Nishad Kenkre

I was born in a small village in Goa, India, and grew up in a middle-class family that valued hard work, humility, and education. My father, a scientist, instilled in me a love for problem-solving and logical reasoning, while my mother nurtured my empathy and emotional intelligence—qualities that have shaped my career.

After earning my degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) and an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), I started my career at Kearney in management consulting. This experience gave me early exposure to solving complex strategic challenges alongside seasoned CEOs and ingrained in me a toolkit of problem solving skills that later become the bedrock of my Operating career. After Kearney, I joined Disney, where I spent six years mastering brand-building, market expansion, and large-scale execution. One of my most fulfilling experiences was launching India’s first Broadway-scale musical, a project that cemented my love for high-stakes operations. I later joined Indian consumer technology start up Swiggy, and was part of the core leadership team that scaled the company from $2 billion to $10 billion in enterprise value. First as Chief of Staff for the enterprise, and later as Head of Revenue & Growth for the online grocery vertical, I thoroughly enjoyed operating in a high-intensity, fast-scaling environment.

Over time, I realized that my most fulfilling professional experiences came from partnering closely with visionary founders and entrepreneurs, solving problems that demanded both deep operational expertise and strategic thinking. I identify as an enabler at heart—someone who thrives on unlocking human potential and driving impact at scale. The opportunity to collaborate with entrepreneurs across a diverse portfolio and building sustainable value made Verlinvest the ideal next step in my journey.

At Verlinvest, I drive value creation across our Asia portfolio, identifying key growth and profitability levers and working closely with founders to improve metrics via focused performance improvement projects. I deploy a mix of my own operating experience as well as that of our ecosystem partners and advisors and drive results through sharp project management.

Outside of work, I’m passionate about music. I sing, play the guitar, and have an almost unhealthy obsession with Pink Floyd. I also love traveling to exotic, adventurous locations and try to scalp at least a couple of trips a year.