With over 25 years of international experience in global IT implementations, he brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the table. His entrepreneurial ventures span the US, Europe, and India, showcasing a versatile and adaptive approach to business. He is also passionate about sports as a powerful enabler of personal and professional growth. Additionally, he serves as an angel investor, supporting multiple startups across various sectors, driven by a commitment to innovation and development.

A Tech Entrepreneur for the last 24 years with an overall experience of 29 years in the Information Technology Industry. Has worked extensively in the space of IT product Distribution, IT Consultancy, Information Security Services, Outsourced product Development Services and Bespoke Software Development. Srivatsa has deep expertise in Databases, Networks and Information Security remains his passion.

Laxman Bhattarai – Born in Nepal, Laxman was drawn to the game of football from his childhood. Laxman played football for his school and went on to become a National Level Footballer in the U14 & U16 category. However sports as a career option was not all that lucrative and like many others, he sacrificed his love for football and came down to the City of Bengaluru to pursue Chartered Accountancy. He met Shekar Rajan (Founder & Chairman – Kickstart FC) in a training session, post which they went on to become good friends and collectively nurtured their dream to own a professional turf with floodlights. They started Kickstart FC in 2016.He has completed the UEFA Youth certificate by completing coaching projects across 8 countries. He has been with the France Football Federation for a 10 day program called “Zidane’s of Tomorrow”.

He has completed a coach educator program in France with PSG and in Holland with PSV. He was selected to lead the team that analyzed an international friendly game between Netherlands & Scotland which according to him is the highlight of his career. He brings in depth of knowledge from his travels to Italy (AS Roma), Germany (Frankfurt), Denmark (Esjberg FB), France (PSG) & Holland (PSV & Ajax) and aims to bring in the European style of Football management to Kickstart.

As the head coach of Kickstart FC Men’s team, he has won the Puttaiah Memorial Cup once (2022) and been a runner-up of the BDFA Super Division League twice (2019 & 2021).
With the women’s team, he has been a Karnataka Women’s League champion 5 times in a row. (2019 – 2024) & a runner up in the Indian Women’s League once (2023)

His vision is to nurture and help the youth of India reach the pinnacle of World Football.

With a strong foundation in Industrial Engineering from Bangalore University, he has further enriched his knowledge with two international training certifications from the prestigious University of Hull and ASTD USA. His career has seen him in senior positions in L&D with renowned organizations like the Manipal Group and ITC.

Throughout his life, he has made a high social impact on the underrepresented and less privileged, building the lives of young footballers by mentoring them on their emotional, financial, and educational needs. Some of them went on to captain the Karnataka state team even before he started Kickstart.

With 25 years of rich experience in organization development consulting and management training, he has had the privilege of conducting Leadership Training in India, the US, the UK, Singapore, and the Middle East. Clients in diverse sectors, including IT and ITES, hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing, and education have sought his expertise. He is immensely proud to say that his profiling and assessment capabilities have been widely acclaimed.

Through his interventions, he has enabled big brands to become # 1 in Customer Service and build leadership capabilities. He has designed 360-degree behavioral assessments. These long-term interventions have resulted in significant behavioral transformations across global brands, a testament to the effectiveness of his approach.

His services have been utilized by a wide range of clients, including Singapore Airlines, Ford, GM, Volvo, ANZ Grindlays, Citibank, Vidyashilp, Indus, Christ University, ICA, Manipal University, Britannia, CocaCola, Pepsi, HLL, Manipal Integrated Services, RCI, Taj Group, The Oberoi, ITC, Manipal Hospital, Medwin, Jubilant Biosys, Indegene, Nova IVI, EPSON, Xerox, Cannon, HP, Bagmane, Sobha, L&T, Cognizant, CGI, Delmia, Digital, Flextronics, GE Medical Systems, Infosys, Oracle, Syntel, think3, Satyam, Wipro, Mtech, L&T Infotech, L&T Medical Systems, Skanray, Capgemini, Yodlee, Bluestar, SISA, Schneider Electric, Ciber Customer Asset, FirstRing Dial M icicionesource, Talisma, iSeva, TSC Flowserve, Goodridge, Gabriel, Titan, Peekay, HAL, WEIR, GG, Molex, Intercoil(Dubai), Schneider Electric, Don Bosco Tech, Dr. Reddy Labs Foundation, Airtel, Vodafone, Beam telecom, ACT, Nokia Siemens, and many more.

Vivekanand Venugopal is a global business leader with a strong track record in business management, strategic planning, developing new business, driving growth, and building culture. His career highlights include roles as Global Vice-President at Cohesity, Chief Growth Officer at Hitachi, and Managing Director at Hitachi Vantara. Vivekanand’s career reflects his commitment to excellence and innovation in the corporate world. He holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science and a Master of Business Administration.