ETHRWorld | May 31, 2021
31 May 2021, Bangalore / Gurgaon / Austin: Early-stage venture capital firm, YourNest, announced significant changes to its leadership team in preparation for the launch of its forthcoming YourNest Innovative Products VC Fund III. This $75 mn technology-focused fund which will invest in time-enhancing products developed by Indian startups for global markets, will benefit from the experience and expertise of Bangalore-based Venkat Raju, Austin-based Ranjeet Shetye and Mohit Hira from Gurgaon.
While Ranjeet Shetye has been associated with YourNest since 2016 as an investor and has been an integral part of the startup eco-system in USA and India for many years now, Venkat Raju is a well-known serial entrepreneur with two successful exits in Silicon Valley and another out of Bangalore. Mohit Hira has been advising the firm, and some of its portfolio companies, on marketing and brand strategy since 2018.
Speaking about the team, Sunil Goyal, Managing Director, said: “YourNest has been fortunate to have benefited from Satish’s wisdom over several years, and we wish him the very best as he strikes out on his entrepreneurial journey. However, we consider ourselves doubly blessed to have Venkat and Ranjeet joining us with their vast global experience and deep domain knowledge. Mohit has been an integral member of our team and, given his contributions, it was only natural that we redefine his role. Our portfolio founders are sure to benefit immensely from their inputs, and they will also strengthen our third fund.”
As Venture Partners, they replace Satish Mulugavalli who has co-founded RuleZero, a technology platform that automates and manages equity ownership in venture-funded startups. YourNest is partnering with RuleZero as an investor and a Board member, and Satish continues being a mentor for its startups.
Notes to Editors:
Venkat Raju is an active leader in the startup eco-system in India and the US. In India, select roles he has been part of include Member, Target Advisory Board; Advisor, Shell E4 Accelerator Program; Advisor, GE India Edison [X] HealthCare Program; Mentor-In-Residence, Innovationqore (Turbostart); Venture Partner, EntrepreneurFirst; Chief Mentor, T-Hub; Mentor, Netapp Excellerator; Mentor, HPE Startup Catalyst Program and Advisor, Flipkart’s LEAP Accelerator program.
He is also an active Angel Investor and a Mentor & Advisor (or Director) with several startups across multiple technology domains such as AI, Blockchain, AR/VR, IoT, SaaS, Big Data & Analytics, FinTech, HealthTech, EdTech, Cyber & Data Security, EV & Mobility, DeepTech and across several verticals including Financial Services, Retail, Logistics, HealthCare, Telecom, Energy and Transportation.
Venkat has also been a Data Domain practitioner and continues to spend time in the converging AI, Data & Analytics space. Venkat also has deep domain expertise in several verticals including Financial Services, Retail, Technology, and Telecom and has been active in the Blockchain/Crypto domain the past few years. Having seen YourNest and some of its portfolio companies closely, he hopes to “bring a technopreneur’s edge to the portfolio in YourNest Innovative Products VC Fund III.”
Ranjeet Shetye has been actively involved with startups for 25 years now. He has enjoyed his multi-disciplinary experiences, with technology and leadership roles in DeepTech across CyberSecurity, Cloud, Crypto, SaaS, Networking, Telecom, Supply Chains, and allied domains. Startups in which he held pivotal roles were later acquired by companies like Alcatel, Cisco and Marvell.
A deep believer in customer-focussed tech cultures, Ranjeet has vast experience in technology platforms, startup acquisitions, driving innovation based on first principles, scaling country operations for revenue growth, and enterprise pre-sales. With this induction, Ranjeet will transition out of his mentor role in YourNest’s set of mentors.
A veteran advertising, media and marketing professional, Mohit Hira has been deeply involved with YourNest over the last three years. Blending both left- and right-brain skills with hands-on experience in offline and digital platforms, he has worked in global CXO roles in advertising, marketing and media companies including the WPP Group, NIIT, The Times of India Group, Open Magazine and Newsweek. Mohit is also the co-founder of Myriad Partners, an international brand and business network of specialist agencies.
Link: Venkat Raju, Ranjeet Shetye, Mohit Hira join YourNest as Partners