*|MC:SUBJECT|*
Upcoming Events

Synergist SF Membership Event: Paint and Sip
Thursday, February 25th at 6pm PT

Synergist NY Mentorship Program Event: Executive Coaching Session with Rebecca Goldsmith
Wednesday, March 3rd at 7pm ET

Synergist Female Founders Series: Coral Chung - Founder/CEO of SENREVE
Thursday, March 18th at 4pm PT / 7pm ET
Synergist Senior Sound Bites - February 2021: 
Vasundhara Bhargava
Vice President, Golden Gate Capital
B.S. Indiana University, M.B.A. Stanford Business School
Background
 
Vasundhara Bhargava is a Vice President at Golden Gate Capital, a middle-market private equity firm based in San Francisco, where she focuses on investments within the industrials sector. Vasundhara joined Golden Gate in 2019. Previously, she held investment roles at GIC, CapitalG and TPG Capital. Prior to joining investing, Vasundhara was an investment banking Analyst at Goldman Sachs. She holds a BS from Indiana University and an MBA from Stanford Business School.

What is your favorite aspect of your current role? Most challenging aspect?

I really like the team I work with, so that’s definitely one of the highlights of my current role. But what really drew me to investing and to this role in particular is that it’s very entrepreneurial, and I feel like I’m learning something new every day. Whether that’s digging into a new company that we might invest in or working with management teams of our portfolio companies to think through issues and strategy, there’s always a new challenge, and I get a lot of autonomy on how to tackle those problems and challenges. The most challenging part of the job is definitely prioritizing, and then having the conviction to say yes to an investment. There are always risks, and its easy to say no to deals, and I’ve continuously tried to put myself in situations where I can learn how to build conviction.
 
What was the transition like from Associate to business school and eventually VP? What helped prepare you most? 

As an associate, my main focus was to get the technical skills down, and learn as much as I could from my VPs and Principals on how to think about businesses, how to ask the right questions, and how to come to the right answer. Over time, that skillset has continued to be the foundation of how I’ve come up with my own investment approach and framework, but what I’ve tried to pick up along the way is a better understanding of how to work with different kinds of people, how to manage teams, and how to build conviction. Getting reps is really what prepares you most, and I think its really important to keep asking for them.

What advice would you give female associates hoping to advance at their current firms? 

The biggest lesson I’ve learned in this role over time is to speak up and be proactive. It is so important in this job to get the basics right, but it’s just as important to take a step back, think about the bigger picture, and then share your views. In this job, I think women tend to speak up less than men, and while I think it’s important to earn your seat at the table, you should use it once you’ve earned it.

How did you approach the MBA vs. no MBA decision? 

I had an undergraduate finance background and I went into investment banking after college, so the MBA decision was a tough one for me because I wasn’t sure it would be worth it. But ultimately I wanted to meet new people (who did things other than investing and thought about the world a different way), learn new skills (mostly the soft skills), and learn how to be a better manager and leader. I think having that broad set of experience during my two years has helped me become a better investor and a more critical thinker, and has really helped me better understand people, and it’s an experience I am truly so grateful for.

How did your experience in a growth role (CapitalG) differ from your experiences in traditional buyout roles (TPG Capital, Golden Gate)? What motivated your decision to do buyout longer term? 

One of the things I enjoy most in this job is meeting management teams that are passionate about the team and the Company they’re building – that is something I got to experience in both the growth role at CapitalG and in my more traditional buyout roles at TPG and Golden Gate. But I like digging into and analyzing businesses that are further along in their trajectory, and perhaps have some hidden growth potential or upside opportunities. I also really like working with management teams, which I’ve found to be a really rewarding part of my role at GGC.

Any advice on how to balance personal and work life? 

This job naturally has a lot of unpredictability, but I think communication with your teams, and blocking some time each week to get some self-care in (whether that’s workouts, or dinner or drinks with friends, or just a solo night in reading a book) goes a long way. Taking advantage of time when things aren’t busy and then giving it your all when they are busy has worked pretty well for me, and there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel.

Favorite restaurant in SF?

I can’t just pick one! Spruce. Liholiho Yacht Club. A Mano. And the list goes on…
 
Favorite book, podcast, or source of news? 

My morning inbox consists of theSkimm, Andrew Ross Sorkin’s Dealbook, Axios AM, and Term Sheet, and that usually tells me everything I need to know. On top of that, I probably read more fiction than anyone really should, and my Libby library is probably too embarrassing to share in this forum!


Thank you for your time, Vasundhara! To learn more about Golden Gate Capital, click here. Golden Gate is a current sponsor of The Synergist Network.