This 29-Year-Old Serial Entrepreneur Is Helping World To Move Towards 5th Industrial Revolution Pratik Gauri is helping Fortune 500 companies to go from for-profit to for-benefit

Remember the first time you saw a Lamborghini on the Internet, and your reaction was, "What a car!" However, soon the reality dawned upon you as you learnt the price of that exquisite car and made peace with a much affordable one.

Yes, we all have been there. However, the same cannot be said about Pratik Gauri, a serial entrepreneur who recently represented India at the World Economic Forum in Davos and United Nations in New York, among numerous accolades. He is also spearheading the transition from the industrial revolution 4 to industrial revolution 5 (IR5).

Gauri had a similar dream of owning a Lamborghini, but unlike us, he never let the price tag lay hold of his dream. Now, 13 years later, when he is 29, he has founded eight startups which are impacting millions of lives positively and are collectively valued at INR 200 crore-plus with revenue in multiple crores.

Beginning

Gauri at an early age was fascinated by sharp-minded entrepreneurs like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk. Unlike others, he didn't long for the millions they earned, but the vision they had behind companies that were positively impacting billions of lives. He knew he had in him what was required to change the world. So at the age of 16, he started his first startup and thus began his entrepreneurial journey. His main aim was to make a positive impact on millions of lives across the world.

"I was very clear from day one that I wanted to only start companies which create impact and make the world a better place," Pratik said.

During his journey, he worked with Fortune 500 brands such as Reckitt Benckiser and also ran a $50 million line for Tata Sky by running their trade sales for Delhi. However, he decided to leave his cushy job, and apply his learning to entrepreneurship to solve social problems.

Gauri now wears multiple hats; he is the India President of 5th Element Group—a global impact management consultancy, India Host of TV shows - FINTECH.TV and TheIMPACT, Global Youth Lead of Dream Tank - worldwide 1 billion youth movement, Co-Founder of Let's Do This - India's flagship GTM engine, Co-Founder of Alt Ctrl - a blockchain-enabled platform, Co-Founder of Let's Go Social - a creative marketing agency, Co-Founder of India Needs You - a leadership movement, Co-Founder of GlasTic - a zero-waste B2B glassware solutions brand, and has held executive positions with the Tata Group.

Spearheading 5th Industrial Revolution

Gauri believes that it's time for the world to transition into the 5th industrial revolution. He is trying to uproot a long-believed idea among entrepreneurs that profits and purpose cannot co-exist. Gauri with his portfolio companies since the age of 16 has proven that one can make more profits if they have a purpose.

Currently, he has been helping Fortune 500 companies go from for-profit to for-benefit. This, according to him, is the 5th industrial revolution. He believes that when one works at the intersection of profits and impact, then the person or that company will generate more profits.

This idea has not only inspired Gauri, but has also attracted academia, family offices, ultra-high net worth individuals, celebrities, and intellectuals from around the world with a belief that "together we can and we will'.

Under his capacity as India Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of 5th Element Group, he took Harpic Mission Paani, a clean drinking water initiative, to the World Economic Forum in Davos. Gauri and his team helped create a widely watched show, Some Good News by John Krasinki, which was later acquired by Viacom media. As a founder of Let's Do This, he is helping Karim's Mughlai food chain scale nationally and globally.

COVID-19 Impact

According to Gauri, the ongoing pandemic has helped him propel his mission to create the 5th industrial revolution.

"People now realize the importance of health/climate more than ever and this will help transition us from 4IR to 5IR quickly," he added.

As all of his portfolio companies are in the 5th industrial revolution space, his revenues and valuations have increased.

"We are trying to reduce the "Six Degrees of Separation' to "Three or even less' today and believe this should help us grow manifolds in the coming years and simultaneously impact billions of lives globally. At the heart of all my plans remains "purpose'." Gauri said.

Future Plans

Gauri's main target is to impact billions of lives positively. Apart from this, he wants to build multiple unicorn startups with revenue generation of more than INR 1,000 crore. By creating omniwin (win-win) solutions between private sector, government, non-profit, and family offices, he wants to help achieve United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

With offices in 6 countries right now, he plans to have a presence and offices across 20-25 countries over next five years through their global brain trust network and help Indian impact startups to expand globally and foreign impact startups to expand in India.