Tapan Kataria (He/Him)

Selling study guides to classmates at the age of 10 to buy my crush a bouquet of flowers, transitioning my hobby into a profession by DJing for luxury Indian weddings when 17, dropping out of college to pursue my dream of starting a marketplace called Zest Meal, sponsoring TechCrunch Disrupt NY at 21, and breaking into VC at the age of 23 (portfolio of 30) by donating $100 to top VCs favorite charity are some of the things that express my love for making bold decisions and living life with no regrets.

Before moving to the U.S. in 2008, I grew up in a lower-middle-class family in a small town in India while living in a three-bedroom house with 12 people. I was a professional daydreamer at a young age and began to value the power of relationships, watching my dad run a small local business.