# Medha Agarwal

> Medha Agarwal is a General Partner at Defy VC, an early-stage venture capital firm based in Woodside, California, where she partners with founders from day zero through Series A. With roots at Redpoint Ventures (7 years as Partner), Bessemer Venture Partners, and two founder stints of her own, she brings a rare blend of operator instinct and institutional investing muscle to sectors including vertical SaaS, fintech, AI-first companies, healthcare technology, and marketplaces. A Harvard College and Harvard Business School alumna, Medha is also a prolific writer—her Medium essays on vertical SaaS and AI pricing have become required reading in startup circles—and was named one of Business Insider's 66 Rising Stars of Venture Capital in 2023.

- **Role:** General Partner at Defy VC
- **Organizations:** Defy VC, Redpoint Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, Bain & Company
- **From:** New York, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** A.B. in Social Studies, Harvard College, MBA, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Named one of Business Insider's 66 Rising Stars of Venture Capital in 2023, 7 years as Partner at Redpoint Ventures with notable investments including Whatnot, Tend, Proper Finance, LiveKit, and Anvyl, Co-author of 'Make Cents' Substack newsletter on fintech with 2,300+ subscribers

## Career timeline

- **early career** — Management consultant at Bain & Company
- **mid career** — Founded Skedge.me, a scheduling platform startup
- **mid career** — Founded Roomidex, a social roommate-finding website
- **pre-2016** — Started investing career at Bessemer Venture Partners
- **2016** — Joined Redpoint Ventures as Partner, focused on early-stage fintech, vertical SaaS, marketplaces, and healthcare
- **2023** — Named one of Business Insider's 66 Rising Stars of Venture Capital
- **November 2023** — Joined Defy VC as General Partner, alongside Amy Yin as Venture Partner, during Fund III ($300M raise)

## Achievements

- Named one of Business Insider's 66 Rising Stars of Venture Capital in 2023
- 7 years as Partner at Redpoint Ventures with notable investments including Whatnot, Tend, Proper Finance, LiveKit, and Anvyl
- Co-author of 'Make Cents' Substack newsletter on fintech with 2,300+ subscribers
- Over 3,700 Medium followers for thought leadership on vertical SaaS and AI investing
- 16,000+ LinkedIn followers
- Speaker at SaaStr, TechCrunch Disrupt, and major VC/startup conferences
- First institutional investor in Airspace, an AI-powered logistics software company
- Rowed lightweight crew for Harvard Radcliffe Varsity team
- General Partner at Defy VC during $300M Fund III raise

## Latest updates

- **2026-01** — Featured in VCWire interview discussing Defy VC's investment thesis and early-stage approach
- **2025-10** — Spoke at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 on panel 'What Makes a Pitch Land' with Jyoti Bansal and Jennifer Neundorfer
- **2025** — Published 'AI & its Impact on Vertical SaaS: The Gates of Distribution have Flung Open' on Medium (July 2024)
- **2024** — Appeared on The Full Ratchet Podcast discussing AI revenue-model transformation and the arrival of agents
- **2024** — Spoke at SaaStr on 'The Death of SaaS Pricing and the Rise of Transactional Models'
- **2023-11** — Joined Defy VC as General Partner during $300M Fund III raise

## Links

- Website: https://defy.vc/team_member/medha-agarwal/
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/medhakagarwal
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/mkhandel
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/defyvc/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/medha-agarwal
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-18