Vijay Rajendran
Venture Building at gAI Ventures
About
I'm Vijay Rajendran, currently focused on venture building at gAI Ventures where I create and back generative AI companies. My career has spanned management consulting, founding my own ecommerce business, leading venture design at major financial institutions, and heading portfolio strategy at global VC firms. I'm passionate about helping founders navigate fundraising as a strategic partnership, developing leadership in the AI era where domain expertise matters more than ever, and exploring how technology transforms work. I also teach leadership at UC Berkeley, coach high-growth CEOs, and recently authored The Funding Framework. I'm always looking to connect with founders, investors, and builders who are shaping the future of AI and entrepreneurship.
Networking
What I can offer
- ›Executive coaching for high-growth CEOs
- ›Venture building and strategic advisory on fundraising
- ›Thought leadership on AI-era leadership and company building
- ›Teaching and facilitation on leadership and change management for startup founders
- ›Public speaking and insights on venture trends
Looking for
- ›expanding my professional network
- ›exploring mutual opportunities in venture capital and startup ecosystem
Best fit for
Current Interests
Background
Career
Started as Management Consultant at Kearney, founded Hungry Globetrotter, worked in product innovation at Jump Associates, led venture design at BBVA including interim CEO role at Azlo, headed portfolio value and corporate growth at 500 Global, served as angel investor/instructor at Climate Capital, now venture building at gAI Ventures while also authoring a book, teaching at UC Berkeley, executive coaching, and public speaking
Education
Executive Coaching and Leadership Program at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business, MBA from Georgetown University McDonough School of Business, MS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University Walsh School of Foreign Service, BSBA from Boston University Questrom School of Business
Achievements
- ›Authored The Funding Framework, recognized as a #1 New Release in Venture Capital on Amazon
- ›At BBVA: Interviewed and selected Entrepreneurs-in-Residence to design and incubate 5 new international ventures with over 60 employees and $20 million invested. Designed an open banking venture studio with a $10 million fund
- ›At 500 Global: Authored a pivotal CVC report (Unlocking Corporate Venture Capital) with ~3000 downloads. Served as faculty in the 500-INSEAD Corporate VC Unlocked program. Designed a fintech accelerator and sourced startups for Visa in APAC
- ›As interim CEO at Azlo, led new business concepting and secured internal seed investment for one of the first digital banks for small business
- ›Founded Hungry Globetrotter, a subscription-based ecommerce company
Opinions
- Fundraising should be about 'listening better,' not just pitching more; it's about finding a strategic partner
- "There is no final product-market fit. Only product-market evolution."
- In the AI era, "headcount is no longer the primary lever for scale." The key question is: “How much compute, and what judgment, do you need?”
- Domain experts have a "huge unfair advantage in the AI era." You can't automate complex jobs you've never done; solutions must be built with people, not just for them
- "Pattern recognition is a shortcut for judgment. It works early. BUT it breaks exactly when leadership starts to matter."
- For investors: "You don’t have to be the most intelligent person in the ecosystem to win. You have to be the most professional."