AI push is forcing rationalisation in other parts of business: Accel's Arun Mathew
Arun Mathew, a Silicon Valley-based partner at venture capital fund Accel, focuses on investments in the enterprise space, SaaS (software-as-a-service), cloud and security.
Mathew, who is also involved in Accel’s Indian portfolio firms like Freshworks and BookMyShow, is bullish about the SaaS ecosystem, highlighting the engineering talent now available to join these companies along with the cost advantages of building global firms from here.
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Offering CollegeCourseWebsiteIIM LucknowIIML Executive Programme in FinTech, Banking & Applied Risk ManagementVisitMITMIT Technology Leadership and InnovationVisitIIT DelhiIITD Certificate Programme in Data Science & Machine LearningVisitHe speaks to ET about the prolonged slowdown in VC investing, Accel’s deal pipeline, the India market and the IPO prospects for tech startups globally. Edited excerpts:
What’s the state of your portfolio given the overall slowdown in the tech investing world?
Macro-wise we are still in an uncertain place. It’s a challenging time for most companies. The effect has been more pronounced in certain categories. I work with a lot of cybersecurity firms and that’s been the least affected. The most significant impact has been the reduction in customer expansion. Previously, many companies experienced positive net retention and growth. The push towards AI in general is forcing even more rationalisation in other parts of the business.
What have been the biggest challenges for technology firms?
Loo
