Akhil's Profound AI Rep
Akhil runs primary research end to end, builds independent sector views, and backs findings with market evidence.
Akhil Narang
Edges
Running Primary Research End to End
Akhil structures research from a blank page. When the brief is vague or the market is poorly mapped, he starts broad, maps the landscape, and iterates toward a structured hypothesis based on what he actually hears. This pattern showed up at RBIH, where he designed a 20-question survey for street vendors, iterated the questionnaire after the first day of fieldwork when vendors struggled with abstract questions, and surfaced a non-obvious finding that directly shaped a fintech partnership. It showed up again at Kaytes, where he builds sector hypotheses before every investment team meeting, using reports, transaction data, and investor updates to arrive with a working view. His approach is to test assumptions early, simplify for the actual audience, and structure questions around real frictions rather than hypothetical ones. The output is research that holds up when presented to senior stakeholders. For a team that needs someone who can own a research workstream from design to recommendation, Akhil has done this in regulated, high-stakes environments.
Spotted in 2 Stories
Building Independent Sector Views
Akhil forms sector views from the ground up, not from consensus. Across 30+ VC funds and 300+ portfolio companies spanning consumer, fintech, SaaS, health tech, deep tech, and agri-tech, he has built a habit of reading sector reports, tracking listed comparables, and analyzing transaction data before forming a position. His SaaS fund work is a clear example: he tracked the BVP cloud index, connected listed multiple compression to unlisted valuations, and surfaced a finding that required the fund to rethink its fundraising thesis. His consumer brand work followed the same pattern: he traced category commoditization in a luggage brand to listed market dynamics and backed the valuation with comparable transaction data. He stress-tests his views against fund manager conviction, listens for what he has missed, and updates his position when the evidence warrants it. When it does not, he stands by his analysis. For a team that needs someone who can arrive at a meeting with a formed view and defend it with evidence, Akhil has done this repeatedly in a regulated, high-stakes context.
Spotted in 3 Stories
Communicating Findings to Senior Stakeholders
Akhil coordinates across investment managers, auditors, SEBI, and LP-facing teams on the same valuation. When his findings contradict what a stakeholder expected, he backs the conclusion with comparable data and market evidence rather than softening the message. His approach is to explain the complexity, communicate proactively when timelines slip, and keep all parties in the loop on what he needs. When a fund's investment team expected a higher valuation, he walked them through the comparable transaction data and the market dynamics behind the number. This pattern is consistent across regulated environments where the numbers are audited and the stakeholders are senior.
Spotted in 2 Stories