Bessemer Venture Partners has appointed Mayank Khanduja as Partner for its India practice, according to Entrackr's weekly funding roundup covering 28 September to 3 October 2026. Khanduja joins roughly nine months after exiting Elevation Capital, where he spent 15 years — one of the longest operating tenures in Indian venture.
Fifteen years at a single firm means Khanduja has seen multiple cycles — the 2015–16 exuberance, the correction, the funding boom and the reset. That kind of through-the-cycle experience is exactly what firms want anchoring their India books right now, as the market rewards discipline over deal pace.
The same roundup reported that Chiratae Ventures has appointed Keshav R. Murugesh to its Global Advisory Board. Advisory board seats at top-tier VC firms are usually about opening doors — enterprise networks, regulatory context, global expansion playbooks — rather than deal-making itself.
People moves are often a leading indicator of strategy. Bessemer has been active in India for well over a decade, and bringing in a senior partner with a 15-year track record suggests the firm is staffing up for a busier deployment period rather than coasting on existing portfolios.
Why it matters for founders
Senior partner appointments create windows of opportunity: new partners are motivated to build their own deal flow and make early wins. If your startup fits Bessemer's thesis areas, the next few months are a good time to get into the room. Watch Chiratae's advisory additions too — they signal which enterprise networks the firm is trying to unlock for its portfolio.