Leadership
& Team
A team of operators, engineers, and scientists united by a single mission - making green hydrogen industrially deployable and economically viable.
"Execution at scale requires more than just breakthrough science. It requires a discipline forged in industry, complex operations, and capital markets."
Our leadership brings decades of experience across energy, finance, engineering, and government - combined with deep technical expertise in advanced reactor design and electrochemical systems. We are building the infrastructure for the next industrial era.
Core Disciplines
Backed by advisors with $2B+ AUM and global technology commercialization track records across the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
Executive Team
Manish Kothary
Chief Executive Officer
Entrepreneur and technology founder developing scalable hydrogen and plasma-based energy systems for industrial decarbonisation. Brings 25+ years of experience building and scaling ventures across technology, financial platforms and industrial infrastructure.
Background
Previously senior roles at Barclays Global Investors, Wells Fargo and Pacific Gas & Electric.
- M.Sc Computer Science, University of South Carolina
- BE Electrical Engineering, IIT Roorkee
Vandit Verma
President, Infrastructure & Energy Platforms
Leads global infrastructure development and commercialization of advanced energy platforms. Brings cross-border project structuring expertise and strategic capital partnerships experience.
Background
Background includes hydrogen and low-carbon fuel systems, rare earth extraction, and waste-to-energy infrastructure across North America, Europe, and emerging markets.
- B.Eng Mechanical Engineering - Ryerson University, Canada
Igor Kuntevitsky
Chief Technology Officer
Leads reactor architecture, hydrogen systems engineering, and IP development. Expertise spans matrix reactor systems, controlled partial oxidation, and integrated hydrogen purification.
Background
Inventor of multiple granted U.S. patents covering hydrogen production and critical mineral recovery systems (including hydrocarbon gas pathways and red mud processing). GigaCore's next gen hydrogen method and reactor architecture are subject to a patent application currently in preparation.
Ajeet Saran
EPC Director & Government Relations, India
Leads project execution, regulatory interface, and industrial deployment in India.
Background
Industry leader with nearly 25 years of experience at Tata Steel across mining, power, sales, logistics, and EPC project execution. Brings deep techno-commercial expertise and strong government liaison capability.
- BE Electrical Engineering - IIT-BHU
- PG Supply Chain - XLRI
Gautam Ghosh
Director, Finance, Tax & Compliance
Oversees financial governance, cross-border structuring, and regulatory compliance.
Background
Former Head of Taxation (South West Asia & Middle East) at Motorola Solutions India. Previously served as Head of Treasury at Coca-Cola India (North & North East), following distinguished senior leadership tenures at Nestlé India and Price Waterhouse.
- Chartered Accountant
- B.Com (Hons) - SRCC, Delhi University
Prashanth Shetty
Business Development
Leads business development across GigaCore’s hydrogen and energy infrastructure platform, driving institutional investor engagement, commercialisation strategy and strategic partnerships.
Background
Former executive leader at Verdigris, EMC and SAP with experience spanning global go-to-market strategy and enterprise technology platforms.
- MBA - The Wharton School
- MS Engineering - Stanford University
Board of Advisors
Upal Basu
General Partner, NGP Capital
About
Upal Basu is a General Partner and Managing Member at NGP Capital, a global venture capital firm managing over $2 billion across the U.S., Europe, China, and India. He leads the North America office and global software investments under a 'Convergence' thesis focused on robotics, industrial systems, applied AI, space, and dual-use technologies. With more than 25 years of experience, he has led over 20 investments with 10 successful exits and previously co-founded and exited a global mobile security platform exceeding $50M in revenue. A Stanford M.S. in Engineering and Harvard MBA, he brings deep capital markets expertise and global scale-up insight to GigaCore's advanced industrial technology strategy and institutional investor positioning.
Education
- M.S. Engineering — Stanford University
- MBA — Harvard Business School
Focus Areas
Provides GigaCore with deep institutional investor networks and scale-up expertise across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Pranay Kothari
Strategic Advisor
About
Pranay Kothari, senior executive at Polyplex Corporation, joins Gigacore as a Strategic Advisor, bringing deep global industrial experience across large-scale manufacturing and supply chains. Through Polyplex’s operations spanning Europe, the United States, and Asia, he has developed strong relationships across international industrial ecosystems, customers, and partners. His exposure to cross-border operations, capital-intensive plant development, and global market dynamics provides Gigacore with valuable strategic insight as it scales. He offers guidance on international expansion, plant execution, and supply chain structuring. His network supports access to potential partners, customers, and investors across key geographies. With board-level perspective and operational discipline, he strengthens Gigacore’s positioning with institutional stakeholders. His involvement enhances both credibility and execution capability as the company moves toward commercial deployment.
Education
Focus Areas
Provides GigaCore with deep institutional investor networks and scale-up expertise across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Neeraj Agarwal
Senior Project & Operations Leader
About
Neeraj Agarwal is a senior project and operations leader bringing deep execution and infrastructure expertise to GigaCore’s industrial deployment strategy. He has over 25 years of experience across energy, oil & gas, and infrastructure projects in India and the Middle East. He held leadership roles at Engineers India Limited, including Chief Operating Officer (UAE) and Chief General Manager, and worked with Worley. He has led large-scale projects ranging from $200M to over $1B and served as Lender’s Independent Engineer on projects of approximately $10B, working with international banking consortiums.
Education
- B.Tech - IIT Roorkee
- Certified Independent Director (IICA)
Focus Areas
Provides GigaCore with deep institutional investor networks and scale-up expertise across North America, Europe, and Asia.
Core Technical Team
Our bench of engineers and scientists forms the backbone of GigaCore's reactor development, rigorous testing, and expanding IP portfolio.
Core Competencies
Confidentiality Notice
Individual CVs and detailed credentials for core technical team members are available upon execution of a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
