Hey, I’m Porus Daruvala. Entrepreneur and options trader by day, foodie & politics junkie by night!
A LITTLE BIT ABOUT ME
My passion is entrepreneurship. I love solving complex problems and learning new skills . I’m inherently curious about anything and everything (especially technology trends) which is why I strive to stay in the company of people who are smarter than me and more well-informed than me
I trade options for fun and I love politics, sports, foodie and movies. Most importantly, I love spending time with my family and friends drinking some great wine/coffee/single malt.
MY EDUCATION
- FCA, Institute of Chartered Accountants of India
1998, First Attempt - Masters in Business/Commerce, Bombay University
2001, Honors - Bachelors in Business, Bombay University
1997, Honors - Mini MBA, Tuck School of Business, Dartmouth University
2002
TOOLS I AM FAMILIAR WITH
Lean Canvas, InVision, Balsamiq, Aha, Asana, Shibumi, Salesforce, Zendesk, Mailchimp, Mixpanel, Google Analytics, Cyfe, Chargify, Paypal, Stripe, Quickbooks, Ceridian, Jira, Slack, Trello, Jobscore, Angellist, Godaddy, Media Temple, Cyberduck, Unbounce, WordPress, Powtoon, Indiegogo, Dropbox, Box, Office 365, Google Apps, Prott, Cloud-Press (used it to build this site)
WHAT I DO
Think Charlie Croker (played by Mark Wahlberg) in the movie Italian Job. Charlie is a lateral thinker that connects seemingly disparate dots. He’s a meticulous planner and a stickler for execution yet is capable of creative adjustments on the fly in the face of uncertainty or new information. He’s also a loyal, inspirational leader who, being a generalist, is proficient at directing and motivating a team of highly skilled specialists.
While I have some way to go before I am as good as Charlie, I couldnt think of a better way to summarize my core skillset.
AREAS I KNOW A THING OR TWO ABOUT
Business strategy, Product strategy, Growth, Analytics, Fundraising, Corporate governance, Budgeting, Accounting, Taxation, Financial modelling, Cash flow management, Recruitment, Compensation structuring, Payroll management, Team building and leadership, CRM, Project management, Pricing, New company formation (US and India), Employee management, Outsourcing, Freelancing, Business development, Dispute resolution, C-Suite advisory services
INDUSTRIES I HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO
Financial Services, Professional services, Power, Retail, Shipping, Telecom, Chemicals, Pharma, Private Equity, Wholesale Distribution, IT, Travel, Non Profits, Startups
STUFF I AM CURRENTLY LEARNING
Trading options, swimming, advanced excel, prototyping
Experience
TECH STARTUPS
10SCAPE – Co-Founder
2012 – Present
PLANITWIDE – Co-Founder
2012 – Present
TRAVERSE – Co-Founder
2016 – Present
My Startup Ideas
One of my hobbies is to maintain a Trello board with business ideas that I think have potential and which I would like to bring to life when I have more time and resources. Below are the broad categories these ideas fall into. If you are interested in learning more about these ideas and working with me to make them a reality, feel free to give me a shout and I will grant you access to the board
Productivity/Optimization
9 IdeasArtificial Intelligence
2 IdeasSocial
2 IdeasKids and Infants
2 IdeasFood/Restaurants
2 IdeasNon Profit/Government
2 IdeasHealthcare
1 IdeaEducation
1 IdeaMovies, TV and Books
1 IdeaTravel
2 Ideas
Venkatesh SrinivasanMD-Private Equity @ Everstone Capital
I have known Porus for more than 13 years since we first worked together at McKinsey. Since then we have collaborated on a number of projects across the years. And have also become close friends in the process. Porus has always exemplified three outstanding strengths to me; 1) A sharp analytical mind which he applies extremely well to problem solving in different contexts 2) Phenomenal work ethic and drive especially in difficult situations needing tenacity to see things through to the end 3) Rock solid integrity and a sense of duty and fairness to all stakeholders. I have learned from his no-nonsense readiness to say and do the difficult things that need to be said and done and enjoyed every interaction personal and professional we have had. I’m sure Porus will put these qualities to work with great effect in anything he takes up.
Lee PachiaProducer, Publisher & Media Consultant
Porus has an incredible breadth of knowledge and experience. More importantly, he has an inquisitive mind and passion for trying new things. I consider these vital traits for success in a global economy that seems to be changing by the day.
Anuja KhemkaPhilanthropy Consultant
I have known Porus for more than 7 years in a personal and professional capacity. Porus has a perceptive and analytical mindset which has consistently helped me with problem solving around complex issues surrounding my business. He has provided strategic value that has enhanced the scope of my impact resulting in increased revenue. Furthermore, he gave me valuable insight into growing my client base and promote my marketing efforts. On the personal front, I have never met anyone with more integrity, kindness and good heartedness. Porus is an asset to any team he is part of. You are always in a better place after having consulted with him.
Malik ChamdawalaMANAGING DIRECTOR @ ADAMIS VENTURES PVT. LTD.
I have known Porus for more than 25 years as a close friend and professionally. Porus is a calm, confident and extremely self-assured person. As a consultant, he was a stoic support system. He was meticulous in his research and studied the retail market and its trends in fine detail and astutely pointed out our shortcomings as well as strengths. Most importantly, he was able to convey in simple and candid terms what needed to be done moving forward. It has indeed been a pleasure to work with Porus.
