Vaas Bhaskar

Vaas is a Partner at Elevation and focuses on early-stage investments in Fintech and Financial Services.

Before Elevation, Vaas worked with Bain & Co., advising consumer and financial technology businesses. He also spent time at Barclays Bank, building internal products and tools for the bank’s emerging markets business. Vaas completed his MBA from IIM Calcutta and is an Institute Gold Medal holder, and graduated with a degree in Computer Engineering from the National University of Singapore (NUS).

At Elevation, Vaas has invested in companies like Dezerv, Probo, FRND and Vegapay. His greatest joy comes from working closely with founders in building companies.

High trust, and alignment on playing the long game are, I believe, the foundation of a successful investor-founder partnership

"We have just scratched the surface in terms of the penetration and impact that technology has created in financial services.

I look for founders who demonstrate unceasing customer empathy. Shaping the future is tough. But there are a few who embark on that journey with unshakeable belief and persistence, and few places match the energy and possibilities in India today. I feel privileged to partner with these change-makers in India.

I believe that the most successful founders stand out because of their unceasing customer empathy. The surest sign of this in an early-stage founder is their unique insight or perspective on the status quo - earned through having spent time on the problem statement, connecting unrelated dots, or by putting themselves into unique information flows.

I believe high trust and alignment in playing the long game are the foundation of a successful investor-founder partnership. My truest commitment to a founder comes from the little things: listening with a true intent to listen, asking the right questions, and adopting the role that will be most helpful to founders at any given time."