Ravi Mhatre
| Ravi Mhatre | |
|---|---|
 Ravi Mhatre Headshot | |
| Born | |
| 🏡 Residence | San Francisco, California |
| 🏫 Education | BS, BA, Stanford University, Electrical Engineering and Economics, 1989 |
| 🎓 Alma mater | Stanford University |
| 💼 Occupation | |
Ravi Mhatre is an American venture capitalist. He’s a founder of Lightspeed Venture Partners, a business that began operations in 1999. With a background in technology, he often focuses his investments on IT-related startups.
In over 20 years as a venture capitalist, Mhatre has brought multiple companies to acquisition and IPO. He attributes his success to his passion for technology, his adaptability, and his constant willingness to reinvent himself.
About[edit]
Ravi Mhatre comes from a unique family background, a fact that’s had a significant impact on his business career. While his mother was a native of Brooklyn, New York, his father was an immigrant from India. Not only was his family distinctly multicultural, but it also made a habit of constantly moving. During his childhood, Mhatre lived on three different continents. Far from destabilizing the future businessman, this hectic upbringing gave him the resilience and flexibility that later proved vital to his career.
Mhatre has stated that his time abroad as a child allowed him to understand people from different backgrounds and cultures. Experiencing all the different ways people can think and feel gave him a broader understanding of human behavior. This widened perspective has proven essential throughout his career in technology and venture capital.
Education[edit]
Already strengthened by a practical education from a childhood spent abroad, Mhatre went on to gain a top-notch formal education at Stanford University. He started by receiving a Bachelor of Arts in economics and a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering. This might seem like an eclectic combination, but it reflects the two primary interests of Mhatre’s life. An understanding of technology and money matters would later lead him to become a premier venture capitalist in the world of tech-related startups.
Mhatre remained at Stanford for his graduate studies, earning a Master of Business Administration. This final honor gave him the rounded portfolio and deep well of knowledge necessary for launching a successful business career.
Career[edit]
Once Mhatre had completed his studies, he began a career in technology. His first stop was at Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked as a management consultant. From there, he took on a gig as a product manager at Silicon Graphics. During those early years, he also worked as a software engineer for BDIS in Silicon Valley. This hands-on experience gave him an up-close look at the types of technology companies that would later become the focus of his investments.
In 1999, Ravi Mhatre took the step that would define the rest of his career: He joined other partners in founding Lightspeed Venture Partners, a group he’s worked with ever since. Over 20 years later, he remains the managing director. It’s from his position at Lightspeed that Mhatre makes his investing decisions.
Investments[edit]
Since founding Lightspeed Venture Partners, Mhatre has focused on venture capital. During his many years as an investor, he’s helped countless founders achieve their goals. He’s also sat on the boards of several successful companies. For four years, he sat on the board of directors at Totality, a company eventually acquired by Verizon. He spent six years on the board of directors at Kosmix before the company was acquired by Walmart. He also sat on the boards of AppDynamics and Mulesoft for nine years and 11 years, respectively.
Mhatre continues to actively direct several companies today. He remains on the boards of directors at Nutanix and Thoughtspot, and he serves as the sole director of Rubrik. At each of these entities, his decades of experience reinforce his competence and sense of judgment.
Throughout his investing career, Mhatre has focused on IT companies. This proclivity stems from his genuine passion for technology. He contends that he views tech the way some people see golf or gardening. It’s more a hobby than a business, and he never stops getting excited about the latest developments. This genuine excitement about his work has doubtlessly contributed to his consistent success.
Mhatre’s track record as an investor is impeccable. Not only has he managed to bring over 12 companies to acquisition, he’s carried five to IPO. This success owes itself both to his genuine passion and his dynamic approach. Mhatre has consistently argued that life is about reinvention. Since his early days as a child on the move, he’s seen the importance of adaptability. In his career, he makes a point of remaining open to reinvention. By changing with the times, he can put himself in a position to build further success.
Mhatre encourages this same dynamic mindset in the founders he supports. He recognizes that companies rely on the people who run them, and he sees personal transitions as the key to long-term success. If a founder is willing to reinvent themselves when challenges arise, no obstacle will be insurmountable. By transmitting this idea to fellow founders, he helps them make the most of their ideas.
For Mhatre, growth and change define the world of venture capital. This mindset remains at the center of all his activities as an investor. When he funds a company, he pushes the founders to maintain a dynamic approach. When he wants to add another partner to Lightspeed Venture Partners, he looks for someone who will give the firm a forward push.
After several decades working in technology and venture capital, Ravi Mhatre knows a thing or two about how to make progress. What sets him apart is that he brings everyone around him along for the ride.
References[edit]
- F6S Professional Profile
- Ravi Interview
- Inspirery Interview
- Medium Account
- Fortune - 3 Top VCs on How They Value Crypto Startups in a Tumultuous Market
- TechCrunch - Lightspeed's Co-Founders on Their 17-Year-Long Overnight Success Story
