Suraj Agarwalla

Growth

“Together, we can and we will.”

Backstory

I grew up in Dhanbad, a small town in India, in a large joint family. My dad and all six of my uncles owned different small and medium enterprises. Chatter in the house was always around the highs and lows of their businesses. None of them had a college degree, but they could all do margin and return calculations on their finger tips in seconds. This all gave me a deep understanding of ‘dhanda’ (a colloquial word for business in India) from my earliest days.

I was the first member of my family, including some 50 cousins, to attend university and pursue a career outside of the family businesses. After graduating from Shri Ram College of Commerce and completing my CA, I worked at Grant Thornton and later joined BCG. During this period of my career, I gained exposure to what large, enduring organizations look like and how to build sustainable companies.

When the opportunity to join the world of venture capital presented itself, I felt this was an opportunity to get back to being part of ‘dhanda’ and into the weeds of company building, up close. I look forward to every day at Peak XV Partners as it gives me an opportunity to work alongside the daring founders who are defining what the country and the world we will live in will look like in the decades to come.

On the lookout for

When India’s cricket team, led by M.S. Dhoni, landed in South Africa for the 2007 T20 World Cup, nobody would have bet they’d win. But the young team, with an average age of less than 25, stunned the country and the world. They were the underdogs, the defiant, and the resolute – and they had something to prove.

I love to work alongside founders and teams who share this spirit. Who are underdogs, but irrationally optimist and obsessed with winning. A team which is deeply passionate about what they are building and is unwavered by the noise that surrounds them. A team which does not rest on its laurels but continues to look for new opportunities.

I sincerely believe that a great team is not a function of great resumes, but of the founders’ ability to bring out the hidden best from each team member.

Get in touch with Suraj

Personal Side

Food / Family / Maths / India

Current Companies

Bira

B9 Beverages is a fast-growing craft beer brand, available in draft and bottle formats.

Partnered In
2015
Eruditus

Eruditus Executive Education delivers high-quality blended programs in partnership with globally reputed academic institutions like INSEAD, HBS, Wharton, MIT, Cambridge, Berkeley Haas, and Columbia Business School.

Partnered In
2018
Flobiz

Flobiz is a neobank targeted at fast-growing SMB's in India.

Partnered In
2021
GoDigit Insurance

Digit is on a mission to ‘To Make Insurance Simple' by changing the way insurance products are viewed, purchased, and claimed.

Partnered In
2022
GoKwik

GoKwik is an e-commerce enablement company on a mission to democratize shopping experience and increase GMV realization for D2C and e-commerce businesses.

Partnered In
2021
Mamaearth

Mamaearth is a brand, by a parent, for the parent, created with the aim of making products which are mum-baby friendly, toxin-free, and meet stringent international standards.

Partnered In
2019
Rupeek

Rupeek is India’s leading asset-backed, digital lending fintech platform.

Partnered In
2016