The scion of the Coimbatore-based Pricol group is nothing short of a serial entrepreneur. Even before Vikram Mohan took over the auto ancillary business from his father in 2010, he had been investing in diverse sectors — travel and tourism, paper products and packaging, bio-fertilisers, besides rail and defence equipment. His current passion is now restaurants and boutique hotels. Of the ten businesses, two have shut down, three have been sold and the rest are still run by him. “I always believe in being hands-on and opt for management control in all businesses that I invest in. I incubate businesses and don’t prefer playing the role of a PE or VC investor,” he says. A majority of his investments has gone towards incubating businesses.

Mohan is also passionate about investing in land, which makes up for 25% of his portfolio. “My first love is agriculture. I come from an agrarian family where weekends were spent on my grandfather’s farm,” he says. Today, Mohan owns over 250 acres of agricultural land and is working toward creating sustainable agrarian models and technologies to double farm incomes. 

Happy with a moderate return of 12%, Mohan has allocated a smaller portion towards mutual funds, jewellery and deposits. This investment kitty is managed by a personal portfolio manager. Interestingly, Mohan also invests in art and today owns over 320 pieces of art collection. 

The self-described foodie loves to travel around the world with his wife and has been to 76 countries thus far. “I love to cook. I travel for food and we have made reservations at restaurants three months ahead,” chuckles Mohan. Apart from the portfolio of restaurants he is developing with his daughter, Mohan is excited about the chain of boutique hotels called Dvara, steered by his wife. “We want to develop six to seven bespoke experiential properties showcasing Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It is our labour of love,” reveals Mohan.