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Nakul Mandan
Investor and Partner in the Venture Capital and Tech Industry
Nakul Mandan is the Founder and Partner at Audacious Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm based in San Francisco.3 He founded Audacious Ventures in May 2020 with a mission to partner with ambitious founders in technology and help them achieve their most audacious goals.23
Professional Background
Prior to founding Audacious Ventures, Nakul had an extensive career in venture capital:
- Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners (June 2014 - May 2020)2
- Venture Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners (May 2020 - Present)2
- Vice President at Battery Ventures (2009 - 2014)1
- Associate at Blue River Capital (2006 - 2009)2
- Analyst at Deutsche Bank (2005 - 2006)2
Investment Focus
Nakul has led investments in several category-defining startups across various sectors:
- SaaS: Gainsight, People.ai, WorkOS, 6Sense, Tome
- Marketplaces: Multiverse, BuildingConnected
- Creator Economy: Superpeer3
His investment philosophy focuses on two key ingredients: large markets and A+ teams.3
Education
- MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (2003 - 2005)
- B.Tech. from Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur (1999 - 2003)2
Recent Developments
In April 2024, Audacious Ventures raised $150 million for its fund.5
Nakul's approach to venture capital is shaped by his own experience as an outsider who built a successful career in Silicon Valley through determination and hustle.4 He believes that hunger and ambition are more important factors for success than experience when evaluating founders.34
Highlights
Loved chatting with @TurnerNovak about all things startups, venture and @AudaciousHQ! Excited for him to drop the full conversation tomorrow.
Two types of Plan Bs often swirl in our heads: 1/ How can I still win if Plan A doesn't work?; 2/ What will I do if I fail?
My experience is focusing on #2 is rarely useful & often damaging. Stems from a place of fear and inserts unnecessary, self-fulfilling doubt.
