Irshad Ahmed

India's most active web3 venture capital firm. Early employee responsible for building the firm's ecosystem presence across India and Africa, leading a team of 15 to 20 across ecosystem, programs, and events. Ecosystem, Partnerships, and Expansion

• Built and managed 250+ ecosystem partnerships annually across India and globally, engaging C-level executives and founders across accelerators, developer communities, startups, and institutions.
• Led the first India Web3 Landscape Report, now in its fourth edition, widely referenced across India's web3 ecosystem.
• Led Hashed Emergent's expansion into Nigeria: mapped the local ecosystem, hired the first regional team member, resulting in 5 portfolio investments.

Founder Programs and Incubation

• Designed and ran Incu Base, a 4-week incubator across India, APAC, and Africa supporting 35 early-stage startups across fintech, consumer, and entertainment with $500K in grants, structured curriculum, and mentor networks. Outcomes: 94% shipped functional MVPs, 57% achieved real user traction, pitch readiness improved from 6% to 89%.
• Led the Aptos Accelerator India, deploying $450K across investments and grants to 8 startups selected from 200+ applications, managing selection, go-to-market support, program delivery, and outcomes.

India Blockchain Week Conference

• Built and scaled India Blockchain Week Conference from zero across three editions, owning the full P&L across revenue, partnerships, marketing, and operations: 10,000 attendees, 330+ speakers, 100+ sponsors, and $2M+ in revenue.
• Ran three editions of IBW Demo Day, with the 2025 edition featuring 10 startup pitches, $530K+ in investments, $10K in grants, and additional rewards for participants.

India-Korea cross-border startup advisory.

• Ran cross-border accelerator programs connecting Korean startups to India's market across 2 programs: managed end-to-end program delivery including GTM strategy, local partnerships, and in-market execution for 10 startups.
• Managed programs for Indian startups pitching to Korean VCs in partnership with NASSCOM, building bilateral startup ecosystem relationships across two markets.

Managed a 1,000+ member startup community, running events and engagement programs to deepen member value.

Ran startup-focused programming and community events for a mid-sized founder community.

Early-stage startup operations.

Cross-functional project management on large-scale enterprise initiatives.