Headline

Early Stage Investments | Venture Capital | Corporate Finance

About

Gaurav Navani is a finance professional with extensive experience in venture capital and corporate finance. Currently serving in the investments team at Roots Ventures, an early-stage sector-agnostic venture capital fund, Gaurav has been instrumental in sourcing and evaluating investment opportunities. With a strong background in financial analysis, due diligence, and portfolio management, Gaurav has contributed significantly to fund-raising activities and portfolio management. His experience includes assisting in successful exits, onboarding investors, and implementing financial best practices within portfolio companies. Before his role in venture capital, Gaurav directly worked with the CFO and VP-IT at NRB Bearings Limited, a global auto-component supplier. There, he managed a substantial loan book, conducted profitability analysis, and led various process automation initiatives and strategy. Gaurav holds a Master's degree in Commerce (Finance) from Mumbai University and a Bachelor's degree in Accounting & Finance from H.R. College of Commerce & Economics. With a blend of analytical skills, strategic thinking, and hands-on experience in both startup ecosystems and established corporations, Gaurav brings a well-rounded perspective to the world of finance and investment.

Location

Mumbai

Work experience

Senior Associate at Roots Ventures, Apr 2024 - Present · 2 yrs 1 mo, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Associate at Roots Ventures, Apr 2023 - Mar 2024 · 1 yr, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Senior Analyst at Roots Ventures, Apr 2021 - Mar 2023 · 2 yrs, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Visiting Professor at SVKM's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), Dec 2025 - Present · 5 mos, On-site, Teaching the Venture Capital & Private Equity module for the 2nd year MBA batch

Senior Executive - CFO's office at NRB Bearings Limited, Apr 2018 - Aug 2019 · 1 yr 5 mos, FINANCE • Analyzed profitability of customers/products leading to increasing/decreasing business with the customer/product • Assessed companies for acquisitions with financial modeling • Managing the working capital of the company of 150 crs by estimating cashflows & maintaining the debt maturity profile • Cost-benefit analysis of business proposals in different functions and negotiated and liaised with strategic partners • Preparing the quarterly board presentation of the CFO for the Audit Committee • Calculating the payback and RoCE for capex projects and presenting it to the top management for approval • Liaised with a consultant firm to support them formulate a growth strategy for the company • Persuaded CRISIL to upgrade the company’s credit rating from of AA- stable outlook to positive outlook

EA to the CFO & VP - IT at NRB Bearings Limited, May 2017 - Mar 2018 · 11 mos

Graduate Trainee - Finance at NRB Bearings Limited, Jun 2016 - May 2017 · 1 yr, ANALYTICS • Responsible for preparing the company’s CMA report (projections) and the fundamental analysis (ratios) • Trend Analysis on Top customers, competitors and the Industry • Conducted weekly meetings with the finance team across India on: Cash flow, Zone-wise expenses, Accounts receivables, Project Status, etc. DIGITISATION • Developed a Capital goods requisition software and eliminated the manual process resulting in increased efficiency • Led process automation initiatives single handedly by developing systems such as personnel sanction request, customer care app, cash flow tracker, NRB Classroom etc. • Creating new tabs on the website like the Media and Blog page to improve the website performance with SEO • Initiating and partnering with Ola Corporate and Uber Business which reduced travel costs and better management

Finance and Marketing Intern at Talerang, Jan 2015 - Jun 2015 · 6 mos, Mumbai Metropolitan Region, • Worked on the Budget Analysis, Cash-flow tracker and Google Analytics of the company • Created an MIS for the company to track the ways of brand awareness on an online platform • Handled the Social media of the company and created high reach engaging posts • Integrated a Payment gateway on the company website which helped in easy cash tracking and acquirement

Business Development Intern at The Porter, May 2014 - Jul 2014 · 3 mos, Mumbai Metropolitan Region, • Market Research of the Transport & Logistics industry in Mumbai • Created a database of potential clients and presenting them the business proposal • Partnered with over 50 clients to begin the operations of the business

Education

GrowthX®

Master's degree, Accounting and Finance, Mumbai University Mumbai