Sunil Chhaya is a Co-Founder and General Partner at Kearny Jackson

My family has migrated all over the world seeking better opportunities. My grandparents immigrated from India to Kenya under the British colony, and my parents relocated from Kenya to the UK as part of the great Asian exodus. I was born in Nice, France, and had several other pitstops through Munich, Boston, London, and New York before landing in San Francisco. This journey, just like most founders, was one that constantly tested my adaptability and resilience.  

My obsession with technology started at a young age, as my father worked in the semiconductor industry when Mobile World Congress (MWC) would still take place in Cannes, France. His work would take him around the world, and he would always greet me with the latest prototypes for me to test out. This product-first mentality is something that I still take pride in when evaluating new investment opportunities. 

My curiosity and tenacity led me to start my venture career at age 23, where I was able to learn the craft of investing from some of the most prolific investors of our time. Having now seen hundreds of companies from the earliest stage to IPO or acquisition, I often get asked “what do you look for when investing?”. I look for the same things that founders look for when they start a company, which is that moment where you start to dream about a possible product or experience. It torments you to the point where the only way out is to start building it. 

As a career institutional investor, I most get excited to being a long-term thought partner to founders across the different stages of a company’s lifecycle.