New Delhi, India, August, 2025 – IAN Group, India’s single largest platform for early-stage investing, today announced the appointment of industry veteran Chintan Thakkar as Group CEO, IAN Group. The move comes as part of a broader strategy to augment the Group and build it to fuel future growth. Chintan will also provide critical guidance to the recently launched IAN Alpha Fund as Senior Managing Partner for the Fund.
Formerly the Group CFO & Whole-time Director at Info Edge India Ltd, Chintan is a seasoned leader in finance, governance and strategic growth and brings over three decades of experience, vision and leadership to the IAN Group.
At Info Edge, Chintan played a pivotal role in the company’s transformation from a small cap to large cap company with 18x market capitalisation growth, helped execute landmark capital market and M&A transactions, and was deeply involved in the company’s investments in early-stage companies as also in launching AIFs for startup investments.
Padmaja Ruparel, Co-Founder of IAN Group said, “With the induction of Chintan, our management team comprising Rajnish Kapur, Madhav Sikka and Sarika Saxena, is significantly strengthened, giving us the management bandwidth to achieve our vision of Rs. 5000 Cr investment, spawning 500 startups and creating 500,000 jobs.”
IAN brought the concept of angel investing to India, and then evolved to launch several VC funds off an angel platform. This ensured that IAN enabled entrepreneurs to raise from Rs. 50 lakhs to Rs. 50 crores on a single platform, along with mentoring and global market access. The Group’s investment thesis has been to invest in startups in emerging sectors led by exceptional founders solving real problems or building for India’s strategic imperatives, while giving exceptional investor returns. Over the last 19 years, IAN has consistently returned capital with multiples in high double digits.
Saurabh Srivastava, Founder of IAN Group, said, “Today is a landmark day for the Group as we step into the next phase of our evolution. I have known Chintan for over 16 years now, both professionally and personally. He is an outstanding professional and his coming on board will enable IAN to scale to the next level.”
Upon his appointment, Chintan Thakkar stated, “IAN is one of India’s most respected names in the investment world. Its commitment to investing in innovation that addresses real problems or meets national strategic imperatives truly excites me. I look forward to making a significant contribution alongside the IAN Board and the team.”
About IAN Group
IAN Group is the country’s single largest platform for seed and early-stage investment, comprising IAN Angel Network, BioAngels, IAN Fund I, and the IAN Alpha Fund, enabling entrepreneurs to raise from Rs. 50 lakhs to Rs. 50 crores. The platform brings not only capital but also mentoring from successful entrepreneurs and global market access.
Sector-agnostic by nature, IAN has funded startups across 19 sectors in India and 7 other countries, thereby growing the global footprint of Indian innovation. IAN has been listed by Forbes as one of the iconic business and economic events of Independent India over 75 years, alongside LIC, NASSCOM, RBI, and Naukri.com, among others.
Read Also : When HR “Produces Nothing”: A Response to Jennifer Sey’s Anti-HR Vision
The Fine Balance: Navigating Work, Life, and Mental Wellbeing
Mind the Leadership Gap – From Learning to Real-World Impact
How the Adecco Group is empowering its employees for the future of work
