The Team has Expanded
Jeff joined us in June as a Senior Associate and brings a diverse set of experience in finance and entrepreneurship. During his MBA, Jeff was also a Venture Fellow at Augment. To get to know him better, here’s a quick Q&A. You can learn more about his background here.

What is One Technology You Cannot Live Without? Apple Maps. I rely on it heavily when traveling to find gyms, fun places to eat, and get around.

How Have You Survived COVID-19? Much to the dismay of those living with me because of the space it took up, I bought a small squat rack and weights to stay active. I’m a believer that to perform my best mentally, it’s important for me to get some physical activity in during the day. I also enjoyed creating new workouts for those quarantined in my bubble to perform together. Once I get a few more workouts mapped out I’ll be ready to pitch my own fitness class-based business to Sonali.

Favorite Hobbies? One of my favorite hobbies is reading history books. I recently finished a great book called Elephant Company which details how elephants in Burma played a critical role in aiding the Allied war effort during WWII. I credit my love of studying history and reading about innovators who brought about transformational change to society as a big reason why I transitioned from banking into the entrepreneurial space.

What Skill Would You Most Like to Learn? I love fly fishing and I’ve always wanted to learn how to tie my own flies.

If You Could Travel Anywhere, Where Would You Go? Australia and Southeast Asia. In high school I was selected to go on an educational trip down to Antarctica. Ever since then I’ve wanted to visit all seven continents. Australia and Asia are the last two in my list!

Hello, my name is Ritik Verma and I am currently a Venture Fellow at Augment Ventures. I am a rising Junior at UVA studying Biomedical Engineering, and on campus I am involved in various clubs including TEDxUVA and the McIntire Investment Institute.

Working at Augment has given me an incredible exposure to the venture world. I have worked on industry analysis, company diligence, and thematic research on the climate tech and health tech spaces. Sonali and Nikhil have been amazing mentors and I look forward to learning more!

You can learn more about his background here.

Over the years at Augment, we’ve been fortunate to have worked with many talented students, teaching and mentoring the next generation of venture professionals. We’ve created a Venture Fellows Program to continue that mentorship. We are looking to hire MBA students to work alongside the Augment team this Fall. If you aspire to learn more about early stage businesses and venture investing, please click here to apply.

Latest Views on Technology Talent
With recent fluctuations in the stock market, rising inflation, and the softening of technology company valuations there have been concerns on the state of hiring and talent.

Here are a few thoughts from The New York Times, CNBC, and the Society for Human Resource Management.

Several of our portfolio companies are actively hiring for key positions to help drive growth. If you know of anyone in your network that may be a fit, please have them review the opportunities we have posted.

In particular, our portfolio companies Crowdz, Perennial, and Rivet have active openings for impactful roles.

LARQ Included in Vogue List
Vogue recently featured the LARQ bottle as essential for hydration in its latest round up of Summer beach essentials.