Our Story
Guide & Mentor started as a conversation between a father and a son: two people who had spent years giving the same advice to others, long before they decided to give it together.
Sanjiv had mentored students and young professionals for decades, watching the same pattern repeat itself. The ones who went on to build genuinely fulfilling lives were rarely the ones with the most polished applications. They were the ones who understood themselves well enough to choose with conviction. Lakshya, building businesses across very different industries, kept noticing the same thing from a different vantage point. Friends and their families turned to him not for answers, but for help thinking clearly through their own.
When they compared notes, the overlap was hard to ignore. A father who had spent his career developing people. A son who had spent his skill spotting opportunities where others saw only risk. Different instincts, same conviction: students are rarely short on ambition. What they lack is clarity, about who they are, what they value, and what kind of future would genuinely fit them.
That conviction became Guide & Mentor. Not a consultancy that processes applications, but a partnership built around a simple belief: that the right decisions follow naturally once a student truly understands themselves, and that no one should have to figure that out alone.
The Guide and The Mentor
One has built businesses. One has built leaders. Together, they help students build their future.
Lakshya Kaura
Guide
Lakshya’s journey has never followed a conventional path, and that’s exactly what makes him uniquely qualified to help students find their own.
A graduate of Princeton University, Lakshya began exploring entrepreneurship long before college. While still in middle school, he founded the I-Cube Science Club, an initiative dedicated to promoting scientific thinking among young students. The venture eventually grew and was later acquired.
After graduating from Princeton, Lakshya worked in California before making the conscious decision to return to India to build and contribute closer to home. Since then, he has worn many hats—entrepreneur, investor, educator, mentor, and business builder.
His experience spans financial markets, where he partnered in an algorithmic trading firm focused on generating alpha for high-net-worth portfolios, as well as hospitality, where he helps run a successful homestay business that serves guests from around the world.
Over the years, one theme has remained constant: helping people make better decisions. Whether advising friends on university choices, guiding students through career dilemmas, or helping families think through important life decisions, Lakshya has developed a reputation for asking the right questions and bringing clarity to complex situations.
At Guide & Mentor, his role is not to tell students what they should become. Instead, he helps them understand themselves better, discover opportunities they may not have considered, and build a path that is authentic to who they are.
Sanjiv Kaura
Mentor
Sanjiv Kaura believes that education is not merely about gaining admission into a prestigious university. It is about discovering one’s purpose, building character, and developing the confidence to create meaningful impact in the world.
A graduate of Shri Ram College of Commerce (SRCC), one of India’s most respected institutions, and an alumnus of the Harvard Kennedy School, where he pursued studies in Public Policy and Happiness, Sanjiv has spent his life at the intersection of leadership, education, business, and social impact.
Over a distinguished career spanning several decades, he has held leadership positions across industries and geographies, including serving as CEO of ICI Africa, where he led large-scale operations across the continent. Today, he serves as the CEO of The Times of India Group’s Corporate Social Responsibility division, where he continues to drive initiatives focused on education, youth development, and nation-building.
Beyond the boardroom, Sanjiv’s journey reflects a deep commitment to service and personal growth. In support of the Right to Education movement, he undertook an extraordinary cycling expedition from Kashmir to Kanyakumari, engaging with communities across the country and advocating for every child’s right to quality education. At the age of 42, he joined the Territorial Army, demonstrating his belief that growth, service, and learning should continue throughout life.
For many years, Sanjiv has been a trusted mentor to students, young professionals, entrepreneurs, and leaders. His guidance has helped students secure admission to some of the world’s most competitive institutions, including Ivy League universities and Oxbridge colleges, while also helping professionals navigate career transitions, leadership challenges, and personal growth journeys.
At Guide & Mentor, Sanjiv serves as more than a counsellor or advisor. He serves as a mentor in the truest sense of the word—helping students and families navigate important decisions, broaden their perspective, and build lives defined not only by achievement, but by purpose, contribution, and fulfilment.
