# Chetan Puttagunta

> Chetan Puttagunta is a General Partner at Benchmark, one of Silicon Valley's most storied venture capital firms, where he has backed transformative companies in enterprise software, developer tools, and open-source infrastructure since 2018. Before Benchmark, he was a General Partner at NEA, where he led investments in MongoDB, MuleSoft, and Elastic — a trifecta of open-source commercial powerhouses. Born in Hyderabad and raised in Maryland, he graduated from Stanford with a degree in Electrical Engineering before cutting his teeth in tech investment banking. A self-described 'gulab jamun enthusiast,' he's known for his sharp conviction on open-source business models, his collaborative boardroom style, and his ability to find the best Indian desserts in Scotland.

- **Role:** General Partner at Benchmark
- **Organizations:** Benchmark, NEA, Elastic (Chairman), Modern Treasury, Airbyte, LangChain, Legora, Duffel, Starcloud, Fomo
- **From:** Hyderabad, India
- **Nationality:** American (Indian-born)
- **Education:** B.S. Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, High School Diploma, Quince Orchard High School
- **Known for:** General Partner at Benchmark, one of the world's top VC firms, joining at age 32 as one of the youngest GPs in the firm's history, Forbes Midas List for six consecutive years (2024: #74, 2025: #68), Forbes 30 Under 30, Venture Capital (2015)

## Career timeline

- **2003** — Enrolled at Stanford University, Electrical Engineering
- **2007** — Graduated Stanford; joined Houlihan Lokey in technology M&A investment banking
- **2009** — Moved to H.I.G. Capital's San Francisco office
- **2011** — Joined New Enterprise Associates (NEA) as investor focused on enterprise software
- **2015** — Named to Forbes 30 Under 30, Venture Capital
- **2016** — Promoted to General Partner at NEA
- **2017** — MongoDB and MuleSoft IPOs - major exits from NEA portfolio
- **2018** — MuleSoft acquired by Salesforce for ~$6.8B (NEA was largest shareholder); joined Benchmark as General Partner
- **2024** — Led Benchmark's seed investment in Legora (AI legal tech); ranked #74 on Forbes Midas List
- **2025** — Ranked #68 on Forbes Midas List; championed Benchmark's $17M Series A in Fomo crypto trading app
- **2026** — Led Benchmark's investment in Starcloud ($170M Series A, $1.1B valuation) - YC's fastest-ever unicorn

## Achievements

- General Partner at Benchmark, one of the world's top VC firms, joining at age 32 as one of the youngest GPs in the firm's history
- Forbes Midas List for six consecutive years (2024: #74, 2025: #68)
- Forbes 30 Under 30, Venture Capital (2015)
- Board member / early investor in MongoDB, MuleSoft, Elastic, Airbyte, LangChain, Modern Treasury
- Elastic Chairman (continuing from NEA through Benchmark)
- Led NEA investment in MuleSoft, acquired by Salesforce for ~$6.8B in 2018
- Pioneer of open-source commercialization thesis in enterprise venture capital
- Backed Starcloud - YC's fastest-ever unicorn (17 months post-YC, $1.1B valuation)

## Latest updates

- **2026-05** — Announced George Hu (former Salesforce/Twilio exec) as Venture Partner at Benchmark
- **2026-03** — Led Benchmark's investment in Starcloud's $170M Series A at $1.1B valuation - YC's fastest-ever unicorn building space-based data centers for AI compute
- **2025-11** — Championed Benchmark's rare crypto bet - $17M Series A in Fomo trading app
- **2025-00** — Ranked #68 on Forbes Midas List for 2025
- **2024-05** — Led Benchmark's seed investment in Legora, an AI legal tech company
- **2024-00** — Ranked #74 on Forbes Midas List for 2024

## Links

- Website: https://benchmark.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chetanputtagunta/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/chetanp

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/chetan-puttagunta
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-05