Times Group launches ‘ET Foundry’; Sruthijith KK & Visvanathan Sathappan to lead initiative

New Delhi: The Times Group has announced the launch of ET Foundry under The Economic Times brand.

The ET Foundry initiative aims to create a platform comprising a family office venture network, an experiential space at the VT office, and event, podcast, and video-led programming designed to connect family offices with emerging Gen AI startups.

The Economic Times will act as a key facilitator between family offices and early-stage startups.

Internally referred to as the "ETF Project," the initiative will be spearheaded by Sruthijith KK, Executive Editor of The Economic Times, and Visvanathan Sathappan, who will step down from his current role as Director – Brand Capital South to co-lead the project.

Sathappan will be based out of the Mumbai office, effective April 1, 2025.

In an internal note, Sivakumar Sundaram, CEO (Publishing) and Executive Director, Bennett, Coleman & Co., stated that the Indian startup and funding ecosystem has evolved significantly over the past two years.

“While Gen AI is reshaping startup business models, family offices have become increasingly prominent in startup funding. ET continues to play an important role in the Indian venture ecosystem. Being featured in ET is seen as critical by both early-stage ventures and unicorns preparing to go public,” Sundaram said.