In a significant move to sharpen its focus on India’s deep tech and AI opportunity, Bessemer Venture Partners has announced the appointment of Pankaj Mitra as a Partner on its India investment team.
With two decades of experience spanning venture capital, M&A, and product strategy, Mitra brings a rare blend of global vision and local execution. He will now lead investments across AI, enterprise-tech, and cybersecurity — sectors Bessemer sees as defining India’s next wave of unicorns.
“The ongoing AI platform shift is a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” said Mitra. “India has the talent, the ambition, and increasingly — the capital. I’m excited to back founders who are shaping this transformation.”
Mitra joins Bessemer from Cisco’s corporate development team, where he led global investments and M&A for the company’s Customer Experience division. His portfolio includes bets on Fiddler, Uniphore, and Whatfix — startups that have gone on to become category leaders.
Before Cisco, he was instrumental in building Infosys’s $500 million innovation fund, where he backed pioneering firms like Ideaforge (now a listed drone-tech player) and Whoop. His early stints at VMware and Deloitte give him a unique operator-investor perspective that aligns with Bessemer’s founder-first ethos.
The appointment comes shortly after Bessemer announced a $350 million second India-focused fund, doubling down on its long-standing commitment to the region. The firm’s India portfolio already includes names like Swiggy, Urban Company, Mediassist, Perfios, and recent additions like Boldfit, Easebuzz, Protectt, and Shopdeck.
With AI adoption surging and Indian enterprise-tech startups scaling faster than ever, Mitra’s addition signals Bessemer’s intent to not just observe the shift — but actively help shape it.
