# Shashank Saxena

> Shashank Saxena is CEO and chairman of Pantomath and a venture partner at Sierra Ventures. He co-founded VNDLY in Cincinnati in 2017, led it through its acquisition by Workday in 2021, and subsequently served as general manager of Workday VNDLY. His earlier career included digital transformation and strategy roles at Citi and Kroger.

- **Role:** CEO & Chairman at Pantomath; Venture Partner at Sierra Ventures
- **Organizations:** Pantomath, Sierra Ventures, Workday VNDLY, VNDLY, The Kroger Co., Citi, Bowery Capital, University of Cincinnati
- **From:** Mumbai, India
- **Education:** Bachelor’s in computer science, Troy University, MBA in finance, University of Cincinnati, MS in information systems, University of Cincinnati
- **Known for:** Co-founded VNDLY and led the business through its approximately $510 million acquisition by Workday., Helped build enterprise digital and e-commerce initiatives at Citi and Kroger before founding VNDLY., Led Pantomath as CEO during its $30 million Series B announced in August 2025.

## Career timeline

- **2006** — Moved from India to the United States for graduate study, as recounted in his Neon Show interview.
- **2008** — Graduated with an MBA from the University of Cincinnati and began his career at Citi.
- **2012** — Joined Kroger; subsequent responsibilities included digital, e-commerce, partnerships, new business development and corporate strategy.
- **2017** — Co-founded VNDLY with Narayan Surabhi in Cincinnati; raised a $3 million seed round.
- **2021** — Joined Bowery Capital as a venture partner. Workday announced an approximately $510 million agreement to acquire VNDLY in November; the acquisition closed in December.
- **2023** — Served as co-general manager of Workday VNDLY alongside Mariana Santiago.
- **2024** — Joined Sierra Ventures in April.
- **2025** — Became a full-time operating leader at Pantomath; current company materials identify him as CEO and chairman.
- **2026** — Continues as Pantomath CEO and Sierra Ventures venture partner.

## Achievements

- Co-founded VNDLY and led the business through its approximately $510 million acquisition by Workday.
- Helped build enterprise digital and e-commerce initiatives at Citi and Kroger before founding VNDLY.
- Led Pantomath as CEO during its $30 million Series B announced in August 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Appeared on The Neon Show to discuss VNDLY, acquisition decisions and running Pantomath.
- **2026-01** — Snowflake Ventures announced an investment in Pantomath and deeper product integration.
- **2025-08** — Pantomath announced a $30 million Series B led by General Catalyst.
- **2025-05** — Delivered the opening keynote on the next wave of AI at the University of Cincinnati Analytics Summit.

## Links

- Website: https://www.sierraventures.com/shashank-saxena
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shashank-saxena-659b497/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/shashank-saxena
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23