Meet The Leadership

Co-Founder and CEO
Akshay Lalchandani
Akshay is the Co-Founder of Testa, an interior design firm established in 2021 with a vision to create spaces that tell a story and reflect individuality. Prior to Testa, he was part of the founding team at WorkAmp, a coworking brand that developed and managed over 200,000 sq. ft. of innovative workspaces across Mumbai. Beyond his professional ventures, Akshay is an avid reader and writer with a deep-rooted passion for social impact. Since the age of 17, he has actively contributed to the social sector, organizing Christmas drives, volunteering as a teacher, and sponsoring the education of underprivileged children. A firm believer in equity over equality, Akshay combines his entrepreneurial mindset and leadership experience to drive Ilika’s mission and achieve its goals.

Co-Founder and CFO
Malay Shah
Malay is a Partner at Prabhat Developers, a distinguished real estate firm in Mumbai with a legacy of over four decades. Known for its innovation, reliability, and customer-centric approach, Prabhat has transformed residential spaces across the city while maintaining a strong commitment to quality and transparency. Malay holds an MBA from the UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School and brings experience in internal consulting and equity research. This background has equipped him with strong financial expertise and a data-driven, long-term approach to decision-making. Guided by his core values of humility, compassion, and sincerity, Malay has been actively giving back to society for over a decade. At Ilika, he channels his belief that every individual deserves the opportunity to achieve financial independence, working to empower children and families through education and awareness.

Co-Founder
Anisha Patnaik
Anisha is the founder and Managing Partner of LexStart, established in 2015 to make legal support accessible for India’s early-stage startup ecosystem. Anisha has over 21 years of experience in corporate and commercial laws, and has held leadership roles as a Partner at law firms, General Counsel at a development-sector fund, and founding team of a climate tech focused accelerator. Today, she continues to serve as External Legal Counsel to Acumen and as Venture Partner to Arise Ventures and Sangam Ventures. Recognized as one of the leading lawyers by BW Businessworld and other platforms, Anisha brings both expertise and empathy to her work with entrepreneurs and impact-driven ventures. Anisha actively contributes to the social sector—volunteering with Saaisha India Foundation, sponsoring education for underprivileged children, offering pro bono legal services, and supporting an old age home in the Nilgiris. Driven by the belief that legal expertise should be a catalyst for inclusive growth, Anisha bridges her roles as a lawyer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist to empower both startups and communities.
Meet The Patrons

Kunal Mathur
A founding team member of Ilika and having completed his Masters in Architecture, Kunal is currently pursuing a PhD in Architecture. Apart from his work, he has always been involved in helping others in one way or another. Philanthropy has been a part of his journey in different shapes and forms from his boyhood days.

Jayesh Shah
Jayesh is a co founder of a prominent law firm. He supports our mission with a focus on sustainable impact.

Amit Mishra
Amit Mishra leads Strategic initiatives including Startup & VC Relations and Higher Education at Yotta, the largest Ai infrastructure company in India which is driving AI infrastructure adoption in India. With 20+ years across reputed firms like Naukri, Jio, Sansan and being an entrepreneur, he has enabled market entry for global startups and worked in framing national and several startup policies. He advises government bodies, mentors startups and brings deep GTM experience. A Harvard Business School alum, Amit bridges global technology company networks with India's growth opportunity.

Radhika Yelkur
Radhika Yelkur made the switch from a corporate career to the development sector following the pandemic of 2020-21, deciding to use her skills to help those most affected: girls and women from poor and disadvantaged communities. For 3 years, she was National Head of Nanhi Kali, a girl child empowerment program that works to educate girls and give them life skills beyond academics. She is now the Director of Operations at the Centre for Law and Policy Research, working on systems change projects that blend policy and fieldwork. She believes that education and entrepreneurship are the tools that anyone can use to pull themselves up by their own bootstraps.
Meet The Tribe







