Pushpak Kedia

I grew up in a typical “Marwari” (trader community in India) household where entrepreneurship was the only valid profession. Dinner conversations revolved around “byaaj” (interest payments) and “munafa” (profit), and calculating taxes was a party trick you were taught much before the fifth grade. 

I’ve been in Bangalore all my life and have seen the city evolve from a quaint, green city to the action-packed megapolis it has become today. And yet, thanks to the internet, I feel like a global citizen. 

I learned about startups and venture capital through blog posts and podcasts and decided at the age of 19 that I wanted to be a venture capitalist without even knowing what it meant or what I was signing up for. I just knew that the opportunity to work with great entrepreneurs and their companies could be thrilling. After university, I called many venture firms, only to be shooed away for having no experience, but also because I did not come from a name school. 

Much of my professional career has been the outcome of the unbounded generosity of people. I landed my first job in consulting through a cold email. There was no reason for them to meet with me as I did not meet their hiring profile and yet they did, altering my trajectory forever. I remain deeply indebted to them and hope to extend similar kindness to others.  

Working with early-stage companies is a privilege bar none. Often, we meet companies when they have nothing more than the blurry contours of a powerful idea, and it is an honor to help co-build something enduring brick by brick.