Vikram’s exceptional guest on the podcast today has worked for many years and is currently a partner at Accel, Shekhar Kirani.

With over 25 years of experience in business and tech leadership roles across several startups and large companies in the US, Shekhar specializes in investing in early-stage software and mobile startups that help enterprises. During his extensive career, he has led investments in ANSR, BrowserStack, CareStack, Cogoport, FalconX, Freshworks, and Zenoti, and he also played a crucial role in the seed stage funding of Chargebee.

Shekhar begins by sharing his secret to juggling different startup contexts, the roles he played before becoming an investor, and some of the many lessons he has learned over the years, including the importance of onboarding, understanding the customer first, and the traits he looks for in early-stage companies. He also provides some advice regarding dealing with early-stage ‘haziness’ and a glimpse into his prediction framework, thoughts around social consciousness from startups and technologies, and the product he sees the greatest need these days. Gifted with intellect, experience, and eloquence, Shekhar Kirani’s insights are precious and will both educate and inspire listeners here today.