HELLO! Exclusive: Keshav Reddy adds a tech-driven twist to his inherited empire

Looking dapper in a crisp grey suit early in the day, Keshav Reddy’s charm is contagious as he gears up for his shoot with HELLO! at his sea-facing Worli home. A Hyderabad native, Keshav’s Mumbai address paints a pretty picture of his personality—warm, eclectic and welcoming. The pièce de résistance in his living room is an A Ramachandran painting, while an SH Raza occupies a place of pride on a blue wall.

This 32-year-old third-generation scion of GVK Reddy Power and Infrastructure, the grandson of GVK Reddy, is sharp on time and every bit the youth icon he’s recognised as. He knows what it means to carry a legacy forward, and that being grounded is perhaps one of the most charismatic traits of a successful businessperson. Astute and sharp, Keshav is the quintessential young successor—he wears many hats and fulfils every role with panache.

The founder of Equal, a leading data-sharing platform and identity verification aggregator in India, he has helped businesses streamline various security processes, serving over 250 clients nationwide. In just two years, Keshav has taken Equal to great heights, having successfully raised over US$10 million from prominent investors such as Blume, DST Global and Valiant Capital, among others, besides eminent personalities such as Binny Bansal, Karan Adani, Kunal Shah, Nikhil Kamath and Parth Jindal.

Before he became an entrepreneur and investor, Keshav served as vice president at GVK Airports, India’s leading airport operator at the time. There, he managed commercial revenues of an estimated US$150 million and played a key role in stake sales of the airport business worth some US $1 billion.

IT’S ALL IN THE FAMILY

His formative years, Keshav says, involved a steady dose of business discussions all day, every day. “Growing up in a family that built and scaled large enterprises, I was constantly exposed to conversations about innovation, problem-solving and long-term impact,” he adds. “Every dinner and Sunday lunch was filled with business talk, and I always knew I was destined to follow the family gene.”

Keshav’s face lights up when he speaks about his family. “When I’m not working, I love spending time with my family—especially my young children. Watching them grow, play and discover the world is one of my greatest joys.” An admirer of Bill Gates, Warren Buffet and Elon Musk, the young businessman credits his family for imparting some invaluable lessons during his childhood. “One of the most important lessons I learned is resilience with a long-term mindset—challenges are inevitable, but success comes from adapting, pivoting and building for scale and sustainability. Whether it’s Equal, Reddy Ventures, or Aragen Life Sciences [India’s second-largest contract research firm], the focus has always been on creating lasting value rather than chasing short-term wins. Not to forget operational excellence, which is crucial. My family’s businesses have always combined vision with deep execution—a principle I apply across ventures.”

BACK TO THE BEGINNING

Keshav was all of 20 when he started his first entrepreneurial venture, The Indian Brand, an India-inspired clothing brand. “It showed me how a single idea, when nurtured with the right intent and execution, could grow into something transformative. That sense of building for impact has been ingrained in me ever since,” he shares. “Over time, I’ve come to realise that my path lies in merging legacy with innovation. Since then, I’ve launched multiple companies with the same drive and conviction.”

At GVK Airports, where Keshav began his career in the non-aeronautical team, he gradually rose through the ranks, took on additional responsibilities in business development—bidding for new airport projects—and eventually moved into corporate finance, where he led their fundraising efforts. “These diverse experiences shaped me into the entrepreneurial and disciplined executor I am today,” says Keshav, who’s always been passionate about building a company from scratch, “one used daily by hundreds of millions.”

That’s what led him to incubate and become the CEO of Equal, which has grown into India’s largest data-sharing company, handling over a billion transactions annually for 70 million Indians. “Looking back, everything I’ve done led me to this moment. Today, I lead Equal, Aragen Life Sciences, GVK EMRI [the world’s largest ambulance service], and one of India’s leading family offices, Reddy Ventures,” he says with a conviction that’s telling of his hard work.

THE ‘INTELLIGENT’ FUTURE

The thing about far-sighted business scions like Keshav is that their vision is always bigger and broader. Perhaps that’s why Keshav is so deeply invested in artificial intelligence (AI). “We’re entering a new era where intelligence is not just a layer—it’s becoming the operating system,” he says. “My focus is on creating category-defining businesses that embed AI into the fabric of daily life, from financial access to communication, service delivery to decision-making.”

Channelling one of his icons, Elon Musk, Keshav believes AI will change the world of business, “reshape operational efficiency, decisionmaking and consumer experiences.” “At Equal, we view AI as a bridge to greater accessibility—simplifying secure information access and making essential services more user-friendly. Our vision is to develop an AI-driven assistant that empowers 100 million Indians, ensuring that financial, healthcare and digital interactions become more seamless.”

ONE INNOVATION AT A TIME

For Keshav, entrepreneurship is about solving real problems with solutions that facilitate lasting change. He’s drawn to challenges where he can merge technology and infrastructure “to improve lives in meaningful ways.” “With Equal, for instance, we saw an opportunity to revolutionise how financial data is shared in India. Instead of building just another fintech product, we focused on creating a foundational layer—an infrastructure that empowers millions of Indians with seamless financial services. The goal was to build something that not only solves today’s problems but also scales for the future.”

GVK EMRI’s impact on India’s billions is even more direct, as they provide emergency healthcare across both metros and remote villages. “By leveraging tech, optimising operations and collaborating with states, we’ve improved emergency care and saved countless lives,” he says.

LOOKING AHEAD

Keshav’s mission: “Building for India, building from India and building companies that matter.” “India can lead the world not just in tech adoption, but in innovation that’s deeply contextual, inclusive and scalable. Over the next five years, I see myself developing multiple future-focused businesses for India—tech-first ventures that reimagine legacy industries, solve large-scale Indian problems and deliver worldclass user experiences. Through Reddy Ventures, our ambition is to incubate 25 transformative companies this decade. We’ve already launched nine; we’re just getting started.”

It’s evident. Keshav is charged up to make a difference to India’s populace, en route to creating change both in his own right and as a legacy.

Photographs by Ryan Martis