Aakash Dattani

Aakash Dattani, Summer Associate 2022, Energy Infrastructure, Mumbai

I have a background in capital markets, and I covered the Indian financial services sector as an Equity Research Associate before I chose to pursue my MBA at the Yale School of Management (Class of 2023) to learn more about the intersection of sustainability and finance. I have always been deeply interested in the rapidly evolving world of investing and the power of capital to catalyse positive change. I strongly resonated with Actis’ investment strategy, which focuses on driving the growth of sustainable infrastructure across the globe. Having grown up in Mumbai, India, I felt that the Summer Associate role with Actis’ Energy Infrastructure Team in India was the perfect amalgamation of my professional pursuits and personal passion for sustainability.

While at Actis as a Summer Associate, I worked closely with the Deal Team in Mumbai. Over the summer, I supported the deal team in evaluating the acquisition of a portfolio of wind and solar assets across different stages of development. This was a tremendous holistic learning experience and allowed me to appreciate the nuances and challenges of investing in ‘hard assets’ and the immense opportunity presented by the country’s burgeoning renewable energy sector. Further, the chance to engage closely with BluPine Energy, Actis’ renewable energy platform company in India, allowed me to learn more about the technological and regulatory considerations associated with investing in renewable energy assets. The most exciting part of the internship, in addition to the live deal experience, was my summer research project, which was centred around utility-scale energy storage and novel power auctions in India. This was an opportunity for me to learn about new frontiers in the Indian renewable energy market and contribute meaningfully to Actis’ future investment efforts.

While I was working from the Mumbai office, I had the chance to engage with Actis employees from across the world, which made me truly appreciate the global scale of Actis’ investment operations. This was made possible by meticulously planned coffee chats with investment professionals and ‘Guru Sessions’ with Actis leaders from different offices. These interactions gave me critical insights into the firm’s culture and investment philosophy. The summer began with a week-long ‘Summer Investment Essentials’ intensive, where I had the chance to interact with fellow summer associates from schools across the globe. Over the summer, we had the opportunity to stay connected through Actis Acts, the firm’s charitable foundation that supports philanthropic activities linked to portfolio companies and charities in markets that Actis invests in. We had the opportunity to engage with Actis portfolio companies across geographies to identify and evaluate possible projects that could benefit from the foundation’s funding. Our Actis Acts team, which comprised four Summer Associates, secured a grant of USD 50,000 for building a rooftop solar plant at a community centre and training local youth in solar EPC works in Jordan. This was the most rewarding part of my experience as a Summer Associate at Actis.

My time as a Summer Associate at Actis allowed me to create a meaningful impact by being part of a team financing the Energy Transition in India, and it gave me unparalleled insights into the investment process and the Indian renewable energy sector. Most importantly, my time at Actis allowed me to grow as an individual, both personally and professionally.