Anuj Srivastava

Co-Founder & Chairman, Livspace; Angel Investor at livspace

Reviewed Updated May 1, 2026

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Location Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Check Size Angel checks; specific sizes not publicly disclosed
Last Verified Investment Swish Club (Seed) — Feb 10, 2025
Social LinkedIn
Stage Focus
pre-seed seed series-a
Sector Focus
consumer e-commerce marketplace fintech healthcare d2c consumer-internet travel payments

Background

Anuj Srivastava is the Co-Founder and Chairman of Livspace, the Bengaluru-headquartered home interior design and renovation platform he co-founded with Ramakant Sharma in 2014-2015 123. In February 2025, Livspace announced a leadership rejig ahead of a planned IPO: Srivastava transitioned from Co-Founder & CEO to Chairman of the Board, while Sharma was elevated from Chief Operating Officer to Chief Executive Officer 4. Srivastava now oversees the IPO process, fundraising and longer-term board strategy, while Sharma leads day-to-day operations 4.

Srivastava holds a technology degree from IIT Kanpur and an MBA from London Business School (2003) 2. His career began with two years at PepsiCo India in a management leadership program starting in 1998 12. He then joined Encentuate, a San Francisco security software startup that was acquired by IBM 12. From 2007 to 2014 he was at Google in Mountain View, ultimately serving as Global Head of Product Marketing for the e-commerce team 15. He left Google to co-found Livspace, which launched its operations in January 2015 12.

Livspace has raised approximately USD $450-512M in total funding from investors including KKR, Ingka Group Investments (Ingka is the largest IKEA retailer), TPG Growth, Goldman Sachs, Kharis Capital, Venturi Partners, FFP (Peugeot Group’s holding company), EDBI, Bessemer Venture Partners, Jungle Ventures, Helion Ventures and UC-RNT 67. The company crossed unicorn status in February 2022 with a $180M Series F led by KKR at a reported $1.2 billion valuation 7. He has spoken at the Milken Institute Asia Summit (2021, 2022) and the 2023 Milken Global Conference 8.

Srivastava began angel investing in 2010 while still at Google, citing the company’s policy of allowing him to invest in and advise early-stage entrepreneurs as formative experience 29. Sources disagree on the scale of his angel portfolio: Tracxn lists 21 angel investments with 1 unicorn (CoinSwitch) and 2 exits (Lookup, Pursuite) 10, while a 2018 KrASIA interview with Srivastava himself put the figure at “over 50 companies” 9. A separate aggregator (YNOS) describes coverage of 150+ companies including 15 unicorns across India, Southeast Asia, the US, and Europe — Seedlist could not independently verify the higher figure 11.

Stated Thesis

In a 2018 KrASIA interview, Srivastava described his angel approach as gut-led and values-driven rather than thesis-led:

“You ultimately are investing based on your gut. And the gut is a very personal thing.” 9

“I really like to work with people that I can be friends with, whom I can have a lot of fun with. If I don’t have a value system matching with the founder’s, then most likely I won’t invest.” 9

He has named the spaces he is drawn to as: vertical marketplaces, complex supply-side platforms, small and medium business automation, the travel space, internet-first omni-channel brands, payments, and financial service automation 9. In the same interview he described his geographic allocation as “about 20% in the United States, 50% India, 20% Singapore, and 10% Indonesia” 9.

Inferred Thesis

This analysis combines Tracxn’s structured portfolio data 10 with Srivastava’s own 2018 self-description 9 and contemporaneous press on individual rounds. Tracxn’s confirmed list of 21 angel investments is materially smaller than Srivastava’s own 50+ claim — Seedlist treats Tracxn as the verifiable floor and the larger figures as unverified.

Stage distribution: Tracxn’s recent investment activity shows participation in Seed and Series A rounds — Swish Club Seed ($3.3M, Feb 2025), MarketWolf Seed ($5.5M, Oct 2021), NirogStreet Series A ($4M, Dec 2021), Nestasia Series A ($4.01M, Dec 2021) 10. The pattern is consistent with angel checks alongside institutional leads rather than lead-investor positioning. Razorpay’s Rize directory describes him as a “Seed and Pre-Seed” angel 12.

Sector distribution: Tracxn classifies his portfolio’s primary sectors as Consumer and Retail, with exposure across 12 additional sectors 10. Independent sources name fintech, healthtech, mobility, and consumer in particular 12. Verified portfolio entries span: - Crypto / Fintech — CoinSwitch (unicorn) 10, MarketWolf 10 - Healthcare — PharmEasy 910, NirogStreet 10 - Consumer / D2C / Marketplace — Purplle 9, Nestasia 10, Swish Club 10, PiggyRide 12, Plum 12, Brick & Bolt 12 - Earlier exits — ZipDial (acquired by Twitter) 9, Voyagin (acquired by Rakuten) 11, TravelMob (acquired by HomeAway) 11, Lookup (acquired 2016) 10, Pursuite (acquired 2022) 10

Geographic focus: Srivastava’s self-reported geographic split skews India-heavy with meaningful Southeast Asia exposure 9, which is consistent with the named exits being Indian (ZipDial), Singaporean (TravelMob), and Japanese/Asian (Voyagin) operating companies. Tracxn’s tagged geography is “India and United States” 10.

Co-investor patterns: Tracxn names Powerhouse Ventures, Blume Ventures, Stellaris Venture Partners, and ICMG Partners as notable co-investors across his rounds 10. The mix reflects India-active early-stage funds, consistent with the angel-alongside-institutional-lead pattern.

Founder selection criteria (per his own words): “great problem solvers, meaning they focus a lot on input functions”; founders who “are also a great magnet for talent”; and people with “very tiny egos, and they are not afraid to fail” 9.

Notable patterns and gaps: Srivastava’s angel portfolio is unusually international for an India-based operator-angel, reflecting his Silicon Valley career at Google before returning to India to build Livspace. His ascendance to Chairman in February 2025 with explicit IPO responsibilities 4 may slow his angel cadence; Tracxn’s most recent confirmed check (Swish Club, February 2025) lands just before that transition.

Portfolio

This table lists investments where Srivastava’s involvement is confirmed by Tracxn, Razorpay’s Rize directory, his own KrASIA interview statements, or contemporaneous press. Tracxn confirms 21 angel investments 10; Srivastava himself has claimed 50+ 9. Detailed year/round data is sparse for many entries because angel records are not consistently disclosed at the time of investment.

Company Year Stage Source
ZipDial ~2011-2014 Angel (acquired by Twitter, 2015) 9
Voyagin ~2012-2014 Angel (acquired by Rakuten) 11
TravelMob ~2012-2013 Angel (acquired by HomeAway) 11
Lookup ~2015 Angel (acquired, July 2016) 10
Pursuite ~2017-2019 Angel (acquired, June 2022) 10
~unknown PharmEasy — Angel
~unknown Purplle — Angel (now Series F)
~unknown CoinSwitch — Angel (now Series C unicorn)
MarketWolf 2021-10-19 Seed ($5.5M round) 10
Nestasia 2021-12-15 Series A ($4.01M round) 10
NirogStreet 2021-12-24 Series A ($4M round) 10
Swish Club 2025-02-10 Seed ($3.3M round) 10
~unknown PiggyRide — Angel
~unknown Plum — Angel
~unknown Brick & Bolt — Angel

In Their Own Words

On how he decides to invest:

“You ultimately are investing based on your gut. And the gut is a very personal thing.” — Anuj Srivastava, KrASIA interview, 2018 9

On the importance of value alignment with founders:

“I really like to work with people that I can be friends with, whom I can have a lot of fun with. If I don’t have a value system matching with the founder’s, then most likely I won’t invest.” — Anuj Srivastava, KrASIA interview, 2018 9

On what he looks for in founders:

Great founders are “great problem solvers, meaning they focus a lot on input functions” and “are also a great magnet for talent,” with “very tiny egos, and they are not afraid to fail.” — Anuj Srivastava, KrASIA interview, 2018 9

On the start of his angel career:

“I got my start in angel investing as early as 2010, when I was still with Google.” — Anuj Srivastava, KrASIA interview, 2018 9

On hiring and culture (from a London Business School profile):

“The only way you can succeed is by finding people who are smarter than you.” — Anuj Srivastava, London Business School “Think” profile 2

What Founders Say

No independently sourced verbatim founder testimonials about Anuj Srivastava were located in this research pass that meet Seedlist’s standards (direct first-person quotes from portfolio founders about their actual working relationship with him, attributable to a contemporaneous primary source). Given his self-reported portfolio of 50+ companies 9, founder commentary likely exists in Indian/Southeast Asian founder interviews and podcasts — additional dedicated research is needed to substantiate this section.

Connections

  • Co-Founder & Chairman, Livspace — transitioned from CEO to Chairman in February 2025 ahead of planned IPO; co-founded the company with Ramakant Sharma 134
  • Co-founder partnership with Ramakant Sharma — Sharma is now CEO of Livspace and a separately profiled prolific Indian angel investor 4
  • Former Global Head of Product Marketing, Google e-commerce team (2007-2014) — eight years at Google in Mountain View 12
  • Former Encentuate (San Francisco) — security software startup, acquired by IBM 12
  • Former PepsiCo India — management leadership program, ~1998-2000 12
  • Livspace investor network: KKR (Series F lead 2022), Ingka Group Investments (IKEA parent), TPG Growth, Goldman Sachs, Bessemer Venture Partners, Jungle Ventures, Helion Ventures, Kharis Capital, Venturi Partners, FFP (Peugeot), EDBI, UC-RNT 67
  • Frequent angel co-investor with Powerhouse Ventures, Blume Ventures, Stellaris Venture Partners, ICMG Partners — Tracxn-named notable co-investors 10
  • Speaker, Milken Institute Asia Summit (2021, 2022) and Milken Global Conference (2023) 8
  • Alumni network: IIT Kanpur (technology degree), London Business School (MBA 2003) 2

Sources

  1. Crunchbase, “Anuj Srivastava - Co-Founder & CEO @ Livspace,” accessed May 2026. https://www.crunchbase.com/person/anuj-srivastava↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  2. London Business School Think, “Anuj Srivastava: The unconventional entrepreneur,” accessed May 2026. https://www.london.edu/think/anuj-srivastava-the-unconventional-entrepreneur↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  3. Grokipedia, “Livspace,” accessed May 2026. https://grokipedia.com/page/Livspace↩↩

  4. Medial, “Livspace names Ramakant Sharma as CEO, Anuj Srivastava as chairman ahead of IPO,” February 2025. https://medial.app/news/livspace-names-ramakant-sharma-as-ceo-anuj-srivastava-as-chairman-ahead-of-ipo-d075c40858eee↩↩↩↩↩

  5. Anuj Srivastava on LinkedIn (“founder @ livspace, googler (in a past life)”), accessed May 2026. https://www.linkedin.com/in/anujs/↩

  6. TechCrunch, “India’s Livspace raises $70M for its one-stop-shop for interior design,” September 19, 2018. https://techcrunch.com/2018/09/19/livspace-raises-70m/↩↩

  7. BusinessWire, “Livspace Turns Unicorn with USD $180 Million Series F Round Led by KKR,” February 7, 2022. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220207005993/en/Livspace-Turns-Unicorn-with-USD-$180-Million-Series-F-Round-Led-by-KKR↩↩↩

  8. Milken Institute, “Anuj Srivastava - Asia Summit 2022 Speakers,” accessed May 2026. https://milkeninstitute.org/events/asia-summit-2022/speakers/anuj-srivastava↩↩

  9. KrASIA, “Google alum Anuj Srivastava’s curious path to angel investing,” accessed May 2026. https://kr-asia.com/google-alum-anuj-srivastavas-curious-path-to-angel-investing↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  10. Tracxn, “Anuj Srivastava - 2026 Portfolio & Founded Companies,” accessed May 2026. https://tracxn.com/d/people/anuj-srivastava/__DNKxN6fDx-7K8G-cy8cnqZAxeK0DER_IRh2VA34JZ9k↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩↩

  11. YNOS, “Anuj Srivastava - Angel Investor Profile & Invested Companies,” accessed May 2026. https://www.ynos.in/angel-investor/anuj-srivastava-30004↩↩↩↩↩

  12. Razorpay Rize, “List of Startups Funded by Anuj Srivastava,” accessed May 2026. https://razorpay.com/rize/investors-list/anuj-srivastava↩↩↩↩↩