AI for Strategy, Private Equity & Sustainability
About Espalier
Espalier.ai is an enterprise AI company that powers consequential decisions. We design and run enterprise-scale decision intelligence systems that help organizations choose faster and with conviction leading to measurable business impact.
Our Decision Intelligence Systems tightly integrate knowledge assets, leading edge AI capabilities and human expertise that provide clarity, speed and conviction to important decisions.
At the core of Espalier is our belief that AI is only as powerful as the knowledge it operates on. We institutionalize Real Domain Knowledge (RDK) by building domain-specific knowledge graphs that capture industries, markets, companies, regulations, technologies, and networks as a continuously evolving source of truth. These graphs unify external market intelligence and proprietary enterprise data into a connected, context-rich intelligence backbone.
These knowledge graphs power context-aware AI agents, secure APIs, applications, and decision-support programs that drive critical decision workflows with measurable business impact.
Espalier works with corporations, private equity firms, investment banks, and professional services firms to power critical workflows across:
- Strategy & Scenario Planning for Business Model Design
- Investment Thesis, Deal Sourcing and Transaction Execution
- Product and Innovation Portfolio Management
- Sales & Go-To-Market Design & Execution
- Regulatory, Risk & Sustainability Management
Our team of professionals enable senior leadership to leverage this institutional infrastructure to address important questions that drive current performance and future growth.
Our vision is to enable organizations to make decisions through fully connected, real time insight about their context — linking markets, ecosystems, capital, technology, regulation, supply chains, and talent pools and their operating data into a single, living intelligence fabric.
With a commitment to real domain knowledge, continuous intelligence, scenario evaluation and measurable enterprise impact, we aim to help shape a future where decisions are driven not just by data—but by deeply connected, evolving context and understanding.
Leadership
Espalier’s team is led by senior executives of leading companies such as IBM and GE, with extensive backgrounds in business strategy, transformation, data, and analytics. As former C-suite executives, Espalier’s leadership team understands today’s challenge of creating strategic clarity against a backdrop of increasingly complexity.
Dr. Inder Thukral
Managing Partner
Inder is responsible for strategic imperatives for Espalier.
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He has worked extensively with Technology companies and private equity firms in shaping their strategy and growth initiatives. He has been in senior positions with IBM in multiple geographies.
Inder received his PhD from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, MS from University of Rhode Island in the US and a Bachelor’s in engineering from IIT Roorkee, India.
Rajeev Vaid
Managing Partner
Rajeev is responsible for growth imperatives at Espalier.
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Rajeev has worked extensively with Technology and Industrial companies and private equity firms in shaping their strategy and growth initiatives. He has been in senior positions with IBM and Genpact in multiple geographies.
Rajeev received his MBA from Aston Business School, UK and a Bachelor’s in Engineering from IIT Roorkee, India.
Hetal Shah
Partner
Hetal is responsible for technology and product management imperatives at Espalier.
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Hetal has worked extensively with Technology companies and private equity firms in shaping their strategy and growth initiatives. He has experience of working with IBM and Hexaware in multiple geographies.
Hetal received his MBA from Cass Business School, UK and a Bachelor’s in Engineering from University of Mumbai, India.
Gaurav Kshettry
Vice President
Gaurav is responsible for all client services at Espalier.
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Gaurav has worked extensively with Technology and Industrial companies and private equity firms in shaping their strategy and growth initiatives. He has been an entrepreneur in the automotive industry for over a decade.
Gaurav received his MBA from IMI, New Delhi and a Bachelor’s in Arts and Mathematics from St. Stephen’s College, India.
Pawan Kumar
VP Finance and Legal
Pawan is responsible for financial management and legal processes at Espalier.
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A seasoned Finance Professional with over 17 years of experience, Pawan drives financial strategy; his leadership has a proven record of optimizing financial operations and implementing robust reporting systems. As a key member of the executive leadership team, he has a deep understanding of the financial and legal landscape. He ably navigates complex regulatory requirements, provides strategic counsel, ensures organizational compliance, and effectively manages the financial and legal aspects of the business.
Dr. Inder Thukral, Managing Partner
Inder is responsible for strategic imperatives for Espalier.
He has worked extensively with Technology companies and private equity firms in shaping their strategy and growth initiatives. He has been in senior positions with IBM in multiple geographies.
Inder received his PhD from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, MS from University of Rhode Island in the US and a Bachelor’s in engineering from IIT Roorkee, India.
Rajeev Vaid, Managing Partner
Rajeev is responsible for growth imperatives at Espalier.
Rajeev has worked extensively with Technology and Industrial companies and private equity firms in shaping their strategy and growth initiatives. He has been in senior positions with IBM and Genpact in multiple geographies.
Rajeev received his MBA from Aston Business School, UK and a Bachelor’s in Engineering from IIT Roorkee, India.
Hetal Shah, Partner
Hetal is responsible for technology and product management imperatives at Espalier.
Hetal has worked extensively with Technology companies and private equity firms in shaping their strategy and growth initiatives. He has experience of working with IBM and Hexaware in multiple geographies.
Hetal received his MBA from Cass Business School, UK and a Bachelor’s in Engineering from University of Mumbai, India.
Gaurav Kshettry, Vice President
Gaurav is responsible for all client services at Espalier.
Gaurav has worked extensively with Technology and Industrial companies and private equity firms in shaping their strategy and growth initiatives. He has been an entrepreneur in the automotive industry for over a decade.
Gaurav received his MBA from IMI, New Delhi and a Bachelor’s in Arts and Mathematics from St. Stephen’s College, India.
Pawan Kumar, VP Finance and Legal
Pawan is responsible for financial management and legal processes at Espalier.
A seasoned Finance Professional with over 17 years of experience, Pawan drives financial strategy; his leadership has a proven record of optimizing financial operations and implementing robust reporting systems. As a key member of the executive leadership team, he has a deep understanding of the financial and legal landscape. He ably navigates complex regulatory requirements, provides strategic counsel, ensures organizational compliance, and effectively manages the financial and legal aspects of the business.