Meet Anu Hariharan, the woman behind many a successful startup

While the old saying ‘behind every successful man is a woman’ is still a quote to reckon with, the increasing tribe of contemporary sheroes cannot be accused of just being behind her man’s success. Anu Hariharan, for one, is right at the forefront of her chosen field, the tech and startup space.

Known for her strategic brilliance, her journey from a tech-savvy engineer to a leading venture capitalist is a steep upward graph. A graduate of NIT Mangalore, she took her passion for innovation across borders to the United States, where she got a master’s degree in electrical engineering at Virginia Tech.

After cutting her teeth as a software engineer at Qualcomm, Hariharan, now armed with an MBA from Wharton, veered towards finance.

But it was at the intersection of technology and finance that Hariharan made her mark. Her early work at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) proved to be the crucible where her unique approach to startups and funding began to take shape. As a principal at BCG, she led due diligence for private equity clients in diverse industries — from tech to media, telecom, and financial services.

Woman behind startup success

It was at BCG that Hariharan gained an intimate understanding of what makes or breaks a startup. That knowledge came in handy at her next stop, Andreessen Horowitz, one of Silicon Valley’s most influential venture capital firms. As a partner, she contributed to the growth of some of the biggest names in tech with her transformative vision.

Companies like Airbnb, Instacart, Medium, and Udacity are examples of success stories that owe their growth to Hariharan’s expert guidance.

With her sharp eye for high-growth consumer internet companies, Hariharan became a trusted advisor for early-stage startups, helping them navigate the waters of scaling and market disruption.

At Y Combinator, she co-founded and led the YC Continuity Fund, an initiative designed to back the top 1% of startups emerging from the accelerator’s programme. Her insights became the blueprint for many founders looking to make a lasting imprint in the tech world.

Giving back

After years of navigating the corporate world, Hariharan decided to create Avra, an initiative dedicated to nurturing next-gen entrepreneurs.

Avra provides a platform for up-and-coming founders, offering mentorship, guidance, and profound strategic insights — Hariharan’s way of giving back to the startup ecosystem.

Anu Hariharan remains a key figure on the boards of some of the most promising companies in tech, including Groww, Gusto, WhatNot, and Faire.

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