Abhishek joined Lightspeed India as a Partner in 2022 and is primarily focused on investing in consumer internet companies, media & entertainment, the creator economy, and gaming. He brings extensive experience driving strategic partnerships, business development, and corporate development for internet companies in the domains of growth, content and payments, among other areas. Previously he held operator roles at hyper-growth companies including Meta (Facebook), Uber, and most recently, Netflix. His personal experience with the evolution of culture, processes, and hiring at the aforementioned companies gives him unique insights in service to founders. Through his professional journey, he’s built trusted relationships across industries and functions, and is usually a degree away from someone who can provide valuable input on a burning issue at hand.

While Lightspeed may be his first full-time investor role, he’s been actively investing in startups as an angel investor since 2016 and has backed over 45 companies to-date, with several first round investments turned unicorns. “Being in the trenches early with founders and early teams is the most challenging thing I’ve done professionally, but also the most rewarding, especially when some of these startups have gone on to hit escape velocity. Over the years, it became clear that going on these flights of fantasy with founders on what the future could look like, and finding ways to fill the gaps as these founders set out to build this future was my ‘reason for being,’” said Abhishek.

An Army brat, Abhishek grew up all over India; he was immersed in 10 cities and schools during his 12 years of schooling. He also spent his professional career in 4 different cities. “Moving around a lot has given me a deep appreciation for India and the Indian consumer. It’s also made me truly appreciate the power of diversity, and the need to have an open mind,” he said. Today, when he’s not busy working with startups, Abhishek publishes a newsletter in which he writes about building, scaling, and investing in technology businesses in India. He’s also passionate about travel and enjoys producing electronic music.