I learned business the hard way, so you don’t have to.
I’m Kapil Gaud. I started in 2008 with a 256 kbps connection and no mentor to ask. 17+ years later, I help founders win customers, raise capital and get seen, and I’m building iGNITED iDEA so every Indian entrepreneur and freelancer has the mentor I never had.
✦ I read every message myself. If I can’t help, I know who can.
Product or service, scrappy or scaling — I’ve already been in your industry.
I’ve sat with brands from their first sale to their peak, on both sides of the table. So you get patterns that already worked — not theories from a slide deck.
Three things decide whether a young business makes it.
Most people who message me are working on one of them. I’ve spent 17+ years on all three, and when something is outside what I do best, I know who does it best.
Customers
Finding your first customers or clients, and then the next hundred. I’ll help you see which leak to fix first, and where AI can take work off your plate.
Capital
I’m not an investor, so I sit on your side of the table. I help you find investors who back businesses like yours and tell a story they recognise. Founders I’ve helped reach investors have raised $10M+.
Visibility
Good work deserves to be seen. I’ll help you tell your story and reach the journalists, publishers and podcast hosts who cover your space.
Lessons from 17+ years, shared freely.
Putting AI to work
Where it fits, how to wire it in, and how to get real results from it.
Positioning & your customer
Who you’re really for — and the shortest path to reach them.
Getting customers
Funnels and ads that bring customers without big budgets or big teams.
The honest journey
What worked, what didn’t, and what I’d do differently next time.
iGNITED iDEA: a one-stop platform for Indian entrepreneurs and freelancers.
Many people in India have an idea they keep putting off because no one around them can help. I started iGNITED iDEA in 2021 so they have a place to start, get unstuck and grow.
Today 4,000+ active members share what they’re learning and help each other. Industry leaders and veterans who want to give back add their experience and contacts.
Visit iGNITED iDEA →First-time founders
Working on an idea of their own, full-time or alongside a job.
Freelancers
The designers, editors, social media managers and accountants who quietly power most early-stage companies.
Women entrepreneurs
Many already have what it takes and just need someone in their corner.
Students and job seekers
Internships, hands-on experience in a real business, and work.
I’m building the mentor I never had.
I grew up in a family of government employees, where a stable job was the dream. In 2008 I chose to build instead, with a 256 kbps connection and no one to ask.
Every lesson came the hard way: my first clients, building a team from zero, learning to raise capital and get noticed. iGNITED iDEA is how I make sure the next generation of Indian entrepreneurs and freelancers doesn’t have to walk that road alone.
Read my full story →Most of what I know, I give away.
Working on an idea, or stuck on customers, capital or visibility? Tell me in a line or two. If I can point you the right way, I will. If someone else is better for it, I’ll introduce you.
Tell me what you’re working on