Investor, Venture Capitalist and The Founder of Wink & Nod, Sandeep Prasad

Sandeep Prasad is an accomplished venture capitalist and financial professional who is currently the founder and CEO of Wink & Nod, an innovative sleep-focused firm that offers premium sleeping items for the modern Indian consumer, such as memory foam mattresses and pillows.

Sandeep is a finance expert with experience in both operating and strategy roles. He is a graduate of Carnegie Mellon University’s Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy as well as the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Sandeep has over seven years of experience in private equity and management consulting, and in early 2017, he was working as a Venture Capitalist in the United States. He has gained necessary skills to oversee Wink & Nod’s growth through several employment spanning finance, strategy, and operations over the last few years. His most recent post as COO of the luxury watch startup ‘Kyboe’ in Florida provided him with the ideal training ground for his transition to Wink & Nod’s CEO.

Prior to that, he worked in finance-heavy Investment Banking roles, which taught him how to excel in finance and accounting while also instilling in him the work ethic to put in long hours and pay attention to detail.

Sandeep had always wanted to start his own company. He had some experience establishing an online firm in the United States, so it was all about discovering the correct pain points and taking the risk. Sandeep’s team spent four to five months on research and development before releasing the initial version of their product. In early 2018, Wink & Nod began selling its luxury memory foam mattresses on its website and on Amazon. The products began to fly off the digital shelves, and 5-star reviews began to flood in. Sandeep has also bolstered his management team in the last year, employing a COO, CMO, and CPO from prominent Indian universities, as well as a 25-person team to help speed the company’s growth. Wink & Nod’s market reach has also grown, with the brand being available on Flipkart and Pepperfry. The company intends to expand its presence in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities.