Sapan Karia

About Sapan Karia

I am a generalist with a unique blend of experience in investment banking, fintech, and now crossborder commerce. Over the past 8 years, I have worked around capital markets, IPOs, debt, revenue based financing, and crossborder commerce. I have worn multiple hats throughout my career. Finally gathered enough conviction and am currently building for the crossborder ecosystem. A brief on my journey before this and how I started.Investment banking journey (4.5 Years):In my initial 4.5 years, I honed my skills in investment banking, navigating complex due diligence of SMEs and making them IPO-ready. Besides, I have also assisted in structuring private investment deals. I gained valuable insights into financial markets and developed a keen understanding of primary markets.Fintech journey with Klub (2.5 Years):Venturing into fintech, I joined Klub as an early team member, a market leader in revenue based financing helping consumer brands with growth capital. I started as a professional sourcing and closing deals and moved to a pod lead/ program manager role in a matrix structure managing the flagship capital product \'Klub Gro\' while overlooking business development, risk, operations, etc. while also closing the top 10 largest investments at Klub from the credit fund. Crossborder commerce at Klub (last role):I was a part of a 3 member core team that was building a 0-1 inside Klub in crossborder commerce. We scaled the team to 40+ people across Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Dubai. We help brands & exporters from India scale in the MENA, USA, UK, and EU geographies. I looked after business development, supply chain, logistics, and regulatory matters. Brief side hustle by founding Dayspring FoodsWhile working with an investment bank, I developed an interest in consumer brands and built a brand in Indian superfoods. Could not scale it beyond the first few thousand customers primarily because of lack of risk-taking capability. This experience helped me understand the pain points of the founders and thus develop a lot of empathy for businesses irrespective of their scale. I share an interest in finance, fintech, consumer brands, and crossborder commerce. Always looking to connect with interesting people. I can be reached out at s••••••••@gmail.com

Experience

1. Co-founder

   Trad

   Apr 2025 — Present

   Building infrastructure for cross-border trade.

Education

• The Institute of Company Secretaries of India

  Company Secretary, Banking, Corporate, Finance, and Securities Law

• Indian School of Business

  Business Administration and Management, General

• Chartered Financial Analyst

  CFA - Level 1 Candidate, Finance, General

  2019 — 2020

• INSEAD

  Immersion from Indian School of Business, Global Strategy

• Saint Mary's School, Porbandar

  HSC, Accounting and Business/Management

  2006 — 2011

• Gujarat University

  Bachelor's degree, Business/Commerce, General

  2011 — 2014