Chiratae Ventures, which manages over $1.3 Bn AUM, has been backing entrepreneurs for nearly two decades \u2014supporting founders who build technology-led startups for population-scale impact. Companies such as Cure.fit, Fibe, FirstCry, Lenskart, Myntra, Pixis, PolicyBazaar and many more reflect the fund\u2019s early investments on technology-driven founders.<\/p>\n
Established in 2016, the Chiratae Ventures Patrick J. McGovern Awards recognise leaders who demonstrate innovation, integrity, and societal impact\u2014values shared by Chiratae Ventures, and one of its earliest backers, Patrick J. McGovern, the founder of IDG.<\/p>\n
In 2025, the Awards acknowledge two leaders who represent the evolving power of entrepreneurship in different but complementary ways.<\/p>\n
This year’s event featured two individuals shaping India’s growth story: Kumar Mangalam Birla<\/strong>, Chairperson of the Aditya Birla Group, recipient of the Visionary Business Leader Award 2025<\/strong>, and Sameer Nigam<\/strong>, CEO and Founder of PhonePe, recipient of the Exceptional Entrepreneurial Achievement Award 2025<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Kumar Mangalam Birla’s journey represents the evolution of Indian enterprise. Leading a conglomerate with over 225,000 employees across the world, Birla has guided the Aditya Birla Group through transformation\u2014from traditional manufacturing to becoming a diversified organisation using technology across sectors.<\/p>\n “I accept this award with humility on behalf of the over 225,000 colleagues who power the Aditya Birla Group every day and across the world. Over the years, I have been following the journey of Chiratae Ventures and its role in backing entrepreneurs at their earliest stages of ventures. The focus on purpose-driven innovation aligns closely with the values that have guided our group for over a century. India <\/strong>has always been a land of entrepreneurial traditions; from family-led business communities to today\u2019s tech disruptors, the spirit remains the same \u2014 bold and deeply resilient. <\/strong>More power to India\u2019s entrepreneurs, and more power to all of you for enabling them\u201d, Birla shared while accepting the award.<\/p>\n Birla’s recognition presents a contrast\u2014a reminder that in India’s entrepreneurial landscape, established business houses and emerging startups don’t stand apart but increasingly reinforce each other.<\/p>\n Sameer Nigam\u2019s PhonePe has played a central role in expanding digital payments in India. From a startup idea to processing billions of transactions, Nigam represents the energy of a generation where technology drives financial inclusion and access at scale.<\/p>\n \u201cThank you to the Chiratae team for this generous and kind award. This is really a testament to the incredible work of thousands of us over the past decade. This award is a reflection of the incredible impact our team has been able to drive in making digital payments and financial services accessible to millions of Indians. We’re building for the long term, and this recognition motivates us to push even harder.”<\/p>\n The Chiratae McGovern Awards has become a recognised platform celebrating leadership across generations. Past honorees include Ratan Tata, Narayana Murthy, Indra Nooyi, Azim Premji, John Chambers, Nandan Nilekani, Kris Gopalakrishnan, Uday Kotak, Deepinder Goyal, Falguni Nayar, Nithin Kamath and Peyush Bansal<\/strong>\u2014leaders who have contributed to shaping industries and inspiring new ventures.<\/p>\n \u201cIn almost two decades of existence, Chiratae has consistently bet on audacious founders leveraging technology at scale. The Chiratae McGovern Awards are a reminder of that spirit\u2014whether in the visionary leadership of Birla or the disruptive entrepreneurship of Nigam,\u201d said Sudhir Sethi, <\/strong>Founder & Chairman, Chiratae Ventures.<\/p>\n Since its inception in 2006, Chiratae has invested in companies across SaaS, FinTech, <\/strong>ConsumerTech, HealthTech, and DeepTech. Beyond IPOs and unicorns, its portfolio reflects a consistent commitment to tech-for-impact at scale\u2014from enabling digital financial inclusion to building global SaaS products from India. Through every cycle\u2014whether the e-commerce growth, the SaaS expansion, or the fintech wave\u2014Chiratae has remained active in India\u2019s technology sector.<\/p>\n As Patrick J. McGovern III<\/strong>, Chair of the Jury of the Awards, noted: (placeholder) The Chiratae McGovern Awards don’t just celebrate individual achievement\u2014they highlight an entrepreneurial philosophy – one that values integrity alongside innovation, impact alongside growth, and purpose alongside growth.<\/p>\n Note to the Reader: This article is part of Mint’s promotional consumer connect initiative and is independently created by the brand. Mint assumes no editorial responsibility for the content.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Chiratae Ventures, which manages over $1.3 Bn AUM, has been backing entrepreneurs for nearly two decades \u2014supporting founders…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":210879,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[178],"tags":[115307,79,115305,32592,18,236,115306,115302,115304,19,17,115303],"class_list":{"0":"post-210878","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entrepreneurship","8":"tag-aditya-birla-group","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-chiratae-mcgovern-awards-2025","11":"tag-chiratae-ventures","12":"tag-eire","13":"tag-entrepreneurship","14":"tag-evolving-legacy","15":"tag-from-legacy-to-leadership","16":"tag-honouring-leadership","17":"tag-ie","18":"tag-ireland","19":"tag-legacy-to-leadership"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/115648431777195552","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210878","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210878"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210878\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210879"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210878"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210878"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210878"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u201cThe McGovern Awards embody the spirit of visionary leadership driving impactful innovation. They are unique because they celebrate both legacy leaders and first-generation entrepreneurs\u2014reminding us that India\u2019s future lies in the synergy between continuity and disruption.\u201d <\/p>\n