Bessemer Venture Partners promotes Aparna Chaganty to Vice President

Building generational companies requires our investors to understand both the art of building technology and the science of scaling it. This is especially true in the current moment in software, where AI is creating unprecedented opportunities for software companies to embed themselves deeply into how enterprises operate. It’s a window that our newly promoted Vice President Aparna Chaganty believes won’t stay open forever. 

Aparna’s path to venture capital was forged in the trenches of enterprise software. She spent years as a data scientist at Salesforce, where she developed a deep understanding of how technology gets built inside large organizations - an experience that now shapes how she evaluates companies reimagining enterprise workflows. Her introduction to Bessemer came unexpectedly through a WhatsApp group for UC Berkeley Haas admits, where she connected with a then-Bessemer analyst. Their conversation led to a pre-MBA internship in summer 2021 with Bessemer’s India office and ultimately a full-time role in September 2023.

“Aparna brings a rare combination of technical depth and strategic thinking,” shares Bessemer Partner Pankaj Mitra. “Her experience building enterprise software gives her genuine empathy for founders tackling these challenges. She’s become invaluable to entrepreneurs navigating one of the biggest transformations in software.”

Since joining full-time, Aparna has played a role in Bessemer’s expanding portfolio at the intersection of AI and enterprise software at an early stage. She focuses on enterprise AI and AI services, with a special focus on Indian entrepreneurs building for global markets. As a board observer at MeltPlan, Graph AI, Leena AI, Zenskar, Pepper Content, and ShopDeck, Aparna works closely with founders applying AI to reimagine how enterprises operate. She’s also on the board of Boldfit, Livspace, and MediBuddy, reflecting her work on Bessemer India’s consumer roadmap. Beyond investing, Aparna has contributed thought leadership to Bessemer’s Atlas library with key articles on AI services and the Rise of Cloud AI in India.

“Being an investor has given me a front-row seat to the next wave of innovation, and I'm excited to keep working with the boldest entrepreneurs,” Aparna shares. “Founders have a rare window right now to entrench themselves in how enterprises operate - and it won’t stay open forever. AI is disrupting human services that long carried industry-specific knowledge, making room for vertical AI products to go deeper than anything before.” 

Aparna is an advocate for mental health awareness. She maintains a passion for classical Indian music and currently plays the piano.