Akshai is a multi-award-winning creative entrepreneur. His entrepreneurial adventures began during his pre-teens; collaborating with his neighbour’s grandmom to sell jell-o in disposable cups. Trading desserts for food coupons at boarding school and many lemonade stands down the line, here’s the journey so far…
2004
Fresh out of college in 2004, Akshai moved to London and stumbled upon an advert on Craiglist – the opportunity to manage Surinder Sandhu, creator of the Saurang Orchestra, which featured guitar legend Steve Vai, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and a plethora of illustrious collaborators.
2005
Bitten by the bug, in 2005, he quit his day job at the luxury retail store, Harrods in London, and immersed himself in the world of media and entertainment.
2006
In 2006, Akshai moved to India, after a compelling vision that appeared during one of his daily meditations. Akshai teamed up with a friend to set up “Some Place Else” and “Only Saturdays” – a nightclub and restaurant complex in Mumbai, partnered by Bollywood icons Dharmendra and Bobby Deol.
2007
In 2007, his work led to him being shortlisted among India’s Top 20 Young Creative Entrepreneurs to attend the British Council’s “Creative Future” program; a fully-funded course at the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore. Akshai consequently founded Axyz Music International, Rebirth Records and Amazon Agency.
2008
In 2008, with operations in India and South East Asia, Axyz Music International grew into a globally active group of companies involved in all stages of the music economy – from development to delivery. Its operations include audio and video content distribution spanning 26 countries, consulting for lifestyle brands, promoting concerts with pop icons like Akon, DJs like Armin Van Buuren, and even the Vienna Chamber Orchestra.
2009
In 2009, Akshai’s contribution to the music industry was recognised by a nomination for the British Council’s “Young Music Entrepreneur of the Year” award, which was supported by Rolling Stone Magazine.
2010
In 2010, he decided to switch gears and add value to those beyond the well heeled. Bringing live music, art and entertainment to the people of his city by setting up a nonprofit institution that organizes these events in public spaces – The Bandstand Culture Society, set up with Stuart Da Costa, under the aegis of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and the Indian Ministry of Tourism.
Simultaneously, in 2010, the first edition of The TiLT Festival & Conference went live. It was one of the first Indian festivals featured at the prestigious International Music Summit, Ibiza. Presenting the bold, young, contemporary face of India to the world. The TiLT has now evolved into a platform that presents India’s new avatar. ‘India’ is the buzzword on everyone’s lips these days, it is, however, of critical importance to understand the youth and the culture of this unique nation first. The TiLT is a pop-up showcase celebrating Indian youth and subculture, but in the spirit of greater Indian culture. A forum to share ideas and meet young leaders driving the opportunities presented by India’s phenomenal growth. The TiLT has previously been invited to Mumbai, New Delhi, Abu Dhabi (2016) and Berlin (2017).
2011
Akshai joined 
in 2009, for 3 years, setting up and headed the Culture Marketing function with help of 3 National Brand, Communications and Event managers, as part of the transition from importer setup to a wholly-owned subsidiary. In 2010 and 2011, his pioneering work was recognised with two ‘Global Best Practice’ awards.
2014
In 2014, Akshai decided to shake things up and embarked on creating an organisation with the big picture in mind. With the twofold aim of creating the bridge between creative and corporate worlds, as well as inspiring the average Indian to explore their creative side. The resulting entity, Unalome Consulting Pvt. Ltd. (operating under the name ‘TTOGETHER: Disruptive X Culture Marketing‘) literally brings ttogether people from all walks of life, and all his prior initiatives under one roof. With a cumulative base of almost 100 corporate and creative clients, it’s a good start to rewiring us for a new India.
2015
In 2015, Akshai broke the glut of youth-driven music festivals in India. Co-founding the mammoth ‘10 Heads Festival‘ – India’s first multidimensional family festival. The debut edition in October 2015 had 30,000 attendees experiencing it’s unique mix of music, food, magic & illusion, shopping, pop culture and technology showcases.
2016
In 2016, Akshai co-founded ‘Hariyalee’, a passionate family-run enterprise committed to preserving exotic heirloom vegetable species, using only vedic and chemical-free farming techniques at our farms on the outskirts of Bangalore.
Hariyalee’s business verticals now include a farmers market, organic vegetables, processed food products, and a pop-up restaurant.
https://www.facebook.com/hariyaleefarms
http://hariyaleeseeds.com/