# Vijay Chattha

> Vijay Chattha is the San Francisco-based founder and CEO of VSC and a general partner at VSC Ventures. His career connects startup communications, early-stage investing and music: he co-founded the nightlife network UrbanGroove, helped the Smithsonian Sikh Heritage Project, and founded the Punjabi funk hip-hop band BlackMahal. He also co-founded Project Ahimsa and The100kPledge.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at VSC; General Partner at VSC Ventures
- **Organizations:** VSC, VSC Ventures, BlackMahal, Project Ahimsa, The100kPledge, UrbanGroove Networks, Smithsonian Sikh Heritage Project
- **Education:** University of Pennsylvania
- **Known for:** Founded and continues to lead VSC, established in 2002., Named to PRovoke Media’s Innovator 25 Americas in 2020., Co-founded UrbanGroove Networks with Nihal Mehta.

## Career timeline

- **2000** — Penn Today documented Chattha and Nihal Mehta as co-founders of UrbanGroove Networks, including the Philadelphia nightlife guide philly2nite.com.
- **2001** — Took leave from UrbanGroove to work on the Smithsonian Sikh Heritage Project, as reported by The Pennsylvania Gazette.
- **2002** — Founded VSC.
- **2004** — Formed BlackMahal, according to Metro Silicon Valley’s 2012 account.
- **2006** — A VSC announcement identified him as a PRWeek young-professional honoree and a participant in EntrepreneurshipWeek USA.
- **2011** — BlackMahal released the Pittsburgh Steelers song Black, Gold and Silver.
- **2019** — Explained his content-studio approach and emphasis on recruiting, investor interest and business development as communications outcomes.
- **2020** — Co-founded The100kPledge with Paras Shah and Nihal Mehta; named to PRovoke Media’s Innovator 25 Americas.
- **2021** — VSC announced VSC Ventures; a November report described a $20 million target and $7 million secured at that point.
- **2023** — Discussed startup attention with James Currier on The NFX Podcast.
- **2024** — Published an argument for accurate, human-centered AI branding in USC Annenberg’s Relevance Report.
- **2026** — Interviewed Mayfield managing partner Navin Chaddha at the September 23 Dirty Jobs Summit in San Francisco.

## Achievements

- Founded and continues to lead VSC, established in 2002.
- Named to PRovoke Media’s Innovator 25 Americas in 2020.
- Co-founded UrbanGroove Networks with Nihal Mehta.
- Helped the Smithsonian Sikh Heritage Project.
- Founded and performed with BlackMahal.
- Co-founded Project Ahimsa, a nonprofit supporting youth through music.
- Co-founded The100kPledge, a registry of commitments supporting economic opportunities for Black communities.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Interviewed Navin Chaddha at VSC Ventures’ Dirty Jobs Summit on September 23 in San Francisco.
- **2026-09** — Appeared in a CNN segment discussing his interest in accepting pre-IPO AI shares as payment for a listed vacation home; the segment did not establish a completed sale.

## Links

- Website: https://vsc.co/our-founder-vijay-chattha
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijaychattha
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/vijaychattha

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/vijay-chattha
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22