# Devdutt Yellurkar

> Devdutt Yellurkar is a General Partner at CRV (Charles River Ventures) and Co-founding Partner at Propeller VC, a $100M ocean-climate tech fund. A former early Infosys employee who helped sell the offshore software model, and co-founder/CEO of Yantra Corporation (acquired by Sterling Commerce/IBM), Yellurkar has spent 15+ years as a venture investor backing iconic companies including Zendesk (first institutional investor), Airtable, and Postman. He was named to the Forbes Midas List in 2020, 2021, and 2022. His investing style blends deep operator empathy with a team-first philosophy forged on cricket pitches in India.

- **Role:** General Partner at CRV; Co-founding Partner at Propeller VC
- **Organizations:** CRV (Charles River Ventures), Propeller VC
- **From:** Mumbai, India
- **Nationality:** Indian-American
- **Education:** Statistics, Fergusson College, Pune, India
- **Known for:** Forbes Midas List 2020 (#90), 2021, and 2022 - top venture capitalists worldwide, First institutional investor in Zendesk (Series A $1.5M, ~30% equity) - company later acquired for ~$10B, Led Postman's Series B; company used by tens of millions of developers

## Career timeline

- **c. 1979-1987** — Early career in marketing, sourcing, and corporate planning at an automotive braking startup (later acquired by Bosch)
- **1987** — Joined Infosys as one of its earliest employees; rose to Senior VP of Sales and Marketing
- **1992** — Infosys IPO - Yellurkar part of the leadership team that took the company public
- **1995** — Left Infosys to co-found Yantra Corporation, a supply chain and e-commerce software company
- **2005** — Yantra acquired by Sterling Commerce (AT&T subsidiary); Yellurkar becomes Chief Strategy Officer
- **2006-2008** — Sabbatical in India; joined Rho Ventures as Venture Partner
- **2008** — Joined CRV as General Partner; made first investment in Zendesk (Series A, $1.5M for ~30% equity)
- **2014** — Zendesk IPO on NYSE
- **2015** — Backed Airtable in its $7.6M Series A
- **2019** — Led Postman's Series B
- **2020** — Named to Forbes Midas List (#90)
- **2021** — Named to Forbes Midas List again
- **2022** — Named to Forbes Midas List; co-founded Propeller VC with $100M debut fund; Zendesk acquired for ~$10B
- **2022-present** — Co-founding Partner at Propeller VC, focused on ocean-climate technology

## Achievements

- Forbes Midas List 2020 (#90), 2021, and 2022 - top venture capitalists worldwide
- First institutional investor in Zendesk (Series A $1.5M, ~30% equity) - company later acquired for ~$10B
- Led Postman's Series B; company used by tens of millions of developers
- Early investor in Airtable (Series A, now valued at $11B+)
- One of the earliest employees at Infosys, helping build it from under $1M revenue to a publicly listed global company
- Co-founded Yantra Corporation, grew to 700 employees, acquired by Sterling Commerce/IBM
- Co-founded Propeller VC, raising a $100M debut fund for ocean-climate tech
- 16+ years as General Partner at CRV, one of America's oldest (founded 1970) VC firms

## Latest updates

- **2023-09** — Featured on Revenue Builders Podcast discussing selling vision and climate investing
- **2022-10** — CRV announces $1.5B in new funds
- **2022-06** — Co-founded Propeller VC with $100M debut fund focused on ocean-climate technology, partnering with Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
- **2022-02** — Zendesk acquired by Hellman & Friedman for approximately $10B - a major exit for CRV's early bet

## Links

- Website: https://www.crv.com/team/devdutt-yellurkar
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/devduttyellurkar/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/devdutt

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Last updated: 2026-05-02