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Shripriya  Mahesh

Shripriya Mahesh

Company:
Spero Ventures
Role:
Founding Partner

Biography

When she and her partner founded Spero Ventures in 2018, they thought about what people might want in the future. They kept coming back to the idea that no matter what happens, people will always care about the basics: health and wellness; work and a sense of purpose; and human connection. So that’s what they decided to invest in.

Before starting Spero, She ran Emerging Tech investing at Omidyar Network. She loved the sense of purpose of bringing more opportunity to more people. They decided to spin out of Omidyar Network in order to invest in for-profit companies that shared the same purpose.

Prior to Omidyar Network, she worked with Pierre Omidyar to launch First Look Media. Before that, I worked at eBay, which Pierre founded in 1995. eBay’s mission — to enable economic opportunity around the world — felt like the ultimate purpose for the internet. She led the global product team and later she led US product marketing. Before eBay, she led product at a startup called NextCard.

In the midst of her tech career, she decided to pursue a new adventure and moved to New York to study film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She made a few shorts and a collaborative feature-length film, where she got the chance to direct Oscar-nominated actors. The experience has given her a broader perspective of life outside Silicon Valley. She also learned that making a tech product and making a movie have a lot in common: You come up with an idea and spend a lot of time thinking about your audience and what they care about. Then you put together a talented team to create something you hope will resonate.

She loves working with creators who want to make a meaningful impact on people’s lives. She’s grateful for the opportunity to work with  Spero Ventures founders.



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