Abhijeet Kudva

Abhijeet Kudva is an accomplished entrepreneur, investor, and private equity professional based in Bengaluru, India. He currently serves as Co-Founder and CEO of ZippMat, a construction supply chain platform he launched in June 2021. Prior to his entrepreneurial venture, Abhijeet spent nearly six years (September 2015 to March 2021) as Managing Director, Portfolio Operations at Zephyr Management, L.P., where he oversaw critical investment strategies and portfolio company operations for Zephyr Peacock India Fund.

Abhijeet holds a B.E. degree in Mechanical Engineering from VJTI, University of Bombay, where he graduated first in his batch. He earned his PGDM (MBA) in Strategy and Finance from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (2003-2005), one of India's top business schools. His academic excellence provided a strong foundation for his multi-faceted career spanning management consulting, corporate strategy, and private equity.

After completing his MBA, Abhijeet joined McKinsey & Company as a Consultant (June 2005 to June 2010), where he spent over five years working on strategy, operations, and marketing projects across India, Africa, Europe, and the United States. This global exposure equipped him with deep expertise in diverse business environments and operational challenges. Following McKinsey, he transitioned to Honeywell Inc., where he held various roles including Strategic Marketing Manager for Turkey and India, driving strategic regional initiatives to grow market share and managing product strategy and marketing for innovative solutions.

In 2015, Abhijeet pivoted to the investment world, joining Zephyr Management, L.P. as Managing Director, Portfolio Operations. At Zephyr Peacock India Fund, he played a critical role in sourcing, evaluating, and supporting portfolio companies across India's fast-growing small and medium enterprise segment. His portfolio oversight included companies in education finance, logistics, supply chain, fintech, and agriculture sectors. During his tenure, he helped guide companies like MPOWER Financing, Varthana, 20Cube Logistics, e2E Rail, and others through growth phases.

In 2021, leveraging his operational expertise and insights from years of working with portfolio companies, Abhijeet co-founded ZippMat alongside Nandeesh Hasbi. ZippMat addresses critical inefficiencies in India's construction supply chain by simplifying material procurement for engineering and construction companies through a digitized supplier and logistics network. As CEO, he has raised over $10 million in funding and scaled the platform to serve 30+ customers across 10 product segments, delivering to project sites in 10 states across India.

Abhijeet Kudva's investment philosophy, shaped during his tenure at Zephyr Peacock India Fund, centers on backing high-growth small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in India's emerging markets. His focus areas include:

Sector Preferences:

Investment Approach:

What He Looks For:

• Education & Financial Services: Companies providing access to education financing, student loans, working capital solutions, and financial inclusion (MPOWER Financing, Varthana, Shiksha Finance, LoanZen)
• Supply Chain & Logistics: Technology-enabled platforms digitizing distribution, logistics, and procurement in fragmented industries (ZippMat, 20Cube Logistics, Ripplr)
• Agriculture & Food Tech: Platforms enabling farm diversification, commodity trading, and food distribution (Aqgromalin, POSHN, Curefoods/EatFit)
• Technology Infrastructure: B2B SaaS, telecommunications, and emerging technology solutions (Metro Telworks, e2E Rail)
• First institutional capital: Partnering with founder-run businesses seeking their first institutional investor
• Operational value creation: Leveraging deep operational experience to drive growth, professionalization, and scale
• Technology enablement: Backing companies digitizing traditional, fragmented industries
• Emerging markets focus: Targeting India, Sri Lanka, and Africa's high-growth markets
• Stage focus: Seed and early-stage investments in companies with $3M-$10M operating cash flow potential
• Strong founding teams with domain expertise and execution capabilities
• Large, underserved markets ripe for technology-driven disruption
• Scalable business models with clear paths to profitability
• Companies addressing fundamental infrastructure or access gaps in emerging markets