Rohit Agarwal
- SEA
“People who deeply care about you and your success will highlight your blind spots when everyone else is cheering you on. They don’t want you to like them - they want you to win.”
Backstory
I grew up in a large family; chaos was part of life, but so was caring for each other. I also grew up in a family business, in an industrial town – both past their prime and yet unwilling to change. Lastly, I grew up studying math and engineering, even though I was more drawn to the issues that underpin everyday life like social class, gender roles, politics, and religion. All this sparked inner strife, which found expression in writing, poetry, and working with nonprofits. Twice, I found myself in the Indian Parliament, discussing topics like digital media and higher education with the legislators.
I started up in my last year of college. Two years later, I realized it was not working. Still, I refused to quit. It wasn’t hope; I was consumed by fear and pride. I was fortunate to have friends that helped me move on. One of them had just started Housing.com, and I joined him, leading teams across product, operations, and customer success. It was a total rollercoaster. I learned a lot on the way up and even more on the way down. The biggest lesson: purpose and values matter.
On the lookout for
Irrationality. Simplicity. Empathy.
The best artists, inventors, and founders are fueled by a bit of irrationality in their pursuit. They are cursed (blessed) with an insatiable desire to push the boundaries, to not be okay with the best or the present.
I have often found that the bigger the problem or the market opportunity, the easier it is to explain. The best founders I know are obsessed with keeping things simple. It helps them drive focus, speed, and scale.
The best leaders care. They care about the details, their customers, their teams, and how they impact the world. I believe this caring mindset is the foundation of building enduring institutions.
Solving problems and building products that a large number of users care about are what I find most exciting. I have spent the last decade working directly – and alongside – founders in fintech, e-commerce, D2C brands, SaaS, and Web3. There are only a few companies born every year that will one day become legendary, and we want to be the best partner to them.
Get in touch with RohitPersonal Side
Travel / History & Cultures / Poetry & Comedy / Documentaries / Family / ESG
Press & Media
Current Companies
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BeautyHaul is a curated beauty e-commerce platform that aims at making Indonesia's shopping experience simple and fast, all in one click.Partnered In
2021
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Bibit is a digital investing app with a robo-advisory service that helps first-time investors invest in mutual fund products.Partnered In
2021
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EthSign is a decentralized, versioned, and consensus-based electronic agreements signing application built on Ethereum, IPFS, and Filecoin.Partnered In
2023
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Insider is a Growth Management Platform offering marketers an integrated suite of AI-powered capabilities to drive growth and improve marketing ROI.Partnered In
2017
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Janio is a cross-border logistics service provider that simplifies deliveries across borders.Partnered In
2018
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Kargo Technologies is an online freight logistics marketplace that connects commercial shippers with truckers across Indonesia.Partnered In
2019
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Kopi Kenangan is one of the fastest growing grab-and-go coffee chain in Indonesia. Its mission is to spread their passion for Indonesian coffee as a local brand from Indonesia to the rest of the world.Partnered In
2019
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Lemonilo is the biggest LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) & Wellness meets CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) vertical startup in Indonesia, with a mission to make healthy lifestyle accessible to everyone.Partnered In
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Multiplier is a leading global employment platform that takes care of global teams’ payroll, taxes, social contributions & local insurance policies, making it easy for companies to employ teams internationally.Partnered In
2020
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Enabled by streaming data, Shift provides credit and payment platforms that help businesses trade, pay and access funds.Partnered In
2022
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Shipper aims to digitize Indonesian logistics and enable cost-efficiencies at nationwide scale.Partnered In
2021
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Smartkarma is an independent investment research platform that connects investors with a large community of experts and analysts and provides a wealth of unbiased market research.Partnered In
2017
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Tonik is a transformative digital bank on a mission to revolutionise the way money works in Southeast Asia.Partnered In
2020