaizenvest, Jetu has helped nurture emerging companies in the fields of engineering and chemicals with world-leading joint ventures in India, such as Saab from Sweden, Dresser Industries & Emerson Electric from the US and Degussa from Germany, among others.

Jetu is also a trained DiSC® profiler under Thomas International for evaluating individuals and teams, a capacity he has used to conduct corporate team analysis for portfolio companies and conducted trainings in multitude areas including creativity, execution, effectiveness and business ethics. He has also provided corporate leadership advice and was the Ethics Officer at Emerson Electric's Saab Rosemount for the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) compliance.

A life-long learning champion, Jetu has been in the sector for close to three decades. His notable contributions include building village schools, working with student councils and teacher unions as well as holding various administrative and leadership roles at leading education institutions in Mumbai.

Jetu holds a Bachelor's of Commerce from Sydenham College, Mumbai and an OPM (Owner/President Management) accreditation from the Harvard Business School.

Oliver joined Kaizenvest in 2022, coming from over 9 years’ experience in leading the blended learning model at SPARK Schools. Through leading the implementation of a blended learning model; training, coaching, and supporting educators and instructional coaches; measuring and monitoring model impact, spearheading innovative strategy for long-term sustainability and scalability; and pilots to test and inform model for wide-scale implementation to provide a quality user experience for students, Oliver’s experience in and passion for digital pedagogy and frugal innovation in the education space shines through.

Oliver holds a Bachelor of Education in Early Childhood Development, with a major in ECD Management from the University of Pretoria.

Jens has been an impact investor for over 15 years, with a portfolio in education (including EdTech), fintech and climate. Based in Dubai, he is the former Partner and Managing Director at New Silk Route Growth Capital, a regionally leading Private Equity fund. Jens has over three decades of private equity experience, serving on the boards of over 40 companies. He holds an MBA degree from Harvard University

After several years of experience as a marketer, Ryoya Hoshino co-founded CURIOO Japan in 2021 and successfully opened three studios in the city of Fukuoka within the first two years from founding as a board member of CURIOO Japan and Studio Director of all three studios, offering a Digital/Tech, Creative Design, Entrepreneur and Language learning program to young people 3 to 12 years old.

He now is opening new studios around Japan in partnership with leading educational corporations, including Tokyo Individualized Educational Institute of the Benesse Group. Ryoya also operates sector-focused accelerator programs in Japan as a founding member of Brinc Japan to support the development of future unicorns.

Ryoya holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Tokyo.

Marjon is a seasoned finance professional with extensive experience spanning investment banking, private equity, and asset management. Most recently, she served as Associate Director at Nuvama Asset Management, a leading Indian asset management company. She has previously worked at Kaizenvest for seven years where she played a pivotal role in fundraising and investor management activities.

Prior to these leadership roles, she spent over seven years in investment banking with prominent firms including Waterfield Advisors, Centrum Capital and Future Capital Holdings. During this period, she developed deep expertise in fundraising, investment and financial analysis, and spearheaded the development and marketing of private equity and M&A transactions across diverse sectors. She maintains strong relationships with institutional investors, family offices, financial advisors and investment professionals globally, and brings her extensive international network and operational expertise to her engagements.

Marjon holds an MBA in Finance from the Welingkar Institute of Management, Mumbai, India.

Alef, born and raised in the Netherlands, has spent most of his adult life in South Africa, dedicating himself to tackling socio-economic challenges such as poverty, youth unemployment, and inequality. As the co-founder of several impactful organizations, including Rhiza Babuyile, Rhiza Ventures, and Tukio Capital, Alef leverages innovative, holistic investment and development models to drive sustainable transformation. With extensive experience across Africa, India, and Brazil, his work spans health, education, skills development, and entrepreneurship.

Alef has been recognized for his contributions to social justice and economic empowerment and has authored a book "The Overcomers" - Stories and Lessons from Entrepreneurs of a Resilient Nation.

Alef holds a Master's in Philosophy from SATS and is currently pursuing a Doctorate, with a focus on the socio-economic impact of faith-based entrepreneurs.

Shaun joined Kaizenvest in 2022 and is involved in the sourcing and evaluation of deals, due diligence, and the preparation of investment proposals for the fund’s investment decisions. Before Kaizenvest, Shaun had worked in the investment arm of Kamet Capital Partners dealing in both the primary and secondary markets spanning the consumer and technology sectors in HK/China and the US/EU. Notable deals involved Boss Zhipin, Zuoyebang, and KK Group, He also worked as an equity research intern at CLSA and as a private equity intern at MEC Global Partners Asia. Shaun graduated with Honours from Nanyang Technological University, with a major in Physics (Distinction), and was given the NTU President Research Scholar Award from Nanyang Business School.

Siddhi Ved joined Kaizenvest in 2023 as an Assistant Manager – Accounts, having more than 4 years of experience in the field of Accounting and Auditing. Prior to Kaizenvest, Siddhi had worked at DB Pednekar & Associates where she spent more than 2 years and also has experience working at Grant Thornton as a contingent employee for a year. She aims to consistently keep upgrading her skills and believes in proactive and rational thinking. In her leisure time, she likes to travel and explore new places and savour diverse cuisines.

Siddhi is also a qualified Chartered Accountant.

John is the founder of Saturday Kids - a curiosity school for children - and Doyobi - an edtech startup whose mission is to help educators nurture future-ready students who can exercise agency, become changemakers, and create positive impact in the world. He is also an investor in tech startups, in particular startups reimagining the future of work and learning such as Padlet, Galileo, Contra and Beanstalk. Saturday Kids runs Code In The Community, a Google and government supported initiative that is the largest free coding programme in Singapore. John is an Obama Foundation Asia-Pacific Leader, Transcend Fellow and Ashoka Changemaker.

Matthias is a seasoned corporate finance professional with a strong background in M&A and strategic business advisory. He began his career at Morgan Stanley, focusing on structured finance and investment banking. Over the course of his career, he has worked with numerous PE and VC-backed portfolio companies and successfully structured debt financings and exits with a cumulative value of over US$200 million.

With 18 years of experience spanning multiple sectors, Matthias has held senior leadership roles focused on capital structuring, global revenue growth, long term business planning and corporate transformation.

Matthias holds an MA in Economics and International Relations from the University of St. Andrews, United Kingdom.

Nirav Khambhati is an Affiliate Partner at Kaizenvest. He is the Partner & CEO of The Blended Finance Company (TBFC) and has a diverse professional background marked by his contribution to the financial and education sectors. Formerly with Kaizenvest, he served as a Managing Partner of Kaizen Private Equity – II where he led private equity transactions.

He was responsible for the firm's blended finance practice. Nirav was instrumental in securing USAID-funded projects for CATALYZE EduFinance in South Africa and Rwanda, and led these projects. He has previously served on the boards of Varthana, Yola, MindX, Toppr, and INSOFE.

Nirav chairs the board of trustees of Global Schools Forum and is a member of the steering committee of USAID’s Education Finance Network. He is a director on the board of Varthana and a member of the International Advisory Committee of NORRAG’s No One Left Behind Project. Nirav was with the Tata Group for over 20 years in various roles including as the CEO of the two education companies of the Group and Vice President in the Chairman’s Office of the holding company Tata Sons.

Hester is a Dutch management consultant-turned-education-entrepreneur-turned-investor, living in Singapore.

After a 15+ year international career at PriceWaterhouseCoopers and then as Director at Deutsche Bank as Director in Amsterdam, London and Frankfurt, she pivoted in 2019 to become a founder in the Education Technology sector, where she became Germany's first country manager for modern education system and coding school "42". She found funding for the establishment of two campuses, persuaded the market, and hired talent to run the schools. Both campuses launched successfully early 2021.

Driven by a passionate belief that the education industry is due an update, Hester continues to work with and invest in founders in the EdTech space. Hester enjoys sharing her experiences and insights for the development of others, and coaches both corporate and scale-up leaders. Keen to especially help other women advance their careers and scale their impact, she co-founded Epic Angels, a female angel investors network that aims to give more women the confidence to invest in start-ups.

Hester is mum of 2 young boys and is a frequently requested speaker in both Europe and Southeast Asia on the topics of Future of Learning, Start-ups and Investing, Career Pivots, and Education Technology.

Mike is the Founder and Managing Director at EdTech Asia, an EdTech and education market intelligence, business development and research services firm specializing in emerging markets throughout Asia and the south-south corridor. Mike also serves as an International Development Consultant for UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP and USAID. Mike holds a Master of Education degree from George Mason University and a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Colorado.

Claudia is a well-known Professor at INSEAD and an advisor to corporations & institutional investors; as an esteemed public speaker and critical commentator; she brings the ability to explain complex concepts to audiences of diverse backgrounds.

As an Author as well as Angel Investor and expert on private equity and corporate venture capital, Claudia is one of the best-networked people in the Private Capital space with extensive experience in bringing her academic and professional background to inform boards. She has done work on Responsible Investing and ESG strategy implementation.

Claudia advises governments on the creation of entrepreneurial ecosystems, is an Angel investor and Startup mentor. With three decades in global financial markets in Germany, US, UK, Japan and Singapore, Claudia brings in-depth knowledge of the challenges of implementing corporate governance within diverse cultures and international corporate settings.

Naina is the Chairperson and CEO of AVPN. She serves on the Board of Global Resilient Cities Network (GRCN) and as a Trustee of the Bridge Institute. Prior to joining AVPN, Naina was a member of the senior leadership team of a purpose driven unit at the Monitor Group. Naina was also a Partner and Co-founder of Group Fifty, which provided a medium for Indian artists to showcase their work to a larger audience. Naina holds a Masters degree in Industrial and Labor Relations from Cornell University where she graduated at the top of her class.

Alex is the Managing Director of Spaze Ventures, a seed capital fund focused on early stage tech startups. Alex is the Vice-Chairman of Singapore Enterprise Chapter at SGTECH and the Vice-President at Enterprise Singapore Society. Alex has served as the Manager and Team Lead in Enterprise Singapore in the past. Alex holds a Master of Science degree and a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Nanyang Technological University.

Raj is currently the Vice President, M&A at Telenor, a global tech-telco company. Previously, Raj was part of the Founder’s office at Circles. Life, the world's first digital telco platform and a Partner at Kaizenvest for ten years and worked closely with portfolio companies to help drive significant increases in revenues and margins, post-investment. Prior to Kaizenvest, he spent 7 years in private equity investing including stints at Guggenheim Partners and Helix Investments. With experience investing across sectors, Raj’s most successful exits were with education companies, one of which is now listed.

He maintains close relationships with education entrepreneurs, investment advisors and research professionals, and brings his extensive network and operational experience to bear in his roles at companies. Raj has an MBA from the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi.