About

Cherian Mathew is an experienced venture capitalist and entrepreneur with a passion for investing in innovative software companies. He is the Founder and Partner of Firebolt Ventures, a VC firm that focuses on B2B and consumer software companies in the US. Cherian has a deep understanding of the VC value chain, and he leverages this knowledge to identify positive second derivatives in markets and technology that can enable the creation of large businesses. Cherian has a successful track record in the VC industry, having worked with some of the most notable firms in Silicon Valley. He previously worked as a VC at August Capital, where he evaluated early and late-stage startups and worked with partners such as Howard Hartenbaum, Vivek Mehra, Eric Carlborg, and Tripp Jones. Cherian also worked as a VC at Draper Associates, where he primarily focused on seed-stage and some early-stage investing in data, mobile/tablet, web, cloud, and software. Cherian's educational background includes a Master's Degree in MS&E (Entrepreneurship) from Stanford University, a Certificate in Marketing Excellence from Kellogg School of Management, and a Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science and Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. He has over 23 years of relevant experience in the tech industry and is well-versed in mobile and web technologies. At Firebolt Ventures, Cherian and his team keep a low profile and prefer to reach out to exceptional companies rather than relying on the traditional inbound model. Their portfolio consists of mostly software companies run by exceptional founders who have a deep understanding of their market. Between 2018-2020, their portfolio companies raised $1B+ in total follow-on funding, indicating Cherian's prowess in identifying and nurturing successful startups.