Member Spotlight: Kavitha Venkatraman
Kavitha Venkatraman discusses her work post-MBA on her move from New York to Denver, being a public markets investor, and setting career and work-life balance goals.
Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
Graduation Year: WG’09 (East)
Concentration: Finance
What do you do professionally? I have been a public markets investor since 2010. I have invested around the world in companies of all sizes. Currently, I invest in small(ish) companies, primarily in the U.S., employing a long-term, value-oriented philosophy. I am part of a four-member team that manages one of Royce Investment Partners’ flagship products — the Royce Opportunity Strategy.
What are some interesting or exciting things about you? For most of my life in the U.S., I was a die-hard “will never leave Manhattan” fan of New York — mainly because I love to run in Central Park and am vehemently opposed to any commute other than a 15-minute walk to work.
Then, foiling my best laid plans, a once in a hundred years opportunity to try something new — COVID. Suddenly, my family’s dream of living (at least part-time) near the mountains was within reach. In a matter of months, we tried out Denver, approved of all things Colorado, convinced our employers, bought a house, and moved to Denver!
For the past four years, I have loved my bed-to-desk daily commute and my tax-free, child-free trips to New York every month!
How has your Wharton degree benefitted you? I graduated in 2009- at the peak of the financial crisis. The fact that I graduated from Wharton gave me the confidence to wait out the worst of the crisis to directly start my buy-side career, rather than compromise for a different industry or take a more circuitous route to becoming an investor. Wharton alumni were very helpful at the time and the Wharton brand opened doors that were otherwise unimaginable to a young career switcher from India. Fifteen years later, I still find the Wharton community to be incredibly responsive and highly supportive of my ambitions!
What advice would you offer those alumni who recently completed Wharton? My advice is: Compete only with yourself, and set absolute goals rather than relative goals for career progress. This approach has shaped me into an internally motivated person. It keeps the stress and anxiety that stems from unhealthy comparisons and short-term disappointments at bay, and keeps me completely focused on what I think is possible in the long-term.
Is there any support you’d be open to providing to any local Wharton alum? I am always open to helping Wharton alumni. I think I can be particularly useful to individuals who could use help thinking through any mid-career dilemmas they might be facing. I could also be useful to small companies grappling with lack of scale.
Are there any ways local Wharton alumni could help you or your company? I am fortunate to be at a career crossroads and would love to seek some advice as I debate the various paths possible.
Is there a question you wish you had been asked? If so, please provide it and your answer. I find a lot of young people just starting out in their careers asking me about work-life balance before choosing a career path. I understand the motivation behind the question and wouldn’t venture a prescription. However, I would love for young people to ponder this: If you give 100 percent of your focus to your profession in the first 5-10 years of your career and receive almost 100 percent autonomy over your time and growing decision making powers for the rest of your career, does that count as work-life balance?
What are your favorite hobbies? My family loves to travel, and we travel to a new country every year for my son’s birthday. I am a runner, although I stopped running long-distance to create more time for other fitness pursuits. I find my runs to be very meditative and I use the time to clarify my thinking on whatever is on my mind. I also hike a decent amount and am hoping to try snowshoeing or cross country skiing this winter. My latest pet project is building a mountain house from the ground up!