---
title: "Nitish Kumar - Head - Strategy and Operations in Bengaluru | Tal"
description: "Meet Nitish Kumar, Strategy & Operations Leader | Chief of Staff to CEO/Founder | Building AI first operating models that scale companies based in Bengaluru. AI stack includes claude code, claude, and lovable."
image: "https://tal.club/meet/nitish-kumar-23/share-image"
---

# Nitish Kumar on Tal

## Headline

Strategy & Operations Leader \| Chief of Staff to CEO/Founder \| Building AI first operating models that scale companies

## About

I help founders and CEOs scale their companies\. Over last 10 years I have done this across 3 businesses\. At EkStep I led strategy and operations for an AI first learning platform that reached 2\.1 million students across 24,000 government schools \.We doubled learning outcomes and cut cost per student by 47%\. At Leap Finance I built a new revenue line from zero to ₹10Cr in just 9 months, running the P&L, pricing, and partnerships with 12 banks\. Before that I Co Founded a business and scaled it to ₹42 Lakhs revenue annually\. What I have learned is fairly simple, companies rarely break because people stop working hard\. They break because the way the company runs, who decides what, how things get tracked, where accountability sits, stops working at the new size\. That is what I fix, and increasingly I do it with AI built into how the business actually runs\. I am at my best as a Chief of Staff to a founder or CEO, or running Strategy & Operations, at a company growing fast in different spaces\. Based in Bangalore, open to senior roles in India and globally\.

## Location

Bengaluru

## AI stack

claude code

claude

lovable

notebooklm

ChatGPT

Zapier

## Work experience

Head \- Strategy and Operations at EkStep Foundation, Jan 2024 \- Present · 2 yrs 9 mos, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, → Scaled AI/ML\-enabled learning platform from 0 to 24,000\+ schools across 4 states in 18 months, reaching 21 lakh students and achieving 2x improvement in learning throughput while reducing per\-student delivery cost by 47% → Led 40\-person cross\-functional team \(product, engineering, content, data\) and delivered production\-ready AI/ML platform in 11\-12 months by establishing weekly WBR/MBR governance cadence, clear decision rights, and real\-time delivery tracking across all state\-level programs → Owned B2B2G rollout decisions across 24,000\+ government schools while driving direct B2C adoption to 25,000\+ learners through targeted market engagement and positioning, balancing government institutional scale with direct consumer growth → Designed and implemented AI/ML\-first operating model with decision rights matrix, role clarity, and real\-time OKR dashboards, reducing execution lag from 2\-3 weeks to 48 hours and enabling team to move at startup speed while scaling across government institutions

Senior Program Manager at EkStep Foundation, Jan 2024 \- Present · 2 yrs 9 mos

Program Manager at Leap, Dec 2021 \- Jan 2024 · 2 yrs 2 mos, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, \-> Built alternate revenue channel \(Student Loans \+ Accommodation\) delivering ₹10Cr\+ within 6–9 months; owned pricing and execution \-> Drove 120% YoY growth in applications by building weekly funnel reviews, SOPs, and quality controls across sales \+ ops \-> Led teams enabling 10K\+ offer letters, improving end\-to\-end turnaround and outcomes for student applications \-> Built partnerships with 12\+ banks/NBFCs; enabled ₹800Cr\+ disbursements through process redesign and stakeholder management

Project Manager at BYJU'S, Jun 2020 \- Jan 2022 · 1 yr 8 mos, Bangalore Urban, Karnataka, India, \- Designed and optimized workflow/process flows delivering 7–8% efficiency gains across key programs \- Built performance management for 38\-member team, improving predictability and delivery quality \- Led cross\-functional execution across multiple initiatives; recognized 2× in first 10 months for process streamlining

Co\-Founder at TiphinBox\.com, May 2016 \- Jan 2018 · 1 yr 9 mos, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India, As Co\-Founder and Operations & Strategy Head at Tiphin Box, I spearheaded transformative initiatives to drive growth and operational excellence\. Achieved a milestone revenue of Rs\. 40 lakhs\+ within a year, employing innovative growth strategies for customer acquisition\. Led the strategic expansion of operations, successfully growing daily deliveries from zero to 300\+ meals across two Bangalore neighborhoods, serving a diverse customer base of 100\+\. Proven track record in team leadership, having hired and mentored a cross\-disciplinary team of 16, fostering a dynamic and collaborative work culture\. Passionate about social impact, initiated a sustainable program to feed underprivileged kids by efficiently regulating canceled orders and excess food\.

Senior Engineer at Blue Star limited, Jul 2015 \- Jun 2016 · 11 mo, Gurugram, Haryana, India, As a key contributor at Bluestar Limited, was able to successfully secure a substantial $1\.2 million \(Rs\. 9 crores\) project for the EMPG department\. Through strategic design and engineering efforts, we implemented an advanced air conditioning system for 250 apartments in the prestigious DLF Crest project\. Leading the charge in restructuring the mechanical engineering team, we achieved remarkable outcomes\. The initiative resulted in an impressive 18% reduction in project delivery time, showcasing our commitment to operational efficiency\. Simultaneously, we realized a 3% reduction in project costs, demonstrating our focus on optimizing resources and delivering cost\-effective solutions\. Our experience at Bluestar Limited underscores a proven track record in project management, strategic planning, and effective team leadership\. Proficient in delivering high\-impact projects within stipulated timelines and budgets\.

Graduate Engineering Trainee at Blue Star limited, May 2015 \- Jul 2015 · 3 mos, Mumbai Metropolitan Region

## Education

Bachelor of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra

[View the original profile](https://tal.club/meet/nitish-kumar-23)

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