Shailesh Rao

Shailesh Rao is a Co-Founder and General Partner of Arc180, an early-stage technology investment platform that partners with immigrant entrepreneurs, providing them with access to global operating experience and global networks beyond just capital, to build transformational businesses in the US and beyond.

Arc180 is born from Shailesh’s experience as one of the most prolific early-stage global technology investors over the past decade. Shailesh’s passion has been to support immigrant founders to scale and succeed in the US. Shailesh is proud to be an early partner to the global founders of Moglix, Omaze, and Sun Mobility as well as emerging founders of Cloudchef, E6X, and Spyne from a portfolio of over 40 early-stage investments. He was a partner at TPG running their Growth and social impact fund "The Rise Fund" across India and Southeast Asia leading investments into Nykaa and Livspace, two of India’s most successful high growth unicorns. Shailesh is also a Global Mentor and a member of the Global Selection Panel for Endeavor, a non-profit global community of high impact entrepreneurs.

Shailesh’s global perspective emerged from having been a senior executive at the forefront of key innovations across many of the most essential and well-known digital services today helping lead the launch of Google Maps, Google Earth, YouTube, and Twitter around the world. He was awarded the prestigious Founders Award for the launch of Google Maps and Google Earth and the Google OC award for helping lead YouTube to over $1bn in global revenue. As MD, Google India, Businessweek recognized him as one of the 100 most powerful leaders in India. He was a Senior Advisor at McKinsey & Co and a member of the CEO Council of Lighthouse Funds, a private equity firm. Shailesh served as an Independent Director on the boards of JLL, a global real estate services company and STX, an independent Hollywood studio.

Shailesh holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, a BS in Economics from The Wharton School and a BA in History with Honors, both from the University of Pennsylvania.