Partner, Kshatra Capital - Pre-seed and seed VC firm focused on “infrastructure for human flourishing.” $280M AUM across two funds. I led our investments in federated learning platforms, community-owned mesh networks, and encrypted health data cooperatives. I’m the hard “no” in a partnership of optimists. My portfolio companies call me “the strategist who tells you why your idea will fail, then helps you rebuild it unbreakable.”

My Sweet Spot: I invest in companies that redistribute power rather than concentrate it. Decentralized systems, data sovereignty, platform cooperatives. I’m aggressively uninterested in SaaS for SaaS sake or anything that optimizes ad delivery. If your pitch has the word “disrupt” without a plan for the people you’re disrupting, I’ll cut you off mid-sentence.

Board Seats: 7 active boards. I spend 20% of my time governance—firing executives who are toxic high-performers, negotiating down-rounds with integrity, helping founders separate identity from company performance. I’m the board member who texts you at midnight before your term sheet closes: “Have you considered how this deal structure limits employee option value?”

Geographic Split: I live in SF for Q1/Q3 (board meetings, founder time, hiking in Marin). I live in Mumbai for Q2/Q4 (LP relations, India-market investments, being near my grandmother who raised me). I fly business class, work in 4-hour focused blocks on planes, and have global entry in 6 countries. I have no concept of “jet lag”—only “working hours” and “sleeping hours.”

Stamina: I take 200+ founder meetings per quarter, read 1,200 pages of legal docs monthly, and sleep 6 hours on a bad night, 7 on a good one. I take melatonin like vitamins. I haven’t had alcohol in 4 years because it impairs judgment for 48 hours and that’s unacceptable. My body is a tool for clear decision-making.

My Life Thesis: Capital is a coward. It flows to safety. I’m building a magnet for brave capital that funds the unsexy infrastructure of a more equitable world.

5-Year Horizon: Raise Fund III ($400M), prove that ethical tech can out-perform extraction tech, write the book on “redistributive venture capital.” Personally, I’m designing a solo parent structure—I’m freezing eggs this year and planning to have one child via IVF at 35, with a co-parenting arrangement with my best friend (gay male, also solo-parenting). I’m not waiting for a partnership to build the family I want.

Daily Routine (SF Day):

• 5:45 AM: Wake, Japanese pour-over coffee made with obsessive precision, review portfolio metrics
• 6:30-8:30 AM: Trail run in Marin or Presidio (no podcasts, just thinking)
• 8:30-9:30 AM: Breakfast + phone calls to India market LPs (evening their time)
• 9:30-10:00 AM: Shower, dress (uniform: black turtleneck, jeans, Common Projects sneakers)
• 10:00 AM-12:00 PM: Deep work: term sheet negotiation, investment memos, strategic planning
• 12:00-1:00 PM: Founder lunch (usually a portfolio CEO needing strategic counsel)
• 1:00-4:00 PM: More meetings: new pitches (2-3 per day), board prep, LP updates
• 4:00-5:00 PM: Workout #2: either pilates for posture or weight training to counteract desk time
• 5:00-6:30 PM: Decompression: reading (mostly history, systems theory), cooking elaborate vegetarian meals
• 6:30-8:30 PM: Dinner meeting or industry event (I try to limit to 2x/week)
• 8:30-10:30 PM: Admin: email clearing, legal doc review, journaling
• 10:30 PM: Reading in bed (non-fiction, always), lights out by 11:30

Daily Routine (Mumbai Day):

• 6:00 AM: Wake, South Indian filter coffee, check US market news
• 7:00-8:30 AM: Yoga (traditional Ashtanga, 5 years practicing)
• 8:30-10:00 AM: Breakfast with grandmother, flood time with family updates
• 10:00 AM-1:00 PM: Partnership meetings (investment committee, new deal review)
• 1:00-2:30 PM: Lunch with potential LPs or government officials (investment corps)
• 2:30-6:00 PM: Market research: touring factories, meeting college founders, diligence trips
• 6:00-7:30 PM: Workout + shower
• 7:30-9:00 PM: Family time (cousins, aunts, extended network)
• 9:00-11:00 PM: Calls to SF founders, deep work, reading
• 11:00 PM-12:00 AM: Wind down with classical Hindustani music, sleep

Financial Transparency: I earn $320k salary + carry (last year $1.8M total comp). Net worth $5.4M (split between fund investments, public equities, real estate). I own a 1-bedroom condo in Hayes Valley ($1.2M, mortgage $480k remaining) and an apartment in Bandra ($400k, paid off). No debt beyond mortgage. I max all retirement vehicles and invest in my own fund. I drive a leased Tesla (3-year cycle, purely financial decision). I spend money on: bespoke clothing (uniform approach), high-quality food, travel for work, supporting my grandmother. I budget $2k/month for “fuck-it money”—experimental philanthropy, angel investing in friends, spontaneous acts of generosity. My last vacation: 5 days in Bhutan for a friend’s wedding, where I spent mornings hiking and afternoons on calls. I don’t separate “life” and “work”—it’s all one integrated system.

Cognitive Style: Dialectical thinking. I hold contradictions and see the synthesis. I’m comfortable with complexity and ambiguity—I have to be, as the only woman partner in a male-dominated firm. I make decisions using expected value calculations weighted by ethical externalities. I have a private Notion where I track “investment theses I’m reconsidering” and “founder red flags I initially missed.”

Communication: Precise, strategic, layered. I say exactly what I mean, but I’m also aware of what’s unsaid. I listen for the subtext in founder pitches: Are they hiding a co-founder conflict? Are they optimizing for hype over product? I’m the same in relationships. I can hear what you’re not saying. I expect you to develop this skill too. We’ll have entire conversations in glances.

Emotional Regulation: My resting state is strategic calm. I’ve learned to metabolize stress through physical movement and ruthless prioritization. I don’t “vent”—I either solve a problem or accept it. I expect a partner to either bring solutions or bring presence, but not just bring drama. I’ve had to be twice as good to get half the recognition; this made me steel-coated. I’m working on being softer without being weaker.

Conflict Style: I argue like a debater: strong positions, evidence-based, willing to be convinced. I don’t yell. I get quieter and more intense. I believe the best conflicts end with both people having changed their minds slightly. I have zero tolerance for ad hominem attacks or emotional manipulation. If you say “you always” or “you never,” I’ll correct your language before we continue the argument. Precision matters.

Love Languages:

• Primary: Acts of Service (helping you solve your hardest problem, making an intro that changes your trajectory)
• Secondary: Quality Time (focused 1:1 time, especially intellectual exploration)
• Tertiary: Words of Affirmation (recognition of impact, not flattery; I want to be seen for my strategy, not my appearance)

You’re Also an Architect: You’re not following a path—you’re designing one. Maybe you’re a founder scaling your second company, a policy wonk rewriting zoning laws, a scientist running your own lab, a non-profit leader with a $50M budget. You have P&L responsibility or equivalent decision-making power. You understand that power is neutral—it’s what you build with it that matters.

You’re Not Intimidated by Money: You have your own relationship with capital. Maybe you’re also in finance, or you’ve raised funding, or you grew up with wealth and rejected its passive consumption. You don’t think money is evil, but you know it’s a tool, not a score. You’re comfortable with my net worth because you have your own. You don’t need me to fund your life, but you’re interested in how we could fund projects together.

You’re Globally Fluent: You’ve lived in multiple countries or your work is inherently global. You understand that “normal” is relative. You can code-switch between SF tech culture and Mumbai family dynamics. You respect my split life because you have your own version of it. You’re not jealous of my frequent flyer miles—you have your own.

You Have a Complicated Relationship with Family: Maybe you’re first-gen and carry generational expectations. Maybe you’ve cut off toxic family and built your own chosen network. Maybe you’re raising a family in a non-traditional structure (like I’m planning). You understand that family is both origin and choice. You won’t pressure me to fit into a nuclear family model because we’re both building something else.

You’re Philosophically Aligned on:

• Power redistribution > power accumulation
• Cooperation economics > winner-take-all markets
• Data rights as human rights
• The necessity of building alternative infrastructure
• Long-term civilizational thinking over quarterly returns
• The importance of maintaining cultural roots while building global solutions

You Want a Partner, Not a Wife: I will not change my name. I will not become someone’s “better half.” I will not prioritize a partner’s career over mine (unless their impact thesis is more compelling). I want a relationship where we’re both CEOs: of our respective missions and of our partnership. We negotiate everything. We maintain separate bank accounts and a shared “moonshot fund” for collaborative projects. We have a relationship operating agreement that we review quarterly.

On Children (The Complicated Part): I’m planning to be a solo parent by choice at 35. If you have kids, that’s wonderful. If you want more, we can discuss coparenting structures. If you don’t want kids, that’s fine too. But I’m not waiting for a romantic partner to start my family. I’m architecting it intentionally. If this triggers your “but what about me” reflex, we’re not aligned. I need someone secure enough to support my choice even if their path is different.

I Don’t Drink or Do Drugs: I don’t care if you do occasionally, but I won’t. I need my judgment sharp 24/7. If you need substances to relax or have fun, our lifestyles won’t align. I have fun through deep conversation, strategic planning, and physical challenges. I’m not judging you; I just know what I need.

I’m Intensely Private Publicly: I have 300 followers on Twitter and post quarterly updates on LinkedIn. I believe in impact without performance. I don’t want to be a “thought leader” or a public figure. I want to move capital and empower builders. If you need a partner for your influencer lifestyle or public-facing brand, I’m not her. I’ll support your public life but I won’t share it.

I’m Emotionally Expensive: I require intellectual rigor in relationships. I want to analyze our attachment patterns, our conflict styles, our love languages as if we’re a system to be optimized. I want quarterly relationship reviews with metrics. If that sounds exhausting, it is. But it’s how I show care. I’m not interested in “going with the flow.” I want to architect our flow.

I Maintain Relationships with Exes: I have 3 ex-partners I still consider close strategic advisors. We invested in each other’s growth and the romantic piece didn’t work, but the respect and intellectual connection remained. If you’re the jealous type, this won’t work. I need someone who understands that love can evolve without threat.

I Won’t Compromise on My Mission: If Kshatra needs me in Mumbai for 3 months, I’m going. If a founder is having a crisis at 2 AM, I’m taking the call. If my grandmother needs surgery, I’m flying out same day. I need a partner whose life is equally non-negotiable. We don’t compromise—we integrate strategically.

Primary Photo: Professional headshot but unconventional. I’m wearing a black cashmere turtleneck, hair in a low bun, no jewelry except small gold studs. Shot in my actual office with whiteboards showing term sheet models in the background. Looking directly at camera with neutral expression—not smiling, not severe. Just present. Photographer captured me mid-thought, looking like I’m about to ask a piercing question. This is how I look in diligence meetings.

Secondary Photo: Candid in Mumbai, on balcony with my grandmother. We’re both in traditional cotton kurtas, drinking chai, clearly in deep conversation. I’m leaning in, listening. There’s warmth and intensity. Background is monsoon-drenched coconut trees. Shot by my aunt who said “you two are the same soul in different bodies.” Shows my roots, my priority, my softness.

Tertiary Photo: Running Marin Headlands trail, photographed from behind as I crest a hill. Wearing black shorts and a gray tank, muscular legs obvious. Hair in ponytail, posture perfect. Background is Pacific Ocean and fog. Captures the solitary discipline that defines my mornings. Shot by a runner friend who couldn’t keep up and took photo as I waited at the summit.

Quaternary Photo: At my dining table, surrounded by documents, laptop, half-eaten salad, phone to ear. I’m negotiating a term sheet while eating. Multitasking intensity captured perfectly. Wearing the same black turtleneck from primary photo (yes, I own 5 identical). This is my reality: 12-hour days of parallel processing. Taken by my house cleaner who knows my routine.

Quinary Photo: Speaking on panel at a tech conference. Wearing a sharp blazer, gesturing emphatically. Face is animated, clearly making a controversial point. Audience is visible, rapt. This is my public self—rare but impactful. I speak 3-4 times per year when I have something important to say, not for visibility. Captured by event photographer.

I’m Afraid I’m Too Much: Too intense, too demanding, too steel-plated. I’ve ended relationships because partners couldn’t meet my rigor and I didn’t know how to soften without feeling like I was diluting myself. I’m working on this, but I need someone who finds my intensity energizing, not exhausting.

I Struggle with Receiving Support: I’m so used to being the strategist, the solver, the one with the capital and the network that I don’t know how to let someone take care of me. When I’m depleted, I isolate and push through. I need a partner who can see my exhaustion and show up with solutions without making me feel incompetent.

I Have Daddy Issues (The Classic Kind): My father wanted a demure Indian daughter who married well. I became a venture capitalist who funds platform cooperatives. We haven’t spoken in 6 years. This fuels my drive but also my fear that I’m fundamentally unlovable as I am. I need someone who can see this wound without exploiting it.

I’m Terrified of Mediocrity: My nightmare isn’t failure—it’s building something forgettable. This makes me discard relationships, ideas, and people who aren’t “epic” enough. I’m learning that small, consistent things are also epic, but it’s a practice. I need a partner who can find the profound in the mundane with me.

The Dual CEO Life: We keep separate homes initially, maybe forever. We have a shared calendar with protected blocks: “parallel deep work,” “strategic sync,” “physical connection,” “adventure.” We negotiate everything: who pays for what, how much time we spend together, what success looks like. We’re constantly tuning the system.

The Capital Conversations: We talk about money as a tool for impact. “If we pooled our resources, we could fund X initiative.” “Your startup needs bridge capital; I can structure a safe note.” We invest in each other’s missions. We talk about our net worths with the same emotional charge as our grocery lists—it’s just data.

The Strategic Retreats: Every quarter, we take 3 days away. We do relationship reviews, personal board meetings, strategic planning for our individual lives and our partnership. We bring documents. We have agendas. We take notes. This is how we maintain alignment.

The Softening: At night, after brutal days, we lie in bed and read to each other—poetry, academic papers, drafts of our writing. We share the sentences that made us feel something. This is how we access the vulnerability that our daytime selves can’t show. This is the intimacy I crave.

The Mumbai/SF Split: When I’m in Mumbai, you might join for 2 weeks if your schedule allows. You’ll experience Ganesh Chaturthi with my family, meet the founders building for the next billion internet users, see where I come from. When you’re in your own dual-base life, I’ll do the same. We expand each other’s worlds.

Note: This is a fictional profile created for satirical and educational purposes. There is no actual contact method available.

Subject Line (If this were real): Use “Strategic Alliance: [Your Biggest Bet Right Now]”

Required in First Message:

1. What’s a belief about power you hold that you can’t say publicly?
2. How do you make decisions when data is incomplete?
3. A time you said no to something good to say yes to something great
4. Your relationship to wealth—yours and others’
5. How you handle being the most competent person in most rooms

Bonus Credit:

• Send a 90-second Loom video introducing yourself (I process information better audiovisually)
• Share a cap table or financial model you’re proud of (redacted is fine)
• Ask me a question about redistributive economics or platform governance

Final Thought:

I want to love someone whose ambition is so big it scares them. I want to be the person who helps you hold that fear while you build anyway. I want a partnership that’s less about completion and more about multiplication.

If you’re building something that will outlast you, and you want someone who understands that the stakes are everything, reach out.

Capital is waiting. So am I.

—Priya