Hey, I’m Maneesh.

I’m a passionate entrepreneur who has navigated the ups-and-downs of business leadership across every angle–from starting alone to building & managing a 100+ team, from bootstrapping to raising capital, from a successful exit to pivoting a business.

Early in my life, I came to understand the value in building & nurturing relationships. Today, I am deeply networked and I leverage those relationships not just for my personal endeavors but also in support of others. I am most comfortable in the weeds, sleeves-rolled-up. Decades of this has provided me with a true entrepreneurial perspective and acumen.

In 2002, I founded my first business: the eponymous MKG, an event marketing agency. I bootstrapped the business, ultimately growing it to $30M in revenue from blue-chip clients over the 15+ years I oversaw the company. Under my leadership, MKG became known as an industry-leader and one of the most highly-regarded creative agencies focused on brand experience. I later vertically integrated MKG by also founding the design & fabrication workshop Pink Sparrow.

In the Fall of 2019, MKG & Pink Sparrow were wholly acquired by a holding company, where they continue to thrive today.

In 2021, I fulfilled a lifelong-held dream to open an Indian restaurant with SONA. The vision for SONA was clear: elevate the experience of dining with Indian food in America. The launch was a rousing success achieving worldwide recognition in publications ranging from a stellar restaurant review in The New York Times to a feature in Architectural Digest. I later launched SONA Home to allow consumers to, quite literally, purchase the SONA experience and enjoy it at home.

A lover of bar culture, in Fall of 2021, I also reimagined and relaunched one of New York’s most iconic bars, Temple Bar, which continues to be one of New York’s most sought-after rooms. You’ll often find him in the lounge of Temple Bar, sipping a salt-and-pepper martini.

My latest endeavor is Passerine, an Indian restaurant for New York by New Yorkers, which opened in the Fall of 2024 to great acclaim.

My entrepreneurial spirit is inspired by my father. As a young child, while carrying a full-time job, my father opened the very first Indian restaurant in the state of Texas, just 3 months after I was born. Having spent my formative years in that restaurant, I witnessed the grit of a founder first-hand. I also learned a lot about identity, and how to be proud of your own self.

I am an active angel investor and enjoy working with and supporting Founders & Entrepreneurs along their journeys.

I currently sit on the Board of New York City Tourism and is am active supporter of City Harvest, where I am a member of the Food Council.

I hold a Bachelor’s degree from Duke and a Master’s degree from Yale. Immediately after graduate school, I started my career in the nonprofit sector, where I continue to spend much time through Board service. Previous Board seats include the Stonewall Community Foundation, the Empire State Pride Agenda, the SeriousFun Children’s Network, the national board of Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, to which I was twice appointed by President Barack Obama.

I live in New York City with my husband and two young children.