Meet Naren Ramaswamy

What’s your connection to Stanford?

I came to Stanford as an undergrad in mechanical engineering, and was so hooked by the vibrancy of the campus that after I had graduated, I returned not once, but twice to pursue two separate masters degrees — one in mechanical engineering and later an MBA at the GSB. As a result, my friends joke that I might have eaten more meals in the Stanford dining halls than anyone else on the planet.

These days, I enjoy remaining engaged with the Stanford community through helping student founders refine their startup pitch decks, helping teach Stanford’s Indian classical music class every year, and informally teaching beginners how to golf.

Tell us about your background. What roles did you hold prior to joining Spike?

I have been fortunate to experience roles at startups, big tech firms, as well as VC firms on my way to Spike. Most recently, I worked at deep tech VC firm DCVC, which has made several co-investments with Alumni Ventures. Prior to that, I worked as an iPhone Program Manager at Apple, working with engineering and R&D teams to bring cutting edge technologies into the iPhone.

What sparked your interest in VC, and why did you decide to join Spike?

After having had the chance to work at multiple startups and even attempting to start my own company, I garnered a deep respect for entrepreneurs. Spike appealed to me for three reasons:

• Being sector-agnostic allowed me to learn about many different industries.
• Also, I resonated with AV’s mission of broadening access to venture, which has historically been a highly exclusive asset class.
• Lastly, staying connected with the Stanford community through Spike was an added bonus!

Which VC trends are you most excited about?

As VCs, we are fortunate to be thinking ahead on a daily basis, about what the world might look like in 5-10 years. However, I think we also have a responsibility since our investments today might define what the world might look like in the future. Therefore, I am broadly excited by technologies that can transform human lives and the planet for the better — some examples include novel biotech work towards healthy aging, climate tech startups, and companies helping solve wealth inequality.

What are the three most important lessons you’ve learned on your VC journey?

1. The VC job is not just about picking a startup to invest in — that’s just the beginning. Helping founders succeed and being a reliable partner post-investment is even more important.
2. Patience is paramount — startups can sometimes take several years to take off.
3. Anything is possible with vision and hard work — it’s something I learn from inspiring entrepreneurs everyday.

Which resources or sources of inspiration are most useful to you on a regular basis?

I enjoy reading/listening to StrictlyVC, The Information, and The Twenty Minute VC. But beyond these, what has been most useful to me is having the mindset to treat every meeting/conversation as an opportunity to learn — it’s what makes the job exciting, but also helps me keep an open mind.