Joydeep Bhattacharyya

"As a former product manager and developer, I've experienced firsthand the highs and lows of bringing new technology to market. This helps me form strong bonds with entrepreneurs so that we are in the trenches shoulder to shoulder."

Joydeep has deep experience in technical, operational and leadership roles in the software industry in India and the US.  At Microsoft, he managed the 50-person cross-functional team that conceived, developed and launched Lync online – the collaboration and web conferencing component of Office 365 - Microsoft's SaaS productivity suite.  Office 365 became one of Microsoft’s fastest growing products, gaining over 5 million purchases in its first three months.  He also  oversaw the real-time transition of over 10 million existing customers to the new version of the product. Before Office 365, Joydeep was a developer in Microsoft Office Live where he was awarded two US patents for co-architecting the highly scalable provisioning and merchandising platform. With the extensive grounding in technology development, Joydeep’s investment focus is on companies with a vision to disrupt and improve enterprise and software development workflows. This includes Enterprise SaaS, Cloud Computing infrastructure, Big Data and other related innovations.

Joydeep’s enthusiasm for entrepreneurs isn’t limited to the high tech arena; in 2012, after winning a fellowship grant for  rural development, he co-founded a franchise-model goat farming enterprise, bringing national marketing and distribution to rural production in India.  When fully scaled, the 30,000-goat venture will create $200 million revenue improving the livelihood of up to 50,000 rural households.

Growing up in Kolkata, a city with a rich creative and artistic tradition, Joydeep is fascinated by the confluence of culture and history.  He lives his passion by travelling the ancient Silk Road, having explored 3,000 of the 4,000 mile journey so far. From the remote parts of the Xinjiang province (China), to the deserts of Gobi and the volcanic peaks of Cappadocia (Turkey), he has documented his experiences on camera from local buses, trains and even camels.

Joydeep earned his MBA from Kellogg School of Management, where he was a CRTI fellow, and a BE degree in Computer Science and Engineering from Jadavpur University.

“I love meeting entrepreneurs who are passionate about solving business needs. The democratization process of infrastructure resources is on an accelerated mode. I love to hear from entrepreneurs who leverage these resources and reimagine workflows.

When talking to an entrepreneur, I want to connect to his or her bigger vision, to understand the engineering, and to dig into the business details.  I love creativity backed by a thoughtful execution plan. For our portfolio companies, I am there to extend their network of contacts and resources and as an extended team member – always available to help in any way, shape or form.  Heck, I would code if the need arose!”