Ashish Gupta
About Ashish Gupta
Ashish Gupta holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from IIT Kanpur, where he received the President's Gold Medal, and a Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford University. He is a Kauffman Fellow and has authored patents, publications and a book published by MIT Press. Earlier in his career he worked at IBM Research, Oracle and Woodside Fund.
His first company, Junglee, built web data integration technology for comparison shopping. He was VP of engineering and operations and sat on the board. Amazon acquired Junglee in 1998, and IIT Kanpur's alumni profile puts the price at $230M. In 2000 he co-founded Tavant Technologies, a software company serving mortgage lending and manufacturing. That same year he seed funded Daksh and joined its board. Daksh later grew to about 20,000 people and was acquired by IBM.
In 2005 he co-founded Helion Venture Partners, an India-focused early to mid-stage fund. As of 2020, press coverage described it as managing over $600 million and having backed more than sixty companies. In August 2020 he joined Prime Venture Partners as Partner Emeritus. In that role he sits on the investment committee and advises portfolio companies.
Today he is a co-founder of Drishti, which describes itself as the first AI to empower factory workers instead of displacing them. He is a part-time co-founder there and an active board member. He is also listed as a co-founder of Plaksha University. Crunchbase lists his location as Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Crunchbase records 36 investments across 32 portfolio companies, with 2 as lead investor. It also records 5 exits, including 1 IPO, and 4 companies founded. Other data providers show different totals, so treat any single count as approximate.
In a 2020 Prime Venture Partners podcast covered by YourStory, he said he had been an angel investor and VC for more than a decade. His view on angel investing was that it is "more a way to exercise one's passion" than a way to make money. Public sources do not separate his personal angel cheques from investments made through Helion, so the portfolio list below does not label each deal.
Public sources do not give dated AI investments for Ashish. PitchBook lists board seats at Skit.ai and Infrrd, and past or current advisor roles at FrontdeskAI, Samya.AI and Elucidata. Whatfix, where he is also listed as an advisor, is a software company.
His clearest AI involvement is Drishti. He is a co-founder and board member there, and the company applies AI to factory work. Founders pitching AI products for industrial or enterprise use can point to that experience.
His Crunchbase bio says he looks for unexplored problem spaces and grows large companies from seed. PitchBook describes him as investing in early-stage companies in India and the US. Prime Venture Partners, where he is Partner Emeritus, is an early-stage fund.
His past investments and board seats span several areas:
- Marketplaces and consumer internet: Flipkart, MakeMyTrip, redBus, Urban Company.
- Enterprise software and data: Mu Sigma, PubMatic, Whatfix, Gupshup.
- Fintech: Perfios, QwikCilver.
- Healthcare and life sciences services: Indegene.
He does not publish a check size, and none is stated here. Third-party databases carry estimated ranges, which we have not repeated because they are not his own statements.
- Junglee: web data integration company he co-founded in 1996. Amazon acquired it in 1998.
- Tavant Technologies: software company he co-founded in 2000.
- Daksh: business process outsourcing company he seed funded in 2000 and served on the board of. IBM acquired it.
- Drishti: AI for factory workers. He is a co-founder and board member.
- MakeMyTrip: online travel company, listed among his past investments.
- Flipkart: e-commerce company, listed among his past investments.
- Mu Sigma: analytics company, listed among his past investments.
- Upwork: online talent marketplace (formerly oDesk), listed among his past investments.
- redBus: bus ticketing marketplace, listed among his past investments.
- Perfios: fintech company, listed among his past investments.
- QwikCilver Solutions: gift card company, later acquired by Pine Labs.
- PubMatic: advertising technology company where he has served on the board.
- Info Edge (Naukri), Gupshup, Indegene, Urban Company: companies where he has held board seats.
- Skit.ai and Infrrd: AI companies where PitchBook lists him as a board member.
- crunchbase.com/person/ashish-gupta-b17420fc
- iitk.ac.in/dora/Dr-Ashish-Gupta.php
- ealc.stanford.edu/events/india-venture-investing
- events.stanford.edu/event/the-emergence-of-deep-tech-startups-in-india
- yourstory.com/2020/08/junglee-helion-investor-ashish-gupta-prime-ventu
- yourstory.com/2020/08/prime-venture-partners-ashish-gupta-flipkart-jun
- entrackr.com/2020/08/prime-ventures-ropes-in-helion-co-founder-ashish-
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/226611-73
Investing activity
Ashish Gupta has made 36 investments according to Crunchbase across 32 portfolio companies, and has led 2 rounds, seen 5 exits, 1 of them by IPO and founded 4 companies.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Ashish Gupta
Who is Ashish Gupta, the angel investor in Bengaluru?
Ashish Gupta is a serial entrepreneur and investor who co-founded Junglee, Tavant Technologies and Helion Venture Partners. He is now a part-time co-founder and board member at Drishti. Crunchbase lists his location as Bengaluru.
What stage does Ashish Gupta invest in?
His Crunchbase bio says he grows companies from seed. PitchBook describes his investing as early-stage in India and the US. He has not published a formal stage policy.
What is Ashish Gupta's check size?
No check size is publicly stated by him. Any ranges on third-party sites are estimates, so ask him directly or through a warm introduction.
Does Ashish Gupta invest in AI startups?
He co-founded Drishti, which applies AI to factory work, and sits on its board. PitchBook also lists board or advisor roles at AI companies such as Skit.ai, Infrrd and FrontdeskAI. His wider portfolio is not limited to AI.
What has Ashish Gupta built and exited?
Amazon acquired Junglee in 1998, and IBM acquired Daksh, which he seed funded and served on the board of. Crunchbase counts 5 exits for him, including 1 IPO, and 4 companies founded.
What does Ashish Gupta look for in founders?
He has not published a checklist. His bio points to unexplored problem spaces and building large companies from seed. In a 2020 Prime Venture Partners podcast he spoke about what makes startups succeed.
Is Ashish Gupta an angel investor?
Yes. Ashish Gupta invests personally as an angel and is Co- Founder at Drishti. Crunchbase counts 36 investments and 5 exits.
Where is Ashish Gupta based?
Ashish Gupta is based in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
How can founders reach Ashish Gupta?
Founders on Lounge can see Ashish Gupta's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Ashish Gupta to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.