Folks Funds announces the appointment of Gaurav Kumar Tiwari as Principal. The appointment marks a step in Folks Funds’ next phase of growth, as the firm strengthens its investment platform focused on creating supply chains as an asset class and building an ESG-aligned capital markets layer for the energy transition economy.
In his new role, Gaurav will be actively involved in leading Folks Funds’ investment initiatives, institutional partnerships and strategic growth across emerging technology sectors. He will work closely with limited partners, founders and ecosystem stakeholders to build a differentiated investment platform focused on deeptech, climate-tech, industrial innovation, AI infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, energy transition and next-generation supply-chain-led businesses.
A key part of this mandate will also include supporting Folks Funds’ global institutional outreach and helping position the market for transition-linked real assets. Through the broader Folks ecosystem, including Folks Federation, the group aims to channelise sovereign and institutional capital into the green infrastructure and supply-chain-led transition economy, with a long-term investment ambition of ₹1 lakh crore. Folks Federation is positioned as the sovereign coalition layer of the ecosystem, focused on infrastructure alpha, policy alignment, global partnerships and cross-border frameworks for scale.
Gaurav brings experience across early-stage investing, startup building, product strategy and operational execution. His investment exposure spans sourcing, evaluation, due diligence, portfolio strategy and founder engagement across sectors including clean energy systems, industrial decarbonisation, utility intelligence, AI-native infrastructure, data centre technologies, advanced communications, aerospace and drone technologies, renewable infrastructure, carbon capture and next-generation industrial hardware.
Nikhil Anand Khurana, Chief Investment Officer, Folks Funds said, “India is at an important inflection point where energy transition, industrial innovation and global capital mandates are beginning to converge. At Folks Funds, we are building more than an investment platform. We are working to create supply chains as an asset class, supported by institutional-grade governance, ESG alignment and a full-stack ecosystem that connects physical assets, finance and capital markets. “Gaurav’s experience across early-stage investing, founder engagement and emerging technology sectors makes him a valuable addition to our leadership team. His understanding of both capital and company-building will be important as we strengthen our position as India’s first ESG-led Category II AIF and build a platform that can attract domestic as well as global institutional capital into India’s transition economy,” Khurana said.
Gaurav Kumar Tiwari, Principal, Folks Funds said, “Joining Folks Funds at this stage is an exciting opportunity because the firm is building around some of the most important themes of the next decade. Deeptech, climate-tech, energy transition, AI infrastructure and industrial innovation are no longer niche opportunities. They are becoming core to how economies, industries and supply chains will evolve. “My focus will be on strengthening institutional partnerships, identifying high-quality founders and helping build an investment platform that supports companies beyond capital. The larger opportunity is to help convert India’s emerging technology and supply-chain ecosystems into scalable, investable assets that can serve institutional investors, HNIs and UHNIs while creating long-term global value,” Tiwari added.
Gaurav has been actively involved across more than 11 early-stage investments and brings an understanding of emerging technology ecosystems. His work has covered investment evaluation, founder conversations, market mapping, diligence processes and portfolio engagement across high-growth sectors.
In addition to investing, Gaurav brings operator experience from building startups at an early stage. He was part of the founding teams at FinstoX and Mediva, where he contributed across product strategy, growth, operations and execution. Earlier in his career, he worked with Even Healthcare, focusing on revenue analytics and operational strategy to support data-driven growth and business optimisation.
Gaurav is an engineering graduate from the National Institute of Technology, Tiruchirappalli. He has also been recognised across innovation and climate-tech platforms including Climafix, IIT Madras, FITT IIT Delhi and EcoPravah, among others. He is frequently invited by institutions, incubators and industry forums to engage with founders, investors and emerging technology ecosystems.
