About the founder
Rakesh Kapoor (former CEO, Reckitt)
Rakesh has more than four decades of experience of which 8 years were as the global CEO at Reckitt Benckiser, a $17b revenue global leader in consumer health and hygiene, with brands such as Dettol, Lysol, Harpic, Nurofen, Durex, Finish, Vanish and Strepsils.
Under his leadership, RB transformed from a household cleaning business to a world leader in consumer health and hygiene, with the business contribution from consumer health growing from 20% in 2011 to over 60% during his tenure.
Rakesh also served on the Board of NHS England, helping shape the strategic agenda of the UK’s public healthcare system during the period of Covid-led transformation and healthcare reform.
Team 12 Flags
All in, Always!
Capital is just the start — we’re long-term partners relentless in unlocking the extraordinary potential of every start-up we back.
Rajat Agarwal
Partner & Managing Director
Rajat brings over a decade of experience in financial services and investing. Before joining 12 Flags, he looked at tech investments at Google through $10B India Digitization Fund and was part of the late-stage investing team at GIC. Rajat has also held roles in M&A and IBD teams at JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank. He is an electrical engineer from IIT Delhi and completed his MBA from IIM Calcutta.
Outside of work, Rajat tackles puzzles, writes questionable poetry, bluffs his way through poker, and plays sports — apparently, spreadsheets aren’t enough of a workout. He is an avid quizzer and relishes being a quizmaster (after all, asking the right question is more valuable – plus it makes him look sharp at house-parties). Oh, and he’s also an active member of Mensa International, perhaps being a smart person in the room is a full-time job.
Akshit Khanijo
Assistant Vice President
Akshit brings over 6 years of experience in finance and investing domain. Prior to joining 12 Flags, Akshit worked as an investment professional at Omidyar Network. Prior to that, he also had stints with Alta Capital, JP Morgan, Blackstone and DE Shaw. Akshit is an alumnus of IIM Bangalore and SRCC.
Akshit is a cricket fanatic who is an ardent believer of Test cricket— because just like investing, it’s all about patience, strategy, and long-term commitment. As per him, short formats are just a ‘fast-food version’ of the game and not the ‘5-course meal’. He also enjoys watching nature documentaries, probably wondering if animal kingdom is more productive than startups and investing ecosystem.
Pavani Gandhi
Research Analyst
Pavani brings 3 years of experience across strategy and venture building. Before joining 12 Flags, she had a brief stint with Wavemaker Impact, a Singapore-based climate venture builder, and previously worked in consulting at Dalberg across strategy and market-entry projects for multilaterals, corporates, and startups. She graduated from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, with a degree in Economics.
Her move to venture capital comes from a long-standing interest in how businesses are built, scaled, and made enduring. She is particularly drawn to consumer because it is often where shifts in culture, aspiration, and everyday behaviour show up first , and where some of the most interesting companies are built.
Outside of work, Pavani enjoys casual quizzing, dancing, and writing— sometimes online — about culture, politics, media, and the contradictions of everyday life.
Neha Garg
Finance Lead
Neha brings over a decade of expertise in taxation, accounting, and audit. Before joining 12 Flags, she wore many hats as a virtual CFO for several early-stage startups. A Chartered Accountant by profession, Neha also holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Investment Banking from IIM Indore, along with certifications in International Taxation and Information System Audit from ICAI.
Neha enjoys experimenting with healthy recipes, carefully balancing ingredients like she balances balance sheets. She stays active through yoga and dance, proving that flexibility isn’t just for accounting adjustments. In her free moments, Neha also enjoys Indian mythology, secretly rooting for the accountants and treasurers in ancient royal courts.
Team 12 Flags
All in, Always!
Capital is just the start — we’re long-term partners relentless in unlocking the extraordinary potential of every start-up we back.
Rajat Agarwal
Partner & Managing Director
Rajat brings over a decade of experience in financial services and investing. Before joining 12 Flags, he looked at tech investments at Google through $10B India Digitization Fund and was part of the late-stage investing team at GIC. Rajat has also held roles in M&A and IBD teams at JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank. He is an electrical engineer from IIT Delhi and completed his MBA from IIM Calcutta.
Outside of work, Rajat tackles puzzles, writes questionable poetry, bluffs his way through poker, and plays sports — apparently, spreadsheets aren’t enough of a workout. He is an avid quizzer and relishes being a quizmaster (after all, asking the right question is more valuable – plus it makes him look sharp at house-parties). Oh, and he’s also an active member of Mensa International, perhaps being a smart person in the room is a full-time job.
Akshit Khanijo
Assistant Vice President
Akshit brings over 6 years of experience in finance and investing domain. Prior to joining 12 Flags, Akshit worked as an investment professional at Omidyar Network. Prior to that, he also had stints with Alta Capital, JP Morgan, Blackstone and DE Shaw. Akshit is an alumnus of IIM Bangalore and SRCC.
Akshit is a cricket fanatic who is an ardent believer of Test cricket— because just like investing, it’s all about patience, strategy, and long-term commitment. As per him, short formats are just a ‘fast-food version’ of the game and not the ‘5-course meal’. He also enjoys watching nature documentaries, probably wondering if animal kingdom is more productive than startups and investing ecosystem.
Pavani Gandhi
Research Analyst
Pavani brings 3 years of experience across strategy and venture building. Before joining 12 Flags, she had a brief stint with Wavemaker Impact, a Singapore-based climate venture builder, and previously worked in consulting at Dalberg across strategy and market-entry projects for multilaterals, corporates, and startups. She graduated from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, with a degree in Economics.
Her move to venture capital comes from a long-standing interest in how businesses are built, scaled, and made enduring. She is particularly drawn to consumer because it is often where shifts in culture, aspiration, and everyday behaviour show up first , and where some of the most interesting companies are built.
Outside of work, Pavani enjoys casual quizzing, dancing, and writing— sometimes online — about culture, politics, media, and the contradictions of everyday life.
Neha Garg
Finance Lead
Neha brings over a decade of expertise in taxation, accounting, and audit. Before joining 12 Flags, she wore many hats as a virtual CFO for several early-stage startups. A Chartered Accountant by profession, Neha also holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Investment Banking from IIM Indore, along with certifications in International Taxation and Information System Audit from ICAI.
Neha enjoys experimenting with healthy recipes, carefully balancing ingredients like she balances balance sheets. She stays active through yoga and dance, proving that flexibility isn’t just for accounting adjustments. In her free moments, Neha also enjoys Indian mythology, secretly rooting for the accountants and treasurers in ancient royal courts.
Team 12 Flags
All in, Always!
Capital is just the start — we’re long-term partners relentless in unlocking the extraordinary potential of every start-up we back.
Rajat Agarwal
Partner & Managing Director
Rajat brings over a decade of experience in financial services and investing. Before joining 12 Flags, he looked at tech investments at Google through $10B India Digitization Fund and was part of the late-stage investing team at GIC. Rajat has also held roles in M&A and IBD teams at JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank. He is an electrical engineer from IIT Delhi and completed his MBA from IIM Calcutta.
Outside of work, Rajat tackles puzzles, writes questionable poetry, bluffs his way through poker, and plays sports — apparently, spreadsheets aren’t enough of a workout. He is an avid quizzer and relishes being a quizmaster (after all, asking the right question is more valuable – plus it makes him look sharp at house-parties). Oh, and he’s also an active member of Mensa International, perhaps being a smart person in the room is a full-time job.
Akshit Khanijo
Assistant Vice President
Akshit brings over 6 years of experience in finance and investing domain. Prior to joining 12 Flags, Akshit worked as an investment professional at Omidyar Network. Prior to that, he also had stints with Alta Capital, JP Morgan, Blackstone and DE Shaw. Akshit is an alumnus of IIM Bangalore and SRCC.
Akshit is a cricket fanatic who is an ardent believer of Test cricket— because just like investing, it’s all about patience, strategy, and long-term commitment. As per him, short formats are just a ‘fast-food version’ of the game and not the ‘5-course meal’. He also enjoys watching nature documentaries, probably wondering if animal kingdom is more productive than startups and investing ecosystem.
Pavani Gandhi
Research Analyst
Pavani brings 3 years of experience across strategy and venture building. Before joining 12 Flags, she had a brief stint with Wavemaker Impact, a Singapore-based climate venture builder, and previously worked in consulting at Dalberg across strategy and market-entry projects for multilaterals, corporates, and startups. She graduated from Lady Shri Ram College, University of Delhi, with a degree in Economics.
Her move to venture capital comes from a long-standing interest in how businesses are built, scaled, and made enduring. She is particularly drawn to consumer because it is often where shifts in culture, aspiration, and everyday behaviour show up first , and where some of the most interesting companies are built.
Outside of work, Pavani enjoys casual quizzing, dancing, and writing— sometimes online — about culture, politics, media, and the contradictions of everyday life.
Neha Garg
Finance Lead
Neha brings over a decade of expertise in taxation, accounting, and audit. Before joining 12 Flags, she wore many hats as a virtual CFO for several early-stage startups. A Chartered Accountant by profession, Neha also holds a Post Graduate Certificate in Investment Banking from IIM Indore, along with certifications in International Taxation and Information System Audit from ICAI.
Neha enjoys experimenting with healthy recipes, carefully balancing ingredients like she balances balance sheets. She stays active through yoga and dance, proving that flexibility isn’t just for accounting adjustments. In her free moments, Neha also enjoys Indian mythology, secretly rooting for the accountants and treasurers in ancient royal courts.
12 FLAGS GROUP
A unique platform to invest patient capital behind the most promising consumer businesses.
12 FLAGS GROUP
A unique platform to invest patient capital behind the most promising consumer businesses.
12 FLAGS GROUP
A unique platform to invest patient capital behind the most promising consumer businesses.