Vani Kola (born 1964) is an Indian venture capitalist and the founder and managing director of Kalaari Capital, a Bengaluru firm that invests in young technology companies. After founding and selling two software companies in Silicon Valley she returned to India in 2006 and became one of the earliest backers of several startups that grew into unicorns, among them Snapdeal, Myntra and Dream11.
Quick Facts
| Full name | Vani Kola |
| Born | 1964, Hyderabad, India |
| Occupation | Venture capitalist |
| Known for | Founder and managing director, Kalaari Capital |
| Education | Osmania University (B.E. Electrical Engineering); Arizona State University (M.S.) |
| Spouse | Srinivas Kola |
| Children | 2 daughters |
Early Life
Kola grew up in Hyderabad and was one of very few women in her engineering class at Osmania University. She moved to the United States in the late 1980s for a master’s degree and worked as an engineer at technology companies including Empros, Control Data Corporation and Consilium.
Career
In 1996 she founded RightWorks, which made software for companies to buy supplies online. A majority stake was sold to Internet Capital Group in 2000 in a deal valued at several hundred million dollars, and the company was later bought by i2 Technologies. She then started Certus Software, which made financial compliance tools, and sold it in 2005.
After 22 years in the United States she moved to Bengaluru in 2006. With Vinod Dham, known as the “father of the Pentium chip”, and Kumar Shiralagi she set up an India fund backed by the American firm New Enterprise Associates. It was renamed Kalaari Capital in 2012, after Kalaripayattu, the martial art of Kerala.
Kalaari has managed about 850 million dollars across its funds. It was an early investor in Kunal Bahl‘s Snapdeal, the fashion retailer Myntra, the fantasy sports company Dream11, the fitness chain Cult.fit, Urban Ladder, Zivame and many software firms. She is known for backing founders very early and working closely with them, and for the firm’s CXXO programme, which funds companies led by women.
Recognition
She has appeared repeatedly on Fortune India‘s list of the most powerful women in business and on Forbes lists of leading investors.
Personal Life
She is married to Srinivas Kola and has two daughters. She is a runner and has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and she writes regularly on leadership and mindfulness.
Frequently Asked Questions
When was Vani Kola born?
Vani Kola was born in 1964, Hyderabad, India.
What is Vani Kola known for?
Known for: Founder and managing director, Kalaari Capital.
Featured image: Vani Kola, managing director of Kalaari Capital. Photo by Fat32Ma, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
