Tushar Kansal: The Capital Architect Building India’s Next Entrepreneurial Ecosystem

For more than 25 years, Tushar Kansal has built his career at the intersection of finance, investment, entrepreneurship and strategic growth. What began with an engineering background eventually led him into an MBA in Finance from the University of Delhi and, over time, into investment banking, private equity, venture capital, corporate finance and treasury.

His professional journey has been shaped by some of the most demanding corners of the financial world. From Deloitte & Touche and Brand Capital, the venture arm of the Times of India Group, to Aircel and MTS India, Tushar gained exposure to investments, valuations, debt, treasury and corporate finance. At MTS India, he headed Treasury and helped raise approximately USD 2.5 billion in debt over three years. He later served as CFO of a Guggenheim-owned company.

But behind the numbers and financial milestones was a much more personal evolution.

When Curiosity Changed the Course

Tushar did not originally envision a career in venture capital. He began as an engineer, but his interest in reading, technology and business gradually pulled him toward finance. His MBA in Finance from the University of Delhi became an important turning point, giving direction to a curiosity that would eventually become a career spanning multiple dimensions of capital and entrepreneurship.

His first entrepreneurial experience came much earlier than his venture-capital career. He co-founded an education business focused on preparing students for IIT entrance examinations. The venture grew to three centres and approximately 800 students before being exited to Narayana Institute in 2006. Rather than remaining solely within entrepreneurship, Tushar consciously entered the corporate world to gain deeper knowledge of finance and capital markets.

That decision proved significant.

His experiences across Deloitte, Brand Capital, Aircel, MTS and his CFO role exposed him to almost every side of capital-from investing and valuations to debt, treasury and corporate finance.

Seeing the Gap

The idea for Kansaltancy Ventures emerged from observing a recurring problem faced by entrepreneurs: the gap between funding, networks and management know-how.

Tushar experienced this challenge firsthand when he launched a hair extensions startup in 2013. The experience gave him a closer understanding of how difficult it could be for entrepreneurs to access not just capital, but the right strategic support and connections.

He realised that his years of experience in finance could become a bridge.

In 2016, he founded Kansaltancy Ventures, combining his surname, Kansal, with “Consultancy.” The objective was to help startups and growth-stage companies access Venture Capital, Debt, IPO and strategic capital.

It was the beginning of a new chapter- one in which Tushar was no longer simply working within the financial ecosystem, but building a platform within it.

Learning Through Pressure

Every accomplished journey carries moments that test confidence.

For Tushar, one of those moments came around Class 11, when academic difficulties forced him to discontinue IIT coaching. The experience affected his confidence. Later, he cleared the written examination for an MBA programme at IIT-Delhi but did not clear the interview. Rather than allowing these experiences to define his future, he took away a lasting lesson: one setback does not determine a person's ability or destiny.

His professional years brought an entirely different kind of pressure.

At Deloitte & Touche, there were periods when he worked until 2 a.m. while developing expertise in complex areas of finance. Later, he operated in high-pressure corporate environments involving enormous financial responsibilities, including handling debt of approximately Rs 20,000 crore and treasury responsibilities connected with an Rs 11,000 crore Central Treasury.

These experiences shaped his ability to stay composed when the stakes were high.

Building Trust, One Relationship at a Time

Creating Kansaltancy Ventures from scratch presented a different challenge.

There was no established institutional infrastructure or recognised brand behind him. The business had to earn the confidence of entrepreneurs, investors and financial institutions one relationship at a time.

During the first one or two years, results did not always arrive as quickly as expected. Tushar chose to focus on a simple principle: build with a customer-first approach and keep delivering knowledge.

Over time, referrals, relationships and credibility began to follow.

Today, according to the profile, Kansaltancy Ventures has helped raise more than $100 million in funding and contributed to more than 1,000 talks and podcasts across global platforms and Ivy-League academia.

For Tushar, the journey also reinforced another important lesson: technical knowledge alone cannot define leadership. Being candid and outspoken sometimes created challenges, teaching him the importance of interpersonal skills, humility and the ability to work effectively with people.

Reinventing the Professional Identity

Perhaps one of the defining features of Tushar's career has been constant reinvention.

He moved from engineering to finance, from entrepreneurship to corporate leadership, from corporate finance to venture capital and eventually to building his own investment-management business.

Every transition demanded another round of learning.

His years in corporate finance also prepared him for situations where the margin for error was small. At MTS India, his involvement in raising approximately USD 2.5 billion of debt over three years gave him exposure to international capital markets and complex financing. Those experiences strengthened his belief in preparation, relationships, credibility and composure during uncertain circumstances.

Believing in the Indian Entrepreneur

The philosophy behind Tushar's work is rooted in his belief in India's entrepreneurial potential.

He speaks of his faith in the ingenuity of the Indian mind, the strength of the Indian entrepreneurial spirit and the Karma-centric nature of the Indian soul. His decision to build within India's evolving startup ecosystem has become one of the defining choices of his professional life.

When Kansaltancy Ventures began in 2016, there were only 436 startups registered with Startup India, according to his account. Today, he points to a startup ecosystem exceeding 2,00,000 registered startups.

The scale of that transformation reflects the larger opportunity he sees ahead.

A Bigger Vision for Capital

Tushar's ambitions extend beyond building an advisory firm.

His vision is to evolve Kansaltancy Ventures into a broader capital ecosystem connecting entrepreneurs, investors, lenders and strategic partners across India and international markets. The next phase includes expanding its Venture Capital, Debt, SME and Mainboard IPO, M&A and strategic advisory businesses while strengthening its presence across India, the US, UK, APAC and the GCC.

The organisation currently leverages a network of more than 1,700 venture capital funds, family offices, private equity funds and other investors and lenders.

His longer-term goal is even more ambitious: building a full-fledged VC platform capable of investing across India, the US, UK, GCC and APAC while bringing together capital, domain specialists and strategic partnerships.

Beyond Finance

For Tushar, the conversation cannot stop at capital.

Technology, artificial intelligence, geopolitics, finance, entrepreneurship and India's economic growth are increasingly becoming part of his work as a thought leader. His objective is to make complex subjects easier to understand and create meaningful conversations around business and industry.

His motto- “Simplifying Life and Industry with Meaningful Talks”- captures this philosophy.

Over the years, his public-domain contribution has grown to more than 1,000 videos, articles and podcasts, reflecting his effort to make knowledge accessible beyond traditional financial circles.

Milestones That Define the Journey

Among the achievements Tushar considers significant is building Kansaltancy Ventures into an investment-management and advisory platform serving startups and growth-stage companies across Venture Capital, Debt, IPO, M&A, consulting and strategic services.

He also highlights helping more than 5,000 startups and entrepreneurs and raising $100 million in funding, alongside professional ecosystem relationships connected with a portfolio of 450+ startups across 70+ countries.

His corporate career carries its own defining milestone- the approximately USD 2.5 billion in debt raised for MTS India during his tenure heading the Debt/Treasury function.

And then there is thought leadership: hundreds of talks, podcasts, webinars and expert sessions, with his current profile recording more than 100 million views.

Kansaltancy Ventures has also received the Best Startups Supporter Award for its work in the STEM field from the All India Council for Robotics & Automation, presented by Dr. Kiran Bedi. Tushar has additionally received recognitions including Entrepreneur of the Year and recognition in investment management.

Building What Comes Next

Tushar Kansal's story is ultimately not only about finance.

It is about recognising gaps and choosing to build bridges. It is about moving across industries, learning from pressure, understanding the importance of relationships and using accumulated experience to create opportunities for others.

From an engineer with an interest in business to a finance professional, entrepreneur, corporate leader, investor and thought leader, his career has continually evolved.

Now, the ambition is larger than an individual career.

It is to build an institution that creates meaningful value for entrepreneurs and investors- and to contribute to a capital ecosystem where ideas, expertise, relationships and opportunity can meet.

For Tushar Kansal, the next chapter is not simply about raising more capital.

It is about connecting the people, ideas and possibilities that can shape India's next generation of entrepreneurship.