# Akash Raju

> Akash Raju is the co-founder and CEO of Glimpse, a New York startup that builds AI agents to automate retail deductions - the fees retailers subtract from what they owe consumer brands. He and Purdue classmates Anuj Mehta and Kushal Negi started the company in 2020 as an Airbnb product-placement business, made Forbes 30 Under 30 for it, then hard-pivoted after concluding they lacked product-market fit. Glimpse now works with 200+ brands including Suave and Chapstick, has raised $52M total, and closed a $35M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz in March 2026.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Glimpse
- **Organizations:** Glimpse, Y Combinator (S20)
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Computer engineering, entrepreneurship, and industrial management, Purdue University, High school, Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology
- **Known for:** Forbes 30 Under 30 (2023, retail & e-commerce), Y Combinator Summer 2020 batch; named a TechCrunch favorite of the batch, Raised $52M total for Glimpse, including a $35M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz

## Career timeline

- **pre-2020** — Software engineer roles and internships at Tesla, Verisign, and the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory; program manager at Microsoft; teaching assistant at Purdue.
- **2020** — Co-founded Glimpse with Purdue classmates Anuj Mehta and Kushal Negi; joined Y Combinator's Summer 2020 batch, named a TechCrunch favorite.
- **2023** — Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 (retail & e-commerce) for Glimpse's Airbnb product-placement business.
- **2024** — Hard-pivoted Glimpse from product placement to AI-powered retail deduction management; raised $10M (later rebranded as seed).
- **2026** — Raised $35M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz, bringing total funding to $52M; Glimpse serving 200+ brands.

## Achievements

- Forbes 30 Under 30 (2023, retail & e-commerce)
- Y Combinator Summer 2020 batch; named a TechCrunch favorite of the batch
- Raised $52M total for Glimpse, including a $35M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz
- Grew Glimpse to 200+ brand and retail partners including Suave, Chapstick, and Lemon Perfect
- Built AI that achieves a 91% dispute win rate and reviewed 17,000 deductions in 24 hours for one customer

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — Glimpse announced a $35M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz, with participation from 8VC and Y Combinator, bringing total funding to $52M.

## Links

- Website: https://tryglimpse.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/akash-raju/
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/akashraju4

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/akash-raju
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-08-06