Accel, formerly known as Accel Partners, is an American venture capital firm.

Venture Capital

Accel

Andrew Braccia joined [Accel](/org/accel) in 2007 and focuses on consumer-oriented mobile and web services companies.

He was an early investor and on the boards of [Slack](/org/slack) (public), lynda.com (acquired by [LinkedIn](/org/linkedin)), [Squarespace](/org/squarespace), [Vox Media](/org/vox-media), [Cornershop](/org/cornershop) (acquired by [Uber](/org/uber)), MyFitnessPal (acquired by [Under Armour](/org/under-armour)), [Hotel Tonight](/org/hotel-tonight) (acquired by [Airbnb](/org/airbnb)), [Cloudera](/org/cloudera) (public), Anchor.fm (acquired by [Spotify](/org/spotify)), [Gametime](/org/gametime), and [UserTesting](/org/usertesting). He also works closely with the teams at [Braintree](/org/braintree) (acquired by [PayPal](/org/paypal)), [Etsy](/org/etsy) (public), [Xero](/org/xero) (public), and [PagerDuty](/org/pagerduty) (public).

Prior to joining [Accel](/org/accel), Andrew spent close to a decade in a variety of executive positions at [Yahoo!](/org/yahoo).

Andrew is from Santa Rosa, California and graduated from the University of Arizona.

Andrew Braccia

Ben Fletcher joined Accel in 2016 and focuses on software, internet services, and mobile technology companies.

Since joining Accel, Ben has helped source and lead Accel's investments in Ada, BetterCloud, BrowserStack, Checkr, Galileo, Guru, MessageBird, Opal, Podium, Webflow, and World View.

Prior to Accel, Ben worked on Google's corporate development team, where he helped manage mergers, acquisitions, and investments. At Google, Ben led numerous transactions in a number of different verticals including, communications, collaboration software, vertical software, robotics, and developer tools. Prior to Google, Ben worked in finance and partnerships at Apple.

Ben is from Vienna, Virginia and graduated from Brigham Young University.

Ben Fletcher

Anagh joined Accel in 2022 as a Senior Associate. Previously, he worked at Stellaris Venture Partners where he was focused on a variety of early-stage investments in the developer tool, SaaS, gaming, and content/media industries. He has an ACM publication in theoretical computer science and was once a quantitative strategist for Goldman Sachs.

‍
Anagh graduated with a dual degree in computer science and engineering from IIT Delhi and has passed CFA Level III. He was Rank-1 in JEE Main in its introduction year (2013) and AIR-66 in JEE Adv. He is a gold medallist from Department of CSE, IIT Delhi, an Aditya Birla Scholar, and recipient of multiple other academic awards from India and abroad.

Anagh Prasad

Cecilia Wang is an Investor at [Accel](/org/accel) in London. Cecilia was previously a Product Strategy at [Revolut](/org/revolut) from January 2020 to August 2021. Prior to that, they were a Corporate and Investment Banking Senior Analyst at Citi from July 2017 to November 2019. Cecilia started their career as a Corporate and Investment Banking Summer Analyst at Citi from June 2016 to August 2016.

Cecilia Wang attended the University of California, Berkeley where they earned their bachelor's degree in political economy.

Cecilia Wang works with Andrei Brasoveanu - Partner, Harry Nelis - Partner, and Andrew Braccia - Partner. Cecilia Wang reports to Kevin Comolli, Managing General Partner.

Cecilia Wang

Yuvraj Wadhwa is currently an analyst at [Accel](/org/accel). Yuvraj has previously worked as the director of global operations for Continental Europe and the Middle East at [180 Degrees Consulting](/org/180-degrees-consulting), an associate at [Bain & Company](/org/bain), and a senior analyst and analyst at [Bain & Company](/org/bain). Yuvraj also interned at [Willis Towers Watson](/org/willis-towers-watson) and Kotak Securities.

Wadhwa has a wealth of experience in consulting and operations management. Yuvraj is a strategic thinker who is able to see the big picture and develop creative solutions to complex problems. Their attention to detail and strong work ethic have served him well in their career so far, and they are poised for continued success in their current role at [Accel](/org/accel).

Yuvraj Wadhwa graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from Hansraj College. Yuvraj then went on to get a certification from NCFM Share Market Training Institute in Equity Derivatives.

They are on a team with Sonali De Rycker - Partner, Andrew Braccia - Partner, and Harry Nelis - Partner. Yuvraj Wadhwa reports to Kevin Comolli, Managing General Partner.

Yuvraj Wadhwa

Ritika Gupta is the Chief of Staff at [Accel](/org/accel). Ritika previously worked as an Engagement Manager at [McKinsey & Company](/org/mckinsey-company) from July 2019 to December 2021. Prior to that, they were a Junior Associate at [McKinsey & Company](/org/mckinsey-company) from June 2017 to April 2019. Ritika also worked as a Summer Analyst at The Blackstone Group from April 2016 to May 2016. Ritika Gupta started their career as a Business Analyst at Monitor Group from July 2013 to April 2015, where they designed GTM plans and analyzed acquisition targets for 4x growth and global expansion of a INR 4 Bn food flavours co. Ritika also conceptualized Indian tractor market GTM and export strategy for a EUR 130 Bn German automotive MNC.

Ritika Gupta pursued a post graduate programme at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore. Ritika then went on to obtain their Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management, with a focus in Exchange Term. Ritika Gupta started their educational career at D.A.V.Public School Sreshtha Vihar Delhi, where they completed their B.Com Hons. Ritika then went on to Lady Shri Ram College For Women, where they achieved Delhi University Rank 1 (89.12%).

Their manager is Kevin Comolli, Managing General Partner. They are on a team with Sonali De Rycker - Partner, Richard Kotite - Vice President, and Ben Fletcher - Partner.

Ritika Gupta

Sara Ittelson is a Partner at [Accel](/org/accel). Sara was previously the Head of Strategic Partnerships at [Faire](/org/faire) from May 2019 to November 2021. Prior to that, they were at [Uber](/org/uber) for four years from May 2015 to May 2019, where they were the Director of Global Business Development. Before [Uber](/org/uber), they were at [Knewton](/org/knewton) for three and a half years from July 2011 to March 2015 as the Chief of Staff to the Chief Performance Officer. Before that, they were a Consultant at [McKinsey & Company](/org/mckinsey-company) from July 2007 to September 2009.

Sara Ittelson has a MBA and MA in Education from Stanford University Graduate School of Business and a BS from [Northwestern University](/org/northwestern-university).

Sara Ittelson reports to Kevin Comolli, Managing General Partner. They work with Ben Fletcher - Partner, Chloe Palmer - Head of People, London, and Richard Kotite - Vice President.

Sara Ittelson

Joe Milner is currently the Associate General Counsel at [Accel](/org/accel). Prior to this, they worked as a Corporate Associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati from March 2018 to April 2022. Joe has also interned with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission from May 2014 to August 2014, and Boston Partners in Education from September 2011 to June 2013. Joe's other work experience includes being a Summer Associate at Ropes & Gray LLP from May 2015 to July 2015, and a Paralegal at Ropes & Gray LLP from June 2011 to July 2013. Additionally, they were a Business Calendar Superior Court Intern with the State of Rhode Island from January 2011 to May 2011.

Joe Milner attended [Brown University](/org/brown-university) for their Bachelor of Arts in English and then went on to [Fordham University](/org/fordham-university) for their Doctor of Law (JD). Joe is currently attending Harvard Law School.

Joe Milner

Praachi Goenka is an investment analyst at [Accel](/org/accel). Praachi has previously worked as a business analyst at [McKinsey & Company](/org/mckinsey-company), a deal advisory at [KPMG](/org/kpmg), and an industry research at NITI Aayog. 

Praachi has also been involved in the [KPMG](/org/kpmg) Innovation and Collaboration Challenge where they were 1st Runner Up in India from 400+ teams across different colleges of the country at National Finals. As part of their work, they created a business model on the use of ‘Blockchain Technology’ to tackle the issue of counterfeit medicines in the Indian pharmaceutical industry. 

At NITI Aayog, Praachi co-authored a research paper on Developing India’s competence in Artifical Intelligence, Machine learning and Data Science. Praachi also conducted Research on Skilling the workforce in India in Blockchain Technology, and collated data on Central and State Government schemes for the ease of women entrepreneurs of India for the Women Entrepreneurship Platform.

Praachi Goenka completed their Bachelor of Arts (BA) at Hansraj College, where they majored in Economics. After graduation, they participated in the Strategy Consulting Virtual Experience Program offered by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

Praachi Goenka

Casey Aylward is currently a partner at [Accel](/org/accel), where they focus on investing in early stage enterprise companies with technical founders. Casey was previously a Principal at [Costanoa Ventures](/org/costanoa-ventures) from March 2018 to November 2021, and prior to that, a software engineer at [Pinterest](/org/pinterest) from January 2016 to December 2018. Casey started their career as a software engineer at URX, which was acquired by [Pinterest](/org/pinterest) in January 2014, and they also interned at [Goldman Sachs](/org/goldman-sachs) in January 2012.

Casey Aylward received a Bachelor's degree from [Dartmouth College](/org/dartmouth) and also participated in a Foreign Study Program at Beijing Normal University. Casey completed their High School Diploma at Ashley Hall School.

Casey Aylward works with Ben Fletcher - Partner, Sara Ittelson - Partner, and Chloe Palmer - Head of People, London. Casey Aylward reports to Kevin Comolli, Managing General Partner.

Casey Aylward

Sankalpana Agarwal

Harry Nelis joined [Accel](/org/accel) in 2004 and focuses on software, fintech and consumer internet companies.

Harry led [Accel](/org/accel)’s investments in [KAYAK](/org/kayak) (NASDAQ: KYAK; acquired by [Priceline](/org/priceline)), Showroomprive (EPA: SRP), [Funding Circle](/org/funding-circle) (LON: FCH), [Callsign](/org/callsign), [Celonis](/org/celonis), [CHECK24](/org/check24), [Instana](/org/instana), [Miro](/org/miro), and [WorldRemit](/org/worldremit).

Harry started his career in Silicon Valley as an engineer at Hewlett-Packard before founding a venture-backed software company.

Harry is from the Netherlands and graduated from [Harvard Business School](/org/harvard-business-school) and [Delft University of Technology](/org/delft-university-of-technology).

Harry Nelis

Kevin Comolli joined [Accel](/org/accel) in 2000 as the Founding Partner of [Accel](/org/accel) London. Kevin focuses on enterprise software and gaming.

Kevin led [Accel](/org/accel) London's early stage investments in [Alfresco](/org/alfresco) (acquired by THL), Aorato (acquired by Microsoft), [Atlassian](/org/atlassian) (NASDAQ:TEAM), [Diligent](/org/diligent) (acquired by IBM), [Etsy](/org/etsy) (NASDAQ:ETSY), [Knewton](/org/knewton) (acquired by Wiley), Playfish (acquired by [Electronic Arts](/org/electronic-arts)), Simplivity (acquired by [Hewlett Packard Enterprise](/org/hewlett-packard-enterprise)), [Supercell](/org/supercell) (acquired by SoftBank) and [Varonis](/org/varonis) (NASDAQ: VRNS). These investments have aggregate market capitalizations in excess of $50 billion.

Kevin was an active member of the [World Economic Forum](/org/world-economic-forum) for 10 years where he helped develop the Technology Pioneer Program.

Kevin spent the first 14 years of his career in robotics where he held various technical, commercial and general management roles with Fanuc Robotics.

Kevin is from Pennsylvania and graduated with an engineering degree from [Northwestern University](/org/northwestern-university) and an MBA from [Harvard Business School](/org/harvard-business-school).

Kevin Comolli

Arthur Patterson founded [Accel](/org/accel) with Jim Swartz in 1983.

As the lead investor, Arthur has helped management teams develop companies into market-defining leaders for over four decades.

IPOs of such companies include: Actuate, AMCC (Applied Micro Circuits Corporation), MetroPCS, PageMart, Portal Software, UUnet/MCI-WorldCom, and [Veritas](/org/veritas).

Private exits include: Arcot Systems (acquired by CA), [Centrify](/org/centrify), [Coremetrics](/org/coremetrics) (IBM), Counterpane (BT), IronPlanet (Richie Bros.), Krux Digital (Salesforce), NextG (Crown Castle), Rapt (Microsoft), and Savi Technology (Lockheed Martin).

Arthur currently serves on the boards of several private companies including: Acalvio, govini, [Integral Development](/org/integral-development), [Noosh](/org/noosh), and QMC.

Prior to co-founding [Accel](/org/accel), Arthur was a General Partner of Adler & Company. His career in venture capital began at Citicorp Venture Capital. Arthur earlier worked in Washington for the International Office of the U.S. Treasury Department - International Monetary, Trade and Development Policy.

Arthur served as the President of the Western Association of Venture Capitalists and as a Director of the [National Venture Capital Association](/org/national-venture-capital-association).

Arthur graduated from Harvard with AB, MBA and lives in San Francisco with his wife and their four children.

Arthur Patterson

Jim Swartz founded [Accel](/org/accel) with Arthur Patterson in 1983.

Over 50 years in venture capital, Jim has been a lead director of more than 50 successful companies. He was instrumental as a founder/mentor of [Accel](/org/accel) London and in the founding of [Meritech Capital](/org/meritech-capital).

Before founding [Accel](/org/accel), Jim was the founding general partner of Adler & Company, which he started with Fred Adler in 1978 after his tenure as a vice president of Citicorp Venture Capital. A long time industry leader, Jim is a former chairman of the [National Venture Capital Association](/org/national-venture-capital-association) and the 2007 recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award.

He serves as Chairman of the Swartz Foundation and the Christian Center of Park City, director emeritus of the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Foundation, Trustee of the [Sundance Institute](/org/sundance-institute), Co-Chairman of MVYouth, and Chairman of the President’s Global Advisory Council of [Carnegie Mellon University](/org/carnegie-mellon-university).

Jim’s philanthropic initiatives include dozens of academic, arts, athletic, health, scholarship, and social impact programs including founding [Impact Partners](/org/impactpartners), the leading funder of social impact documentaries, and winning an Oscar for Producing the 2018 Best Documentary, Icarus.

Jim grew up in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, graduated from Harvard in Engineering and has a M.S. in Industrial Administration and an Honorary Doctorate from Carnegie Mellon, where he sponsors the Swartz Center for Entrepreneurship.

Jim Swartz

Chloe Palmer joined [Accel](/org/accel)'s team in London in December 2020 as Head of People.

Prior to [Accel](/org/accel), Chloe was the HR and Operations Director at [Secret Escapes](/org/secret-escapes), a flash sale luxury travel company. At [Secret Escapes](/org/secret-escapes), Chloe led a team of 100 people covering the global HR and Operations agenda and supported the scaling of the business to more than 1000 employees in 22 markets. Prior to [Secret Escapes](/org/secret-escapes), Chloe held various HR roles at [Nestlé](/org/nestle) and [Barclays](/org/barclays).

Chloe graduated from The University of Bristol and has a Masters in Human Resource Management.

Chloe Palmer

Richard Kotite joined Accel in 2022 and focuses on fintech and enterprise software businesses.

Richard was one of Plaid's earliest hires in Europe where he led go-to-market partnerships. As part of his role, he sourced, negotiated and executed deals with leading venture-backed European fintech companies.

Richard was previously at Google and Bain & Company.Richard grew up in Cupertino, California and graduated from UC Berkeley and INSEAD.

Richard Kotite

Jonathan Turner joined Accel in 2022 and focuses on later-stage consumer and enterprise companies.

Prior to joining Accel, Jonathan was a managing partner at Headline VC. Before Headline Jonathan was the co-founder and President of Qatalyst Partners, a M&A advisory firm focused on the technology sector. Since its founding in 2008 by Jonathan and his two co-founders, Qatalyst has completed over 150 transactions for over $500B in transaction value. At Qatalyst, Jonathan led the Software and Consumer Technology practices and has been involved in some of the largest and most defining transactions in the Technology sector, including the sale of LinkedIn to Microsoft, the sale of Concur to SAP, the sale of Twitch to Amazon, the sale of Motorola Mobility to Google, the sales of Homeaway and Orbitz to Expedia and the sale of Autonomy to HP. Among many others, Jonathan’s clients have included Google, eBay, Intuit, Comcast, HP, Sony, PayPal and numerous assignments for Accel portfolio companies. After leaving Qatalyst, Jonathan served as an adviser to the UK government on technology and finance.

Jonathan graduated with first class honors in Philosophy, Politics & Economics from Oxford University. He also holds a lifelong passion for soccer and is a Non Executive Director of Tottenham Hotspur, one of the leading clubs in the English Premier League

Jonathan Turner

Naveen Kumar G

Pratik Agarwal

Rashi Shukla

Charles Tananbaum

Charlie Serota

Sagar joined Accel in 2021 and focuses on growth stage consumer and enterprise investments, globally.

Prior to joining Accel, Sagar spent six years on Instacart’s senior leadership team, most recently as the Chief Financial Officer.  During his tenure, Instacart went through a remarkable journey: scaling from 300 to over 1,500 employees, transforming its unit economics, reacting to Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods, and absorbing the unprecedented demand surge during Covid lockdown. 

Before Instacart, Sagar worked at KKR and Goldman Sachs, where he focused on investing and advising companies in the consumer and media industries. He grew up in Maryland and graduated from Duke University and the Stanford GSB, where he was the Henry Ford II Scholar.

Sagar Sanghvi

Stuart Hanbury joined [Accel](/org/accel)'s team in London in 2020 as Chief Legal Officer. In this role, he is responsible for advising on all legal matters, including capital raising, investments, and operational activities.

Prior to [Accel](/org/accel), Stuart was General Counsel at Harbour Litigation Funding. Stuart has extensive international corporate transactional and investment funds experience, having spent a number of years as General Counsel of Vision Capital and, prior to that, in roles at Baugur Group and [Allen & Overy](/org/allen-overy).

Stuart is a member of the Law Society of England & Wales. He received an MA (Oxon) in Jurisprudence from Balliol College, University of Oxford.

Stuart Hanbury

Mahendran Balachandran joined [Accel](/org/accel) in 2008.

Mahendran has been venture investing since 2005 bringing with him two decades of business leadership in technology companies, including Apple and [Tektronix](/org/tektronix).

As a partner at [Accel](/org/accel), he is responsible for investments in Behtar, Bayestree, Indifi, Portea, Probe, [Power2SME](/org/power2sme), Sayre, [Samunnati](/org/samunnati), [USPL](/org/uspl), [Vinculum](/org/vinculumgroup), and Zumutor.

Mahendran holds a management degree from [IIM Bangalore](/org/iim-bangalore-ep) and a B.Tech degree from NITW.

Mahendran Balachandran

Sonali De Rycker joined [Accel](/org/accel) in 2008 and invests in consumer internet, software and fintech businesses.

Sonali led [Accel](/org/accel)’s investments in [Avito](/org/avito) (acquired by [Naspers](/org/naspers)), [Lyst](/org/lyst), [Spotify](/org/spotify) (NYSE: SPOT), [Wallapop](/org/wallapop), [Calastone](/org/calastone), [Monzo](/org/monzo), [Shift Technology](/org/shift-technology), Letgo (acquired by [Naspers](/org/naspers)), Kry/Livi, [Soldo](/org/soldo), [Hopin](/org/hopin), and Sennder. Prior to [Accel](/org/accel), Sonali was with [Atlas Venture](/org/atlas-venture) (now Accomplice). She also previously served on the board of Match.com (NASDAQ:MTCH).

Sonali is from Mumbai and graduated from Bryn Mawr College and [Harvard Business School](/org/harvard-business-school).

Sonali De Rycker

Andrei Brasoveanu is a Partner at [Accel](/org/accel), a venture capital firm. Prior to joining [Accel](/org/accel), they were with [Nansen](/org/nansen), [Conduktor](/org/conduktor), [Sky Mavis](/org/sky-mavis), [Tenderly](/org/tenderly), Genesis – Code Less, Do More, [Sorare](/org/sorare), [Ermetic](/org/ermetic), and [Raycast](/org/raycast). Andrei has also worked with [Accel](/org/accel) in the past.

Andrei Brasoveanu received an MBA with Distinction from Harvard Business School. Andrei passed all three levels of the Chartered Financial Analyst exam in 2010, 2011, and 2012 from the [CFA Institute](/org/cfa-institute). Andrei received an AB in Mathematics from [Princeton University](/org/princeton), Summa Cum Laude.

Andrei Brasoveanu reports to Kevin Comolli, Managing General Partner. They work with Mahendran Balachandran - Partner, Rashi Shukla - Head HR, and Casey Aylward - Partner.

Accel

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CEO and Executive Team

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