Vishal Harnal

Global Managing Partner

2015 - Current

500 Global is a venture capital firm with more than $3.2 billion in assets under management that invests early in founders building fast-growing technology companies. We focus on markets where technology, innovation, and capital can unlock long-term value and drive economic growth. We invest far and wide, across sectors and geographies. To date, 500 Global has invested in over 2600 companies across 81 countries. The aggregate value of our portfolio companies is over $368 billion. The portfolio includes 41 companies valued at $1B+ and 125 companies valued at more than $100 million, all of which we invested in early. Our team is on the ground in more than 20 countries and bring experience as entrepreneurs, investors, and operators from some of the world’s leading technology companies.

Global Managing Partner

2015

The 500 Startups Southeast Asia funds are thematically driven and invest all across the region. We start investing at inception and follow on through exit. Find out more in the link below. We have backed over 250 companies across the region including being early in Grab (NASDAQ: GRAB), Bukalapak (IDX: BUKA), Carousell, Prenetics, Carsome, RedDoorz, Finaccel, KitaBisa, Gilmour Space, Transcelestial, TradeGecko (acq. Intuit), Aerodyne, Fave (acq. Pine Labs), Kudo (acq. Grab), Stockbit / Bibit, eFishery, Bukukas, LottieFiles, and many others.

Chief Executive Officer

2017

Co-Founder and Co-Host

2021

Tune in here: https://open.spotify.com/show/5NAigQ1uShp34U35Ieg7aK?si=fa0419b091944632 Vishal co-founded and co-hosts the Unreasonable Podcast with his two dear friends and fellow venture capitalists in Asia - Hian Goh and Michael Blakey. They cover unreasonable things that move the world – primarily in the spaces of entrepreneurship, venture, investing, and innovation. But mostly, its an excuse for the three of them to invite everyone to their dinner table conversations and attempts to out-banter each other.

Founding Member

2022

VC3 is building a new investment model for professional venture capital based on the principles of decentralization. We bring together a vetted network of experienced VCs, starting with Kauffman Fellows, to collaborate through a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) structure. As a Web3 native investment DAO, we provide token rewards to all stakeholders, with NFT-gated access and governance based on membership type. Welcome to the future of venture capital. https://www.vc3dao.xyz/

Co-Chair, ASEAN Connect Committee

2022

Lead the cross-border collaboration initiatives between VC / PE associations and practitioner across ASEAN.

Kauffman Fellow, Class 22

2017

Kauffman Fellows is the premier leadership organization in innovation and capital formation, with graduates leading venture capital innovation efforts globally. Nearly 500 Fellows now lead more than 200 venture capital firms representing funds that invest billions into startups in more than 40 countries around the world.

Expert Panel, Private Equity and Venture Capital

2020

Advise on the development and training of practitioners in venture capital. WMI is a GIC and Temasek founded institution to build capabilities and excellence in asset management across Asia.

Visiting Domain Expert Faculty in Technology Investment & Commercialization

2018

Lecture and mentor scientists and post-doctoral researchers in deep technology on commercialising their R&D and getting private investment capital. SMART is MIT's first research centre outside the US and MIT's largest international research programme.

Faculty

2017 - 2017

Taught the Venture Capital Unlocked program organised by 500 Global with INSEAD.Topics covered included investment decision making, fund management and fundraising.