With over 14 years of diverse experience in operations, program, and business development, Karthik is a results-oriented and strategic leader who is passionate about supporting startups and entrepreneurs in India. Currently, he is the Director of Operations at Kerala Startup Mission, the nodal agency of the Government of Kerala for entrepreneurship development and incubation activities in the state. In this role, he manages the knowledge labs, incubation and acceleration programs, seed funding, early-stage venture capital, venture debt, ecosystem development, and policy formulation for the startup sector. He is a post-graduate from Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad and worked as program and business development manager at Honeywell, where he delivered projects, services, and digital transformation solutions for key accounts across a multi-million-dollar product line. He has expertise in process improvement, new business development, infrastructure finance, and energy management, which he developed during his tenure at NTPC Limited, India’s largest power utility.