Starfleet India Capital Advisors
Team & Mentors
Our founder, the advisors who lead our work, and the senior leaders from India’s space, defence, telecom and financial institutions who guide it.
Founder
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Akshat Johri
Founder
Akshat Johri founded Starfleet India Capital Advisors to bring transaction-grade finance and PPP expertise to India’s space and defence sectors. He has 18 years of experience in transaction advisory, project finance and PPP structuring, with a specialised focus on the satellite and launch vehicle market.
He has advised Central Government bodies on pioneering initiatives, structuring first-of-their-kind PPP transactions for IN-SPACe, ISRO and NSIL, and designing bankable frameworks, risk-sharing mechanisms and financing solutions for complex space programmes. Earlier, at IIFCL Projects and IIFC (UK) in London, he managed an ECB loan portfolio of over USD 1 billion. He has also worked on the Kerala AIF, serves on investment committees evaluating space-tech startups, and writes on space finance for The Financial Express and ETGovernment.
Why Starfleet
Starfleet began with a gap Akshat saw from inside India’s first space transactions. The country had the technology, the policy intent and a growing pool of capital, but very few advisers who could work across all three. Space and defence programmes were designed by engineers, reviewed by policymakers and priced by investors, often without a common framework between them.
Starfleet exists to close that gap. It helps governments design programmes that are bankable, helps companies win and finance them, and helps investors see where real value is being built. The goal is an Indian space and defence industry that is commercially strong, globally competitive and sovereign by design.
“India’s space economy will be built as much in term sheets and concession agreements as in clean rooms and on launch pads. Starfleet was founded to make sure that part is done well.”
Our Team
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Abhishek Raju
Chief Business Advisor
Entrepreneur and angel investor in the NewSpace and FinTech industries, and founder of SatSure, a geospatial decision-intelligence company. He has served on company boards in the UK, Switzerland, the UAE, India, Singapore and Australia.
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Alisha Contractor
Technical Advisor
Space and defence business strategist working across the full space value chain, from satellite manufacturing and ground segment to RF, electronic warfare and intelligence fusion. She leads business development for satellite and defence ventures.
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Aditya Gupta
Legal & Policy Advisor
Legal and public-policy specialist with expertise in corporate, commercial, technology and digital law, including AI governance, fintech, data protection, cybersecurity, competition law, ESG, IP and arbitration.
Mentors — Finance & Investments
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Dr. P. R. Jaishankar
Former Chairman & MD, IIFCL Group
Seasoned development-banking executive with decades of experience across infrastructure and mortgage finance; previously Managing Director of IIFCL and chair of key IIFCL group entities.
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Deepak Chatterjee
Former MD, SBI Funds Management
Seasoned Indian banker and financial-sector leader with over 30 years of experience at the State Bank of India, one of India’s largest and most respected banking institutions.
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Anand Krishnan
Former MD, J.P. Morgan Chase
Global finance and investment leader with over three decades of experience across Wall Street, Dubai, London and India. A former Managing Director at J.P. Morgan, he has managed large investment portfolios and supported boards on value creation, governance and sustainable growth.
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Ravinder Pal Singh
Investor & Technologist
Award-winning technologist, aviator, investor and humanitarian whose work unites science, industry and conscience. With 38 patents, 17 royalties and more than 100 global recognitions, he has shaped global innovation.
Mentors — Strategy & Technical
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Lt Gen A. K. Bhatt (Retd.)
Former DGMO · Director General, Indian Space Association
Former senior Indian Army commander and current Director General of the Indian Space Association, with leadership experience spanning defence strategy, national security and institutional engagement.
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Wing Cdr Satyam Kushwaha (Retd.)
Founder & CEO, Chakra Dialogues Foundation
A veteran fighter pilot, entrepreneur, innovator, geospatial evangelist and national-security strategist with more than 28 years of professional experience.
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Maurizio Vanotti
Neo Space Group · formerly OneWeb
Aerospace engineer and seasoned strategy leader with extensive experience in innovation, M&A, transformation and operations. Currently with Neo Space Group, he combines deep sector expertise with an entrepreneurial approach.
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Srikanth Balachandran
Former CFO, Airtel & OneWeb
Board-level finance leader with senior roles across Bharti Airtel, Bharti Global and OneWeb, bringing deep experience in scaling global businesses, capital strategy and telecom–space convergence.