Raj Chinai has left SVB India Capital Partners, an India-focused venture capital fund, to join IndoUS Venture Partners (IUVP) as a Principal. Chinai, who was a part of the founding team at SVB India Capital Partners, was involved with SVB's early and growth-stage investments over the past four years.
IndoUS Venture Partners (IUVP) has a $190-million fund from which it has invested in approximately two dozen early-stage companies in India. Its most recent investments are Hyderabad-based animation firm VenSat and mobile TV company Apalya Technologies. At IUVP, Chinai will focus on early-stage investments across technology and technology-enabled businesses. He will continue to be based out of Bangalore.
Prior to SVB, Chinai was based in Silicon Valley, where he helped lead business development deals at Yahoo! and Scient and also looked at seed and early-stage investments in the consumer Internet and mobile space. Previously, he was a part of the media & technology investment banking team at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Chinai began his career in the corporate restructuring group at Price Waterhouse, where he helped manage turn-around engagements for Fortune 500 companies in Europe, Latin America and Southeast Asia.
Chinai graduated from the dual-degree program at Harvard University and The Kellogg School of Management, where he concurrently earned master's degrees in both business administration and public policy. He also holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated magna cum laude with highest honours.
Chinai is an active member of the Harvard India Alumni Club and Wharton Private Equity Partners. He is the India Chair of the 2011 HBS New Venture Contest and has been a speaker at Kellogg and Harvard on the topic of venture investing in India.