Sameer Dholakia

Partner

Redwood City, San Francisco

Roadmaps

Sameer Dholakia is a partner of the growth investment practice at Bessemer, where he focuses on cloud and AI investments.

Sameer joined SendGrid as CEO and board member in 2014 to accelerate the company’s growth. He led SendGrid through a successful IPO in 2017 and subsequent acquisition by leading cloud communications platform Twilio for approximately $3 billion in early 2019.

Before joining SendGrid, Sameer served as group vice president and general manager of cloud platforms group for Citrix Systems, where he was responsible for the company’s rapidly growing cloud business. He joined Citrix following its acquisition of VMLogix, where he served as CEO.

Sameer earned a B.A. in economics and a M.A. in organizational studies from Stanford University. He also holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. Outside of work, Sameer most treasures his time with his wife, Laura, and their two kids. He enjoys traveling, watching sports, and trying to improve his golf game. He also supports philanthropic efforts at Pledge 1% and is the vice chair of the Menlo School Board.

Portfolio Highlights

Getting to know Sameer

Pursuing an honorable life

Sameer’s parents immigrated to the United States from Bombay with nothing but a strong work ethic and a desire for a better life. Sameer was shaped by the profound loss of his mom when he was 15 years old. Since then, he has dedicated his life to honoring her memory by embodying the spirit of generosity that she instilled in him from a young age. Deeply committed to his family and community, Sameer champions the Pledge 1% movement and serves as Board Chair at his children’s school.

photo of SendGrid team ringing the bell at the NYSE

From CEO to VC

After serving as CEO of SendGrid and then of Twilio SendGrid, Sameer took a two-year sabbatical and emerged from retirement with a renewed sense of purpose and desire to give back to entrepreneurs. Now, in his second career as a venture growth investor, Sameer dedicates himself to being a mentor and resource to others, working around the clock to help leaders scale their business from $10 to $100M+.

Happy, Hungry, Humble, and Honest

During his time at SendGrid, Sameer championed the 4Hs culture: happy, hungry, humble, and honest. He has always seen these values as a recipe for successful team members, founders, and CEOs.

Sameer sees these qualities exemplified in the founders of EvenUp. Their humility has led them to listen deeply to customer feedback, while their hunger drives them to build new solutions for them quickly. EvenUp’s vertical AI solution for legal teams has seen explosive growth, and they’re frequently cited as having one of the most innovative business models in AI. Sameer takes pride in supporting a team that so thoroughly embodies the values he holds dear, as they continue to make significant strides in their industry.

Family standing at a vista point of Machu Pichu

Expedition of firsts

Sameer treasures the experience of traveling with his family and holds each of those memories close to his heart. He loves exploring new corners of the globe with his wife and two children; learning about new cultures, histories, and cuisines; and meeting people from different walks of life.