About Gautam

I've spent my entire career immersed in the world of startups; leading one as a CEO and backing dozens of companies as an investor. My journey is rooted in the story of the American Dream—my parents immigrated to the United States and taught me to seize every opportunity. Growing up, I shared a 3 bedroom house with 9 others. Scarcity was a great teacher; I developed a knack for selling—whether it was pencils in the second grade or building an eBay business in high school, the drive to create and build was always there. Those early experiences set me on a path to become a lifelong builder and entrepreneur. Most recently, I helped to build and lead the Velocity Fund at TCV, focusing on investments at the Series A to C stage. My partner and I launched a $460M Fund 1 in 2021 - built entirely from the ground-up. Over the past 3 years, we quickly established a brand within the early stage ecosystem and invested in 15 companies across several sectors. My journey into entrepreneurship began with my passion for nutrition, which led me to found NatureBox, a digitally native snack brand. I was inspired to start the company by my personal transformation—losing 70 lbs in 6 months through a deeper understanding of nutrition. NatureBox (acquired by Hungry) grew to attract millions of customers and achieved over 40% brand awareness across the country. While we celebrated many successes, I also learned valuable lessons through the challenges of scaling, managing teams, and navigating the ups and downs of raising capital. Before TCV, I was a Partner at M13 Ventures, where I led investments across marketplace, consumer subscription, and B2B2C business models. My venture capital career began at General Catalyst when I was 18 years old. I was fortunate to be part of the team that scaled the firm from a small operation to one with a global presence, helping to establish its west coast office. As a professional and angel investor, I’ve funded more than 50 companies, including 10 that are valued at over $1 billion, collectively generating nearly $2 billion in annual net revenue. Notable investments include BigCommerce, Grammarly, and The Honest Company. Outside of my work, I’m deeply committed to empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs. I serve on the Board of Overseers at Babson College, my alma mater, which is consistently ranked #1 in entrepreneurship. In my role at Babson, I support the College endowment as a member of the private equity committee. I also co-created a course at Santa Clara University focused on emerging retail models.