Suggestions
Rohini Chakravarthy
Partner at ngp capital, Board Member IITM Foundation
Rohini Chakravarthy is a seasoned Venture Investor with over 15 years of experience in investments and a tech background spanning 20 years. Currently serving as a general partner at NGP Capital, she specializes in Intelligent Enterprise, Edge Cloud, and Mobile Technologies investments. Prior to this role, Rohini held a position as an investing partner at New Enterprise Associates (NEA), focusing on software, systems, and technology investments, and guiding numerous companies to successful exits. Her extensive career also includes leadership roles in investment and corporate development at Intel Capital and Cisco. She co-founded and served as CEO of a startup called Inksedge, and began her career as a design engineer at Bay Networks.
Highlights
Thank you to everyone who joined our supply chain summer event co-hosted with Priya Rajan and MUFG. We were honored to have a packed house of founders, co-investors, and supply chain leaders.
We tried a new “guided networking” format this time, with about an hour of content from stellar speakers, which teed off deeper connections and conversations during the networking session that followed.
Some insights:
-
Vlad Mashchenko and Katharine Connolly of MUFG discussed macro trends within supply chain finance. Pre-pandemic “just-in-time” frameworks have morphed to “just-in-case”, which generally have increased inventory and the financing needed for it. US inventories found a new equilibrium by Q4 2021. New infrastructure around sustainability and reshoring are also driving supply chain financing demand.
-
Chad Bailey discussed how supply chain startup funding has shifted from a focus on last mile logistics during the pandemic, to enterprise supply chains now.
-
Hannah Kain of ALOM spoke about the increasing complexity of supply chain management. Historically, pandemics were followed by war, and this latest one has unfortunately been no different. Investing in technology has been key to her company’s success in navigating the two regimes: growing through stock outs in the pandemic, and the new geopolitics where tariffs can impair inventory, create regulatory overhang and more.
-
in her previous roles, Karen Betancourt led the bring up of Amazon fulfillment centers built around Kiva robots, led new sortation capabilities at Walmart and was VP of Supply Chain at Cardinal Health, delivering medical gear and kits to hospitals at the height of the pandemic. As CEO of Vanguard Medical Logistics, she is focused on supply chain excellence in Central America. While she is excited about real time data offering new flexibility within supply chain operations, she cautioned that the adoption of AI may be slowed or stymied by the lack of clean data within the supply chain. Most founders in the audience heard the caution, but saw opportunity as well :)
-
Priya moderated a panel on innovation across stages with Grace Metri of NVIDIA, Gaurav Mittal of THL Partners, Praveen Akkiraju of Insight Partners, and me.
Grace spoke about the cutting edge capabilities on NVidia’s Omniverse that allows digital twins of complex systems Gaurav highlighted THL’s focus on scaled companies in warehouse automation and supply chain software companies like Fourkites Praveen invests in workflow companies and commented on the increasing #AI capabilities that apply to industrial and supply chain operations At NewBuild Venture Capital, we see strong company formation as entrepreneurs apply new AI, data, cloud and connected device capabilities to solving enterprise supply chain problems. Saas, transactional marketplaces, and factoring are all popular business models for early stage supply chain software companies.
Thanks to Joana Tahiraj and Brian Fitzpatrick for cohosting.
I am still buzzing with ideas and the camaraderie from the Recast Capital Summit in Sonoma last week. Emerging managers face long fundraising cycles these days, but the new perspectives and energy we bring to venture are critical to creating the venture franchises of tomorrow.
Huge thanks to Courtney Russell McCrea, Sara Zulkosky, Ava Alemazkoor, Caroline Fernandez, Ethan Finkelstein and Jacqueline Hughes for a high-class event in support of over 110 emerging managers who have gone through the Accelerate and Enablement programs. NewBuild Venture Capital is proud to be part of this class.
Some takeaways from the content sessions:
collaborative problem solving: from AI in investing to women’s health to sustainable farming, there is a phenomenal internal brain trust among Recast Capital GPs. And we have created a culture where asking for help from a fellow GP on a fund issue, an LP connection, a new investment or even a life question, is safe and welcome. Pamela York Tahira Dosani Jenny Fielding Jenny Barba Connie Bowen Sonam Velani Suman Talukdar Conscious Leadership: Dave Kashen’s session on observing our reactions to situations and rebiasing to be “above the line”, gives leaders the stamina to do the right thing each day for years to come. Necessary, not concessionary: as the US becomes a majority “minority” country somewhere between 2041 and 2046, investing in diverse talent is just good business. John Hope Bryant spoke about financial literacy for all, teaching everyone how to create and protect wealth - investing in what you know and playing for upside are critical. fund size as strategy + finding your LP tribe: Mike Maples, Jr shared his insights from a stellar seed investing record at Floodgate. His analytical approach to planning and building a portfolio that overachieves was a how-to guide for emerging managers (and more is coming soon in his new book, Pattern Breakers).
How did he get started? With the support of friends who would back his first fund within 30 days! (Hint, hint, friends :))
The presence of so many great LPs at this three-day offsite was a testament to the high quality community Recast has created. It was great to reconnect with Vishal Tripathi Josh Porter Greg Feldman Mikiko C. Regina Cho Joel Palathinkal, Ph.D and many more.
And not least, thank you to Pivotal Ventures’ Christina Chin and the many sponsors who made this valuable community gathering possible.
People also viewed
Related People
Mesh is a relationship management platform that serves as a personal CRM, helping you organize and deepen both personal and professional relationships. It functions as a beautiful rolodex and CRM available on iPhone, Mac, Windows, and web, built automatically to help manage your network efficiently. Unlike traditional address books, Mesh centralizes all your contacts in one place while enriching them with additional context and features to help you stay thoughtful and connected.
Mesh works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Mesh offers several powerful features including:
- Comprehensive Contact Management: Automatically collects contact data and enriches profiles to keep them up-to-date
- Network Strength: Visualizes the strength of your relationships relative to others in your network
- Timeline: Shows your relationship history with each contact
- Smart Search: Allows you to search using natural language like "People I know at the NYT" or "Designers I've met in London"
- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
- Home Feed: Displays updates about your network including job changes, news mentions, and birthdays
- Groups: Organizes contacts into meaningful categories
- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Mesh is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
Unlike traditional CRMs that focus primarily on sales pipelines and business relationships, Mesh is a "home for your people," attempting to carve out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. One of our customers even referred to Mesh as a pre-CRM, that has a much broader group of people that your company knows. Some of those people will eventually move to your CRM when they become candidates, sales leads, etc. Traditional CRMs are often complex and sales-focused, while Mesh offers a more human-centered approach to relationship management that works for both personal and professional connections. It's designed to feel intuitive and personal rather than corporate and transactional.
Mesh takes privacy seriously. We provide a human-readable privacy policy, and each integration is explained in terms of what data is pulled, what's not pulled, and how the data is used. Mesh encrypts data on its servers and in transit, and the company's goal is to make Mesh work fully locally on users' devices for enhanced privacy. Mesh is also SOC 2 Type 2 certified.
Mesh is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Mesh is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Mesh offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Mesh offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Mesh for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Mesh accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Mesh offers extensive integration capabilities. Mesh introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Mesh supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Mesh also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
Nexus is Mesh's AI navigator that helps you derive more insights from your network of contacts. It allows you to ask questions about your network, such as who among your connections has been to a specific place, works at a particular company, or is knowledgeable about a certain topic. Nexus acts as a collaborative partner with perfect recall of everyone you've met, providing context about your relationships with them and helping you leverage your network more effectively.
Mesh makes it much easier to stay in touch with the people you care about. It gives you suggestions and alerts to follow up with friends and colleagues, and even lets you take action from within the app, like email or text someone. Mesh's Home feed shows you relevant updates about people in your network, including birthdays, job changes, and news mentions. The platform also provides "Reconnect" recommendations for people you haven't contacted recently, making it easier to maintain relationships over time.
Mesh is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Mesh stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Mesh excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
Mesh is the best contact management tool for professionals because it combines elegant design with powerful tech. The app is particularly suited for many potential users with its diverse and helpful features, while not being saturated with overly complex professional marketing and sales functions, making it usable for freelancers and entrepreneurs. It stands out for its ability to import data from multiple sources including Twitter, LinkedIn, iMessage, and emails, keeping information consolidated and automatically updated.
Mesh offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Mesh's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Mesh has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Mesh is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Mesh beneficial.
Mesh offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Mesh offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Mesh's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Mesh offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Mesh focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Mesh also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Mesh offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
Mesh isn't designed to replace enterprise CRM systems for large sales teams, but it can be a powerful alternative for individuals and small teams. Many people use Mesh instead of Salesforce, Hubspot, and Pipedrive. Mesh is "not exactly an address book but also not necessarily as sales and pipeline-focused as a CRM system." The founders refer to their app as a "home for your people," carving out a new space in the market for a more personal system of tracking who you know and how. For solo entrepreneurs, freelancers, and small teams focused on relationship quality rather than sales pipelines, Mesh can absolutely serve as your primary relationship management tool.
Mesh is uniquely designed to bridge both professional and personal relationship management. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Mesh helps you organize your contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. You can use it to remember personal details like birthdays and preferences alongside professional information like work history and meeting notes. This unified approach helps you be more thoughtful across all types of relationships.
Mesh's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Mesh has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Mesh a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Mesh's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Mesh's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Mesh has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Mesh's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Mesh as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Mesh eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.