Ravi Gupta

Gupta grew up in Chicago and majored in economics, earning a BS in economics from Duke University. He recalled that he “didn’t know anything about technology” when he graduated and was “totally an outsider to it.”⁠[1][2]

Gupta began his career at McKinseyMcKinsey & CompanyMcKinsey & Company is a management consulting firm headquartered in New York, United States. It was founded in Chicago in 1926 by University of Chicago professor James O. McKinsey and, after Marvin Bower established its “professional service” principles, grew into one of the largest pure consulting firms in the world; as of October 2026 it has more than 100 offices in over 50 countries and about 40,000 employees. It has also repeatedly faced regulatory investigations and public criticism over episodes such as its work with Enron, a former leader’s insider trading case, and its consulting for opioid manufacturers.Open the full entry and then spent a decade at the investment firm KKRKKRKKR (Kohlberg Kravis Roberts) is an investment firm engaged in alternative asset management, capital markets services, and insurance. Jerome Kohlberg, Henry Kravis, and George Roberts co-founded the firm in 1976. Its managed funds invest in private equity, credit, and real assets, and its subsidiary Global Atlantic operates retirement, life insurance, and reinsurance businesses. KKR listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2010 under the ticker KKR.Open the full entry, where he was a director.⁠[2][3]

In 2015 Gupta joined the grocery delivery company Instacart as its first CFO and COO, overseeing finance, corporate development and strategic business initiatives; when he joined, the newly minted “unicorn” had about 300 employees. Sequoia Capital helped Instacart recruit him.⁠[3]

He recalled that one reason he joined Instacart was his wife telling him she would not move unless Instacart delivered to their new house. In an August 2019 statement he said: “In 2015, I met Apoorva and he shared his vision for Instacart with me.”⁠[1][3]

On August 28, 2019, Instacart announced that Gupta would leave at the end of the year to “return to his investing roots.” At the time of his departure Instacart was valued at nearly $8 billion and had about 1,000 full-time employees; he continued to advise the company afterwards.⁠[3]

From January 2020 Gupta joined Sequoia Capital as a partner on its growth team. Sequoia partner Roelof Botha said his operational and investing experience would make him “an invaluable partner to founders and our team.”⁠[3]

At Sequoia he focuses on consumer, mobile/internet and fintech investments; he is a director of Accelerate, Meter and Noom and works closely with companies including Faire, Fireblocks and Remote.⁠[2]

He has said he looks for three things as an investor: a founder who captures his imagination, a market he believes will be much different tomorrow than today, and some traction or unique insight showing a kernel that is working.⁠[1]

In September 2023 Gupta joined Instacart’s board of directors, and since August 2025 he has been its lead independent director.⁠[2]

Since December 2025 Gupta has served as co-CEO and a director of Ithaca Holdco, Inc., a private technology company he co-founded, while remaining a partner at Sequoia Capital.⁠[2]

On October 13, 2026, the dating app company Bumble Inc. announced a definitive agreement to be acquired by Ithaca Holdings for $6.05 in cash per share of Class A common stock, a transaction valued at about $1.3 billion and a premium of about 138% to the unaffected closing price on October 9, 2026. Ithaca Holdings describes itself as a long-term holding company for “enduring, market-leading technology businesses”; its co-founders and co-CEOs are Gupta and John Hegeman.⁠[4][5]

Under the agreement, Gupta and Hegeman are to become co-CEOs of Bumble after closing, Bumble founder and CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd is to remain actively involved, and Bumble is to become a privately held company. Affiliates of Blackstone and Wolfe Herd approved the transaction by written consent.⁠[4][5]

Gupta co-hosts the podcast Glue Guys with Alex Smith and Shane Battier, a show that cuts across sports and business to discuss what makes people better leaders and teammates.⁠[6]

Sequoia Capital: Official website: https://www.sequoiacap.com/ (opens in a new window).⁠[1]

X: Public account: https://x.com/guptark22 (opens in a new window).⁠[1]

LinkedInLinkedInLinkedIn is a social networking platform for professionals. It was founded in 2002 by Reid Hoffman and others, launched in 2003, and listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2011; after Microsoft acquired it for approximately $26.2 billion in 2016, it became a wholly owned Microsoft subsidiary. Its revenue comes from membership subscriptions, advertising, and recruitment solutions.Open the full entry: Public profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ravi-gupta-9ba27856/ (opens in a new window).⁠[1]