Venki joined Maniv in 2024 as Venture Advisor to support deal flow activities.

He immigrated to the United States in 1985 upon completing his BS in Mechanical Engineering from the Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra to attend graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh, where he completed his MS & Ph.D in Engineering Management/Industrial Engineering/Artificial Intelligence/Diagnostic Expert Systems. A research project of his doctoral adviser took him to General Motors in Michigan that started a lifelong interest in trying to understand how best to develop technologies to secure successful user adoption and sustainable commercial success. This grew into a career that has spanned over 35 years with stints at major automotive OEMs (General Motors, Chrysler, Mercedes), Tier 1 suppliers (Motherson & REHAU), Indian Two-Wheeler OEMs (Royal Enfield & Ather), as well as experiences at Mining/Specialty Chemicals (English India Clays) and Defense Electronics/Mechatronics design-led manufacturing (Cyient DLM) companies.

Venki speaks Hindi, Tamil, English and some Deutsch. Married for over 30 years, he has three grown children. He is drawn to the factory floor, enjoys growing people and leaders, and is obsessed with the relationship between capital and labor.