Key Takeaways
- • Bessemer Venture Partners appointed Mayank Khanduja as a partner in its India practice, bolstering its early-stage investment team in the country.
- • Khanduja brings 15 years of venture experience from Elevation Capital, where he rose to partner in 2020 and led investments in ShareChat, NoBroker, PlaySimple Games, Loop Health, and other notable consumer, gaming, healthcare, and deeptech companies.
- • Bessemer closed its second India-focused fund at $350 million in March 2025, targeting early-stage companies across AI-enabled services, SaaS, fintech, digital health, and cybersecurity—signaling sustained capital deployment in the market.
- • Khanduja's hire follows Bessemer's 2025 appointment of Pankaj Mitra, a former Cisco Investments executive, as a partner focused on enterprise technology and AI, demonstrating a broader expansion of India-focused expertise.
- • Based in Bengaluru, Khanduja will focus on early-stage deals across consumer technology, gaming, healthcare, AI, and deeptech—sectors where Bessemer's first India fund ($220 million, 2021) and second fund achieved over 80% early-stage allocation.
Summary
Bessemer Venture Partners has strengthened its India investment operations by appointing Mayank Khanduja as a partner in its India practice. Khanduja, based in Bengaluru, will focus on early-stage institutional rounds across consumer technology, gaming, healthcare, artificial intelligence, and deeptech sectors, joining existing India partners Vishal Gupta and Anant Vidur Puri.
Khanduja brings substantial venture experience to the role. After earning an MBA from IIM Calcutta and an engineering degree from IP University, he spent nearly 15 years at Elevation Capital, where he advanced to partner in 2020. Before joining Elevation in 2011, he worked at McKinsey & Co. During his tenure at Elevation, Khanduja led investments across a diverse portfolio including consumer and gaming companies such as ShareChat, NoBroker, and PlaySimple Games; healthcare platforms including Loop Health and MOC Cancer Care; and deeptech firms such as Jeh Aerospace and PierSight. He stepped down from Elevation in January 2026.
The hire is part of Bessemer's broader expansion in India's venture ecosystem. In March 2025, the firm closed its second India-focused fund at $350 million, more than three years after closing its first India vehicle at $220 million in 2021. The second fund targets early-stage companies across AI-enabled services, SaaS, fintech, digital health, consumer brands, and cybersecurity. Bessemer reported that over 80% of its India investments during the previous five years had been early-stage, aligning with the firm's sector focus. This hire complements Bessemer's 2025 appointment of Pankaj Mitra, a former Cisco Investments executive, as a partner covering enterprise technology, AI, and cybersecurity.
Khanduja brings substantial venture experience to the role. After earning an MBA from IIM Calcutta and an engineering degree from IP University, he spent nearly 15 years at Elevation Capital, where he advanced to partner in 2020. Before joining Elevation in 2011, he worked at McKinsey & Co. During his tenure at Elevation, Khanduja led investments across a diverse portfolio including consumer and gaming companies such as ShareChat, NoBroker, and PlaySimple Games; healthcare platforms including Loop Health and MOC Cancer Care; and deeptech firms such as Jeh Aerospace and PierSight. He stepped down from Elevation in January 2026.
The hire is part of Bessemer's broader expansion in India's venture ecosystem. In March 2025, the firm closed its second India-focused fund at $350 million, more than three years after closing its first India vehicle at $220 million in 2021. The second fund targets early-stage companies across AI-enabled services, SaaS, fintech, digital health, consumer brands, and cybersecurity. Bessemer reported that over 80% of its India investments during the previous five years had been early-stage, aligning with the firm's sector focus. This hire complements Bessemer's 2025 appointment of Pankaj Mitra, a former Cisco Investments executive, as a partner covering enterprise technology, AI, and cybersecurity.
Go deeper than the headline
Research every firm in this story, track the ones that matter and get the daily briefing — free for 7 days.