Keval Desai

Investing in founders reimagining “toothbrushes” with AI. Three decades in Silicon Valley as Engineer, Entrepreneur & VC. Sample investments: Canva (2012), The RealReal (2013), Pipedrive (2011), Gatik AI (2019), Musubi.

📍 San Francisco, California, United States🔄 Updated August 2026💼 45 investments📅 16 years investing🗓 Last invested May 2022𝕏 @upgrade_to_unlock
VC🌍 United States20+ investments
45
Total investments
25
Early stage
9
Mid stage
1
Late stage
16y
Years active

Portfolio

39 investments · sorted by recency
All investments
Early stage
Mid stage
Late stage
Investor
May 2022
Kinetic is ushering in the next generation of mobility (EVs, AVs) with a network of highly automated service centers. Our precision systems, powered by machine learning and software, are going to become a one-stop center for rapid, accurate, and predictable maintenance and servicing for EVs and AVs.
Investor
Dec 2021
Criya is backed by Y-Combinator (YC W22) Felicis, Fika Ventures and Shakti. We empower top professionals to establish thought leadership by offering their expertise and building a powerful professional brand 💪 Criya is a 1-stop platform for senior industry leaders to launch their own website, schedule live coaching, publish content / newsletters and manage relationships. Criya comes with a powerful AI-content studio and CRM to seamlessly market yourself and manage all client relationships!
Investor
Sep 2021
Zindi is a professional network for data science, and were on a mission to make data science and AI accessible to everyone. We created Zindi because we saw that for AI to live up to its promise to transform the world for the better, we had to unearth and nurture value where others failed to see it even existed. The full potential of data science and machine learning cannot be realised without a truly global talent pool, and it starts in Africa.
Investor
Apr 2021
Predictive personalization engines for eCommerce and Hospitality that drive revenue on autopilot. Aidaptive was founded in 2021 by Rakesh Yadav, who led the Machine Learning Operations platform development for Google Ads and Payments. Aidaptive's team has more than 50+ years of combined machine learning experience and is funded by Dell Technologies Capital, SHAKTI, and more than a dozen veteran Silicon Valley technologists and business leaders.
Investor
Mar 2021
Queenly is the largest marketplace and ML-driven search engine for the formalwear industry. Queenly helps women of all ages find the exact dress they’re looking for (and resell it after!). They offer a premium service that involves authentication assurance, dry cleaning, packaging and shipping, to truly offer a white glove experience to their users. Queenly aims to foster a community of women that uplifts and strives to help one another look and feel like a queen on their special occasion. Live on iOS, Android and web. Backed by Y Combinator.
Investor
May 2020
Gatik is in the business of autonomous freight. We run driverless delivery networks across North America for some of the world’s largest retailers and consumer brands.
Investor
Apr 2019
Swiftly is the leading transit data platform for agencies to share real-time passenger information, manage day-to-day operations, and improve service performance. Today, over 200 transit agencies in 12 countries—including LA Metro, MARTA, SEPTA, MBTA, and WMATA—rely on Swiftly to improve on-time performance by up to 40%, increase passenger information accuracy by up to 50%, and analyze transit data 90% faster. The result is better service reliability, increased ridership, and more efficient transit operations.
Investor
Apr 2019
A virtual address + mailroom for business.
Investor
Mar 2019
The worlds first AI-assisted data science platform to build ML systems and AI agents at scale. Build enterprise AI with our LLMs and novel NN techniques Organizations, including several fortune 500s, have seen an increase of 5-20% on key metrics such as revenue, profit, and cash flow by putting models using Abacus.AI in production. Abacus.AI also does foundational research in key applied AI areas and our world-class research lab routinely publishes at Tier A conferences, including NeurIPs, ICML, and ICLR.
Investor
Feb 2019
Gen.G Esports is a global leader in the esports industry, dedicated to bringing the best in esports management, event production, and fan engagement. With a vision to create and guide homegrown Korean esports teams to become champions on the international stage, we have consistently delivered results, including multiple world championships across various titles such as League of Legends, Valorant, PUBG, and Rocket League. Our mission is to connect gamers, fans, and brands across multiple platforms, leveraging data-driven insights and innovative strategies. Recently, we have expanded our capabilities by acquiring GGtics, a leading esports data analysis company, to enhance our competitive edge and provide unparalleled value to our partners and community. At Gen.G, we take pride in our diverse and inclusive culture, fostering a collaborative environment where creativity and excellence thrive. We are committed to making a positive impact in the esports ecosystem and beyond, through authentic and impactful storytelling, engaging content, and meaningful partnerships. Join us as we power the next generation of esports excellence.
early stageSpectator Sports
Investor
Jun 2018
The Lobby is an invite-only platform for brands and influencers to discover each other, connect and collab. Our platform has enabled many of the most successful influencer gifting and UGC programs of the moment, for brands like Ceremonia, Ghia, Starface, and Girlfriend Collective. Want to manage all your influencer seeding/gifting, ambassador/affiliate programs, paid partnerships and UGC in one place? Join The Lobby at fromthelobby.com/brand-landing
Investor
Mar 2018
The team behind Athenascope has joined Roblox. The team's deep expertise in building social products for gamers will help accelerate Roblox's social strategy and roadmap.
early stageComputer Games
Investor & Board Member
Jan 2017
Share promos, get customers, and make money! Today’s consumers are craving great experiences. If your business creates great experiences, especially as attractions, location-based entertainment, health & beauty, or food & beverage then your customers want to get relevant promotions delivered to them at the right time and place. But many merchants lack the time and expertise needed to do this quickly, effectively, and affordably. So they spend thousands of dollars on generic marketing methods and tools that produce lackluster results. That's where Hownd steps in! Our platform creates and distributes unique landing pages for your promotions that convert “lookers” to “buyers” to “visitors” with a few clicks. Our aim is to get more visitors in your door more often. We do it by distributing your promotions on your website, via email, social media, our MyHownd™ mobile app, more. Let Hownd quickly and easily amplify your reach, elevate your current engagement strategies, and simplify your efforts! Stop spending hours creating and distributing promos alone. Our risk-free plans and dedicated support team guarantee to work with you to make meeting your goals a success! Get started today at www.hownd.com.
Show all 39 investments ↓
Experience · 54 entries
All (54)
Investments (45)
Founder (2)
Board (11)
2022
Investor
May 2022
Kinetic is ushering in the next generation of mobility (EVs, AVs) with a network of highly automated service centers. Our precision systems, powered by machine learning and software, are going to become a one-stop center for rapid, accurate, and predictable maintenance and servicing for EVs and AVs.
2021
Investor
Dec 2021
Criya is backed by Y-Combinator (YC W22) Felicis, Fika Ventures and Shakti. We empower top professionals to establish thought leadership by offering their expertise and building a powerful professional brand 💪 Criya is a 1-stop platform for senior industry leaders to launch their own website, schedule live coaching, publish content / newsletters and manage relationships. Criya comes with a powerful AI-content studio and CRM to seamlessly market yourself and manage all client relationships!
Investor
Sep 2021
Zindi is a professional network for data science, and were on a mission to make data science and AI accessible to everyone. We created Zindi because we saw that for AI to live up to its promise to transform the world for the better, we had to unearth and nurture value where others failed to see it even existed. The full potential of data science and machine learning cannot be realised without a truly global talent pool, and it starts in Africa.
Investor
Apr 2021
Predictive personalization engines for eCommerce and Hospitality that drive revenue on autopilot. Aidaptive was founded in 2021 by Rakesh Yadav, who led the Machine Learning Operations platform development for Google Ads and Payments. Aidaptive's team has more than 50+ years of combined machine learning experience and is funded by Dell Technologies Capital, SHAKTI, and more than a dozen veteran Silicon Valley technologists and business leaders.
Investor
Mar 2021
Queenly is the largest marketplace and ML-driven search engine for the formalwear industry. Queenly helps women of all ages find the exact dress they’re looking for (and resell it after!). They offer a premium service that involves authentication assurance, dry cleaning, packaging and shipping, to truly offer a white glove experience to their users. Queenly aims to foster a community of women that uplifts and strives to help one another look and feel like a queen on their special occasion. Live on iOS, Android and web. Backed by Y Combinator.
Show all 54 entries ↓
Investment activity
2010–2022 · 45 investments
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