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Firefly, from the inside

Different minds. One living system.

Firefly brings together science, design, cultivation and engineering, different ways of seeing and working towards one integrated whole. The job is not to defend a discipline. It is to make the whole system work better.

2012Founded
4Connected systems
1Shared field of view
Members of the Firefly leadership team
Firefly Life SciencesScience, design, cultivation and engineering.

How it started

A company grew into an ecosystem.

From the beginning, Firefly has held one belief: ecological responsibility has to work economically, or it rarely lasts.

Founded in 2012 as an initiative of Connect Ventures, Firefly started with nanotechnology and agriculture. The work widened because sites refused to behave like separate departments. Soil affected water. Water affected planting. Waste could become energy. Design changed how people cared for all of it.

Today, Firefly works across regenerative agriculture, living water, clean energy and green habitats, joining technology, field practice and ecological design into systems that can be operated, measured and improved, then gradually handed back to nature to sustain and regenerate itself.

2012Agriculture + technologyNowFour connected systems

The multidisciplinary advantage

The site does not care which department the problem belongs to.

So Firefly starts with the site, not the service menu.

ScienceEvidence-led thinkingDesignEngineered solutionsNatural regenerationNature takes overField practiceOn-ground maintenance
Start hereThe site

The core team

Many disciplines.
No silos.

Strategy, fieldwork, communication and design stay closely connected, so ideas move seamlessly from thinking to execution.

Shiva Subramanian

Shiva Subramanian

Managing Director & Co-Founder

Connects business strategy, sustainable growth and people.

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Nandita Abreo

Nandita Abreo

Director & Co-Founder

Connects ecological design, circular systems and human wellbeing.

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Priya C. Mahalingashetty

Priya C. Mahalingashetty

Director

Turns regenerative practice into carefully delivered work on the land.

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Rahul Kuttappa

Rahul Kuttappa

Engineering & Technical Lead

Makes ecological designs work through practical engineering.

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Ar. Raveen Kumar R

Ar. Raveen Kumar R

Architect & Design Lead

Carries ecological intent from the first sketch to the finished site.

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Ranjitha CN

Ranjitha CN

Architectural Designer

Brings precision, thoughtful detailing and green design together.

Bhabana Basumatary

Bhabana Basumatary

Project & Design Associate

Keeps design grounded in plant science and living ecosystems.

Operations & support

The people who keep it moving.

Hari Santhosh

Hari Santhosh

Administrative Head

Keeps day-to-day operations coordinated and dependable.

Shanmugam

Shanmugam

Senior Accounts Manager

Brings experience and continuity to compliance and accounts.

Kalavathi

Kalavathi

Accounts Manager

Keeps the financial details clear, accurate and accounted for.

The wider network

No single expert can see the whole ecosystem.

Firefly works with specialists who know their subject deeply and are willing to connect it to everything around it.

Dr. Manivel
Consultant Tea

Dr. Manivel

Horticulture and plant physiology expertise, with more than 20 years working with tea research institutions in northern and southern India.

Mark Garrett
Permaculture Design Consultant

Mark Garrett

Designs practical sustainability solutions for tropical and subtropical settings. Firefly’s team trained in permaculture design with Mark.

Naveen Masagi
Water Conservation Practitioner

Naveen Masagi

Works on practical rainwater harvesting and water-efficiency methods that help homes, farms and institutions become more water secure.

Dr. Sandanamudi Anudeep
Chief Scientist

Dr. Sandanamudi Anudeep

Trained in molecular biology, with doctoral research at CSIR-CFTRI. His work spans food, nutrition, microbiology, polymers and functional materials.

Gilles Boulicot
Integrated water systems

Gilles Boulicot

Experience across water-body rejuvenation, sanitation and sustainable water management in 23 countries.

Kenneth Blades
Founder, KJB Agro

Kenneth Blades

Shares practical knowledge of income-enhancing fruit crops with growers and communities, drawing on nursery experience and international training.

Prashanth Aiyappa
Regenerative plantations

Prashanth Aiyappa

More than 25 years managing coffee, tea and spice plantations in South India and East Africa.

Apoorva B. V.
Director, Honey Day Bee Farms · Chairman, Hive Trust

Apoorva B. V.

Connects people to nature through beekeeping, supporting rural livelihoods and pollinator conservation, including at Firefly’s farms.

Rani K. C
Project Scientist

Rani K. C

Combines environmental science, microbiology and biotechnology, with research focused on nutraceutical formulations and environmental protection.

Adip Sajjan Raj
Managing Director, ADA India & Stillwater Aquatics

Adip Sajjan Raj

A direct student of Takashi Amano, Adip connects aquascaping, aquatic engineering and large-scale aquarium design to Firefly’s living landscapes.

Innovation at Firefly

Where curiosity becomes capability.

Research matters most when it changes what can happen on the ground.

01

Agricultural microbiology

Microbial and bio-based tools designed around crop, soil and local ecology.

02

Renewables & green tech

Biomethanation and living water systems that recover value instead of moving waste elsewhere.

03

Biophilic design

Built environments shaped with planting, water, light and natural patterns, rather than decorated with nature afterwards.

04

Agricultural practice

Working farms and estates used as places to test, learn, demonstrate and improve.

05

Food & value addition

Better processing and products that create more value from an agricultural crop.

06

Bio-based materials

Useful alternatives designed to return safely to the soil at the end of their life.

Partners

Expertise that strengthens the work.

Synkromax logo

Microbial science

Synkromax

About the partnership

Biotechnology research and manufacturing expertise in Chennai, supporting Firefly through microbial science, technical guidance and formulation knowledge.

BioEn logo

Waste to energy

BioEn

About the partnership

Biomethanation and waste-to-value expertise, working with Firefly on integrated systems that make better use of organic resources.

MN Overseas logo

Tea-sector expertise

MN Overseas

About the partnership

Led by Navendu Mathur, bringing decades of tea-sector experience and supporting Firefly’s work in northeast India’s tea market.

Still Water Aquatics logo

Living water & aquatic systems

Still Water Aquatics

About the partnership

Aquatic engineering and water-system expertise that strengthens Firefly’s work across living water and biophilic landscapes.

ZSP logo

Architecture & design

ZSP

About the partnership

Architecture and design that bring aesthetics, practical function and wellbeing together for shared clients.

Phitons logo

Compostable materials

Phitons

About the partnership

Bioengineering focused on alternatives to conventional plastics, established in 2019 in response to the global plastics challenge.

Company of India logo

Products & market access

Company of India

About the partnership

Connects food and lifestyle products to markets through curation, certification support, branding, design and product placement.

PHD logo

Health & wellbeing

PHD

About the partnership

Potential Health Development brings together lifestyle, fitness, nutrition, diagnostics and research in an integrated approach to wellbeing.

Panchabhuta Conservation Foundation logo

Ecology & communities

Panchabhuta Conservation Foundation

About the partnership

A community NGO near Karnataka’s Aghanashini estuary, working to conserve ecology, preserve local culture and support sustainable development.

The next useful conversation

Bring us the site, not a perfect brief.

Tell us what is under pressure. Firefly will help connect the parts and find a practical place to begin.

Start a conversation ↗