Hi there! I am Soumitra, based in SF and a venture investor, operator, and founder in the US-India corridor for ~15 years now.
Professional arc ➡ VC @ IDG Ventures/ Chiratae, Director – Global Expansion @ Alibaba Group, Founder & CEO @ Workomo, Operator-Angel in 25+ startups over the last decade.
Investment track record ➡ Paytm (IPO), Newgen (IPO), Uniphore (Unicorn), Xpressbees (Unicorn), OpenSea (Unicorn), Phenom (Unicorn), Yulu (Series B), and LetsVenture (Series B).
I am also an active blogger and podcaster at “An Operator’s Blog”.
Investment Thesis
I write up to $300k checks into early-stage startups and make decisions quickly.
I follow a 3-pronged, US-India cross-border investment strategy:
- “Global Indian” founders – (a) based in India and building for the world, and (b) Indian diaspora in the US
- “Non-incremental” startups – high likelihood of strong competitive differentiation and category leadership
- “Grit” as the key founder characteristic
I invest in both US and India-based legal entities.
Sectors
Operators Studio only invests in technology startups. Focus sectors include:
- AI – enterprise software, healthcare, vertical software, cybersecurity
- Deeptech – hardware-based, including space, defense, aerospace, mobility, robotics, climate, energy
- ‘Cross-border’ Consumer-tech & Fintech – India-to-the-world
Supporting Founders
Post-investment, my mission is to be the “hardest working investor on the cap table”. I actively support portfolio founders in finding product-market-fit, US go-to-market, and raising follow-on rounds from the best investors both in Silicon Valley and India.
During this partnership, I typically end up becoming a “Whatsappable Confidant” that the Founder can lean on while working through ongoing operating challenges, as well as making decisions at strategic inflection points of the company.
The Fund is backed by world-class founders, operators, and investors in the US-India corridor. They help support and evangelize the portfolio companies.
TLDR: When Operators Studio backs you, you get immediately plugged into an athletic community of the highest-quality operating expertise and relationships that I have painstakingly nurtured over the last 15 years.
Portfolio
(1) AI
(2) Deeptech
 | Smart baby crib San Francisco CRV, Footwork |
 | Autonomy for trucking Toronto/ San Francisco Twin Ventures, DeVC |
 | Motors & controllers for electric mobility Gurgaon Rainmatter |
 | In-orbit servicing and life extension of sattelites Bangalore Pi Ventures |
 | Affordable launch vehicles for small satellites Pune Angels |
 | Remote operations retrofit for excavators San Francisco YCombinator |
 | Physical AI robotics-as-a-service Bangalore 8X Ventures, TurboStart |
 | Autonomous, amphibious airplanes Bangalore Inuka, Antler India |
 | Climate-resilient indoor air purification system San Francisco Angels |
 | Anti-drone defense system Gurgaon General Catalyst, AUM Ventures |
 | Compact EV cabs & battery swaps Gurgaon IIMA Ventures |
(3) Consumer-tech & Fintech
*Series A | India cross-border B2B payments Bangalore Elevation Capital |
 | AI-powered English learning app Bangalore Lightspeed, Shunwei |
 | Online robotics classes & kits for kids Bangalore Inflection Point Ventures |
 | Gaming universe for Gen Z Bangalore PeerCapital, Picus Capital |
 | Helping global employees manage & diversify their US-based RSUs Bangalore Antler India |