Lightbox

Atharva Purandare

Consultant, Spaces and Deal flow

Atharva comes to Lightbox with a strong background in technology. After graduating with a Computer Science degree from University of Mumbai, he spent the next few months studying Technology and Innovation at Stanford. While in Palo Alto, he deep dived into the intertwined world of Startups and Venture Capital, coming out the other end wanting to learn more.

Always the eager one, he was an early employee at a curated events startup while still in college. He oversaw their growth across multiple cities while heading operations. A common thread connecting this experience and the Venture Capital ecosystem is the importance of storytelling and the power of human connection. He is fascinated by how technology and people interact and wants to explore the subsequent startups which are born out of it. They say investing is both a Science and an Art; his background is a good reflection of that.

At Lightbox, Atharva works closely with the portfolio companies and helps build the investment thesis. When not analysing startups, you can find him plugged into his newly discovered podcast for the week- binging away!

Q & A

What does failure mean to you?
A time to ponder and reflect.

What’s your superpower?
Empathy!

Which is your favourite city in the world?
I have a long term love-hate relationship with Bombay

If you weren’t a venture capitalist, you’d be..
A teacher

Favorite books you’ve read this year
Surely you’re joking, Mr Feynman! by Richard Feynman and Peak by Anders Ericsson