YOUNG ALUMNUS/ALUMNA ACHIEVER AWARDEE 2026

Mr. Rohit Agarwal is currently the Managing Director at PeakXV Partners, where he focuses on investments across the APAC region. He is based in Singapore.

After completing his B.Tech. from IIT Bombay, Mr. Agarwal began his journey at the intersection of entrepreneurship and venture investing.

Mr. Agarwal joined PeakXV (then known as Sequoia India) in 2015 and advises the firm on investments in fintech, SaaS, and AI. Over the years, he has worked closely with founders across Southeast Asia and the broader APAC region. He currently serves on the board of companies such as Insider, Kenangan Brands, Stockbit, Multiplier, and Shift, among others.

Before joining PeakXV, he was part of the leadership team at Housing.com. His entrepreneurial journey, however, began much earlier — in his final year at IIT Bombay, when he launched a legal tech start-up from his hostel room. That early experience of building from scratch laid the foundation for his long-term commitment to partnering with founders.

Mr. Agarwal has partnered with multiple start-ups over the past decade, often before they had launched or reached meaningful traction. He has worked alongside founders to nurture ideas into viable products and enduring companies — shaping business models, hiring talent, and helping them raise capital. Today, these companies have collectively scaled to more than $1 billion in revenue, generated tens of thousands of direct job opportunities, and serve tens of millions of customers daily. He has worked with founders from over ten nationalities, and many of these companies operate globally, with some present in more than 50 countries.

Beyond investing, Mr. Agarwal is actively involved with multiple industry bodies and non-profits focused on strengthening venture capital and entrepreneurship ecosystems across APAC. He currently serves on the board of TiE Singapore.

Interests & Hobbies: It was at IIT Bombay that I really discovered my passion for literature, especially poetry. I started writing myself, and that has continued to date. Hopefully, someday am able to compile all these into a book. In fact, while at IIT Bombay, I compiled one of the first books of student poetry.

A Personal Note: I grew up in a large family; chaos was part of life, but so was caring for each other. I also grew up in a family business, in an industrial town, both past their prime and yet unwilling to change. Lastly, I grew up studying math and engineering, even though I was more drawn to the issues that underpin everyday life, like social class, gender roles, politics, and religion. All this sparked inner strife, which found expression in writing, poetry, and working with non-profits. This led me to also be quite interested in the public sector, and I have twice had the opportunity to present in the Indian Parliament on topics like digital media and higher education.