Key Takeaways
- • Mayank Khanduja, a 15-year veteran at Elevation Capital who departed in January 2026, has joined Bessemer Venture Partners as Partner, effective within three to four weeks of announcement.
- • Khanduja was elevated to Partner at Elevation Capital in 2020 and focused his investment thesis on consumer tech, gaming, healthcare, and deep tech across early and growth-stage companies.
- • At Bessemer Venture Partners, Khanduja will invest at the early stage across AI, Consumer, and Healthcare roadmaps, leveraging the firm's 100+ year history and global network spanning the US, London, and Tel Aviv.
- • The move represents a strategic expansion of Bessemer's India investment capabilities through a seasoned operator with deep local market knowledge and founder networks built over 15 years in the Indian venture ecosystem.
- • Khanduja cited respect for Bessemer's India leadership—including Vishal Gupta, Anant Vidur Puri, Pankaj Mitra, Nithin Kaimal, and Karan Pahwa—and the firm's emphasis on AI-driven transformation as key factors in his decision to join.
Summary
Mayank Khanduja, a prominent venture capital investor with 15 years of experience at Elevation Capital, has joined Bessemer Venture Partners as Partner. Khanduja departed Elevation Capital in January 2026 after a tenure that began in 2011, during which he was promoted to Partner in 2020. The transition to Bessemer was announced via LinkedIn in October 2026, with Khanduja noting he would join the firm's India operations within the three to four week window following his departure from Elevation.
At Elevation Capital, Khanduja developed a focused investment practice spanning early-stage and growth-stage companies across four core verticals: consumer technology, gaming, healthcare, and deep technology. His departure from Elevation marked the completion of a break period before joining Bessemer, during which he evaluated his next opportunity.
Bessemer Venture Partners, a globally established firm with more than 100 years of operating history, recruited Khanduja to strengthen its India investment platform. According to Khanduja's statement, he will focus on early-stage investments aligned with Bessemer's core roadmaps in Artificial Intelligence, Consumer, and Healthcare sectors. The hire reinforces Bessemer's commitment to leveraging local expertise combined with global operational leverage—the firm maintains investment and operational teams across the United States, London, and Tel Aviv in addition to its India operations.
Khanduja emphasized the strategic rationale for the move, citing mutual respect with Bessemer's India leadership team (Vishal Gupta, Anant Vidur Puri, Pankaj Mitra, Nithin Kaimal, and Karan Pahwa) and the firm's emphasis on identifying founders using AI to reshape industry landscapes. His 15-year track record in the Indian venture ecosystem positions him to serve as a critical bridge between Bessemer's global capabilities and the Indian entrepreneurial market, particularly as AI-driven innovation accelerates across sectors.
At Elevation Capital, Khanduja developed a focused investment practice spanning early-stage and growth-stage companies across four core verticals: consumer technology, gaming, healthcare, and deep technology. His departure from Elevation marked the completion of a break period before joining Bessemer, during which he evaluated his next opportunity.
Bessemer Venture Partners, a globally established firm with more than 100 years of operating history, recruited Khanduja to strengthen its India investment platform. According to Khanduja's statement, he will focus on early-stage investments aligned with Bessemer's core roadmaps in Artificial Intelligence, Consumer, and Healthcare sectors. The hire reinforces Bessemer's commitment to leveraging local expertise combined with global operational leverage—the firm maintains investment and operational teams across the United States, London, and Tel Aviv in addition to its India operations.
Khanduja emphasized the strategic rationale for the move, citing mutual respect with Bessemer's India leadership team (Vishal Gupta, Anant Vidur Puri, Pankaj Mitra, Nithin Kaimal, and Karan Pahwa) and the firm's emphasis on identifying founders using AI to reshape industry landscapes. His 15-year track record in the Indian venture ecosystem positions him to serve as a critical bridge between Bessemer's global capabilities and the Indian entrepreneurial market, particularly as AI-driven innovation accelerates across sectors.
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