Samir Sood

Samir Sood’s career spans two distinct chapters: the first 20 years in the United States, across investment banking and the business of technology in Silicon Valley; and the last 20 years in Asia and India, focused on venture investing, operating businesses, and manufacturing.

Samir Sood is the founder of Venture Highway, a venture capital firm that has been a leading seed-stage investor in some of India’s most successful startup journeys. He has backed founders and served on the boards of companies such as Meesho and Moglix, and has funded many successful startups, including Cars24, CRED, ShareChat, among others. The firm recently merged with General Catalyst and now operates as part of the General Catalyst platform under the name General Catalyst India, continuing its legacy within a broader global network. Samir has retired from Venture Highway and remains an angel investor.

With an extensive career spanning business, technology, and entrepreneurship, Samir previously held strategic roles at Google, Cisco, and Microsoft. At Google, he led mergers and acquisitions for South Asia and Australia, where his portfolio included significant investments like the Erasmic Venture Fund, which evolved into Accel India. During his tenure at Google, Samir was also involved in high-profile global transactions, including the $750 million AdMob acquisition. Earlier in his career at Cisco, he was involved in strategic acquisitions, including the $450 million Airspace Systems acquisition.

Samir is currently an operator and is actively involved with the operations and strategic planning of his family’s manufacturing businesses, which focus on automotive, tractor, and defense components: • India Forge – Automotive components: www.indiaforge.in • Sudtrac Linkages – Tractor components: www.sudtrac.in • Track Systems – Defense systems, including tank tracks: www.tracksystems.in

Samir also maintains a well-rounded personal life, integrating daily meditation and walking, yoga, golf, and a love for red wine. He is active in both the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation (EO) and the Young Presidents’ Organisation (YPO) and has served on the Board of Directors of YPO New Delhi.

Samir holds an MBA from the University of Chicago and engineering degrees from Tufts University and Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Explore more about his professional journey on his LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/samirsood/