Dev Ittycheria
Growth
Backstory
I didn’t grow up expecting to become an entrepreneur. My father, an engineer, told me to earn an engineering degree and work for a large, reputable company. Take the well-worn path to a comfortable life.
Ironically, my parents were the biggest risk-takers. They left India in the early 70s, lived and worked in the UK, Canada, and Nigeria, and eventually settled in the US. My father started over by returning to grad school and building a new career.
At first, I followed his advice. I joined AT&T and moved up quickly. But I realized I didn’t want a bigger title. I wanted ownership. I wanted to build something from scratch, make the decisions, and live with the consequences. That was the real lesson of my parents’ story. You rarely get somewhere extraordinary by following the path everyone else takes.
I met VCs funding the broadband buildout. They were backing entrepreneurs selling to people like me. Entrepreneurship suddenly seemed possible.
I started Applica in 1998 and BladeLogic in 2001. Both went public. I learned that building a great software company requires much more than great software. The product is the entire customer experience. GTM cannot be bolted on later. It requires the same rigor as software.
After BladeLogic, I spent several years investing, but missed leading. I joined MongoDB as CEO when it had enormous potential but was underachieving. Over 11 years, we made plenty of mistakes but built a company that grew far beyond what we thought possible.
MongoDB is also where I came to know Sequoia. I saw how they worked with founders when decisions were difficult and the answers weren't obvious.
After three decades of building, leading, and investing, I wasn’t seeking another job. But the opportunity to help exceptional founders was hard to pass up.
On the Lookout for
I’m drawn to highly technical founders who are obsessed with solving an important problem, but understand that technology alone does not make a great company. They care just as much about the rest of the business. How do you acquire customers efficiently? Why do they stay? Does the business get stronger as it scales? I admire people who can go deep on the tech but can also discuss unit economics with equal rigor.
I also value founders with conviction and intellectual humility. They argue like they’re right, but listen like they’re wrong. When someone challenges a core belief, their first instinct is not to dismiss it. They get curious. The best founders I’ve worked with hold firm views without becoming prisoners of their own ideas.
Most of all, I want to work with founders who aspire to build something bigger than themselves. They are ambitious without taking themselves too seriously, and they create an energy that makes everyone around them raise their game. Building an enduring company is incredibly hard. Outlier founders attract exceptional people who want to take on that challenge with them.
Personal Side
Family / Sweating profusely / Sports junkie / Things made with care / NYC energy