Investment Manager

Nithish Kumar is an Investment Manager at Speciale Invest, representing the next generation of deeptech investors with roots in aerospace and early‑stage entrepreneurship. An Aerospace Engineering graduate from SASTRA University, he began his career at Team Indus, one of India’s pioneering private space ventures building Moon Landers and Rovers. He later founded Alinea Space, an edtech startup, and gained go‑to‑market experience in early stage AI-SaaS before moving into venture capital.

At Speciale, Nithish focuses on frontier sectors including spacetech, defense, energy, semiconductors, mobility, and synthetic biology. He is particularly drawn to “firsts” and first‑principles thinking, partnering with founders who are building ground-breaking technologies that can solve critical global challenges.

Beyond investing, Nithish is an active ecosystem builder. He created Unbounded – The Startup Podcast covering India’s leading SpaceTech founders and global voices like the Director of the French Space Agency, and more recently Crafting Bharat (produced by Hindustan Times Media), where he hosted some of India’s leading deeptech founders, reflecting his curiosity about the zero‑to‑one journey.

Outside of work, Nithish can be found on the cricket field, traveling in search of new experiences, or diving into conversations that spark curiosity and fresh perspectives.