Bessemer names Cisco’s Pankaj Mitra as partner to lead AI, Cybersecurity operations

Global VC firm Bessemer Venture Partners has appointed tech industry veteran Pankaj Mitra as a Partner for its India team, showing its strong focus on supporting future tech leaders in the region.

With this new role, Mitra will mainly focus on enterprise tech, AI and cybersecurity.

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Mitra joins Bessemer with over 25 years of experience. He earlier led investments and mergers at Cisco, focusing on its global Customer Experiences portfolio and operations in India. He has invested in companies like Fiddler (AI monitoring), Uniphore (AI for contact centers), and Whatfix (digital adoption).

"I am thrilled to join Bessemer at this pivotal time," said Mitra. "The ongoing AI platform shift offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity for builders to usher in the next wave of tech evolution across industries. With its stellar track record, Bessemer is poised to partner with this new generation of ambitious, world-class founders in India addressing pain points domestically and globally, and I'm excited to be part of this journey."

Before Cisco, Mitra worked with Infosys’s $500 million innovation fund, investing in startups like Ideaforge and Whoop. Earlier, he was at VMware, where he helped launch its first cloud services, and at Deloitte as a management consultant. He studied at IIT Kharagpur and earned his MBA from UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.

Vishal Gupta, Partner at Bessemer, said, "We are delighted to welcome Pankaj to the Bessemer family. He brings a breadth of experience which is a unique blend of investing prowess as well as deep industry knowledge. This will be invaluable as we look to deepen our commitments in AI, enterprise-tech, and cybersecurity in India."

Bessemer Venture Partners manages over $18 billion and has supported major global companies like LinkedIn, Shopify, Twilio, DocuSign, and Toast. In India, it has invested in firms like Swiggy, Urban Company, Boldfit, and Easebuzz over the past 20 years.

In March 2025, Bessemer launched its second India-focused fund worth $350 million. The fund focuses on areas like AI, fintech, enterprise tech, digital health, and cybersecurity—fields that match Mitra’s experience.

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