Shruti Venkat (’23) came to Princeton open to everything her world-class education had to offer. Originally planning to pursue pre-law after graduation, she decided that an understanding of economics and finance would provide a foundation for future law specialization. 

Venkat majored in Economics and completed certificates in finance and statistics and machine learning to develop her skills in these areas. It was while taking these courses that she realized her passion for the industry. During her sophomore and junior summers, Venkat worked at Goldman Sachs as an investment banking analyst, which helped her refine her career ambitions.

Graduating Summa Cum Laude from Princeton in 2023 and winning awards for her junior and senior theses, Venkat is now an investor at Insight Partners, a software venture capital and private equity company. She is also a highly involved alumna, always willing to give her time and insight to help students, graduates, and the department.

Sage Schenavar, Marketing and Communications Specialist for the Economics Department and Bendheim Center for Finance, recently contacted Venkat about her education and career. Keep reading for the full interview.

Were economics and finance always of interest to you, or did you discover a passion for those disciplines while at Princeton?

Economics and finance were foreign concepts to me. When I selected my major during college application season, I had watched enough Suits to know that I wanted to become a lawyer (I am now far from one), and I knew that many lawyers studied Economics in their undergraduate years. Therefore, that was what I did! With both my parents being computer engineers, I was unaware of what the “finance” world consisted of: investment banking, consulting, “moving to the buyside”… I had no idea what these terms meant.

It wasn’t until I took Introduction to Microeconomics with Professor Kelly Noonan that I truly began to fall in love with the subject. Her teaching style was accessible yet rigorous, and she had a way of tying theoretical concepts to real-world issues that made the material feel both relevant and exciting. That class shifted Economics from being just a “pre-law” stepping stone to something I found intellectually stimulating in its own right. Professor Natalie Cox’s Behavioral Finance had a similar impact on me, as we debriefed the effect of celebrities’ deaths on the stock market. From there, my curiosity deepened; I became increasingly interested in how economic theory could be used to understand decision-making, inequality, and policy design. I joined Princeton Women in Economics and Policy, TA’d advanced Macroeconomics courses, completed a certificate in Finance, joined and helped lead the Princeton Corporate Finance Club, and immersed myself in helping younger students find opportunities I never knew existed.

What was your experience like in the Economics Department and studying finance through the Bendheim Center for Finance?

What stood out most to me was how accessible and supportive the faculty were. Professors weren’t just names on a syllabus–they were genuinely invested in students’ academic and personal growth. I was incredibly fortunate to have Swati Bhatt as one of my key mentors during my junior and senior independent work. Her guidance, patience, and thoughtful feedback helped me shape my ideas into something cohesive and meaningful. She made the thesis-writing process feel far less daunting and much more intellectually rewarding.

Another highlight was the flexibility of the Economics major. I appreciated how I could tailor my academic path by taking courses that intersected with finance, entrepreneurship, and public policy. Through the Bendheim Center, I had access to a range of finance courses that offered both rigorous theoretical foundations and practical, real-world applications. Whether it was behavioral finance, statistics and optimization through ORF/SML, or entrepreneurship-related electives like the “Venture Capital and Finance of Innovation” with Professor Shahram Hejazi, there was always space to explore the areas I was genuinely curious about.

Overall, the department struck a great balance; it offered strong quantitative and theoretical training while also encouraging exploration into how those ideas play out in practice.

Were there specific courses or principles that you learned through either program that have directly applied to your current position?

One that stands out in particular is EGR 395: Venture Capital and Finance of Innovation, taught by Professor Shahram Hejazi. That class was my first real exposure to the world of venture capital, and it provided both a conceptual framework and practical insights into how early-stage investing works. We didn’t just study term sheets or valuation methods in theory; we applied them through real-world case studies, startup pitches, and even simulated investment committees.

Professor Hejazi’s willingness to engage with students and challenge us to think like investors made the class feel less like an academic exercise and more like a crash course in entrepreneurial finance.

You’re currently an investor at Insight Partners. Could you tell me more about your role and what a typical day looks like?

There’s no typical day at Insight, and that’s what makes the role exciting. I spend a large part of my week sourcing high-growth software companies, which includes talking to 20–30 founders, scanning verticals, tracking product signals, and trying to uncover breakout businesses, especially bootstrapped or under-the-radar ones. Getting in front of these founders takes creativity and hustle, whether that’s cold outreach, deep research, or showing up where others aren’t.

I’m often on the road, attending conferences, industry events, and meetups to connect with founders face-to-face and build relationships in the startup world. Once there’s interest, we move fast. I dive into financial and market diligence, customer metrics, growth modeling, and competitive positioning. All of that gets distilled into a clear investment narrative and pitch to our team. Internally, I’m also working on new strategies and theses, looking around corners to identify where the next wave of software innovation is happening.

It’s a dynamic mix of sourcing, analysis, travel, and strategy – with constant learning and zero routine. That’s what makes it so rewarding.

How has the Princeton alumni network impacted your career?

The Princeton alumni network has had a real impact on my career. It’s an incredibly tight-knit and supportive community. “Tigers helping Tigers” isn’t just a phrase; it’s something you see in action all the time. Whether it’s getting connected to a founder who’s building something interesting, swapping notes with other investors, or just getting candid advice from someone a few steps ahead, the Princeton connection opens doors and my mind to numerous possibilities.

I’ve found that alumni are consistently generous with their time and insight. It’s helped me build relationships with early-stage founders, source deals, and get warm intros into otherwise hard-to-reach networks. In venture capital, where trust and relationships matter so much, having that shared foundation can make a big difference–and I try my hardest to give back to future alumni as much as possible (please reach out)!

What advice would you give Princeton students who are interested in careers in finance?

The biggest thing I’d tell Princeton students interested in finance–or really any career–is that you don’t need to have it all figured out from day one. I definitely didn’t. It’s totally okay to try things and realize you don’t like them–that’s part of the process. Every experience teaches you something, even (and sometimes especially) the ones you end up walking away from.

What mattered most for me was just staying open. I said yes to conversations, projects, internships, even when I wasn’t sure where they would lead. I applied to things I didn’t feel 100% “qualified” for and talked to as many people as I could. You never know what will resonate, or which conversation will shift your perspective.

So my advice: apply for everything, talk to everyone, and don’t stress about having a perfect plan (I interned at a mortgage lending company my freshman year–didn’t even know what that was back then). Careers aren’t linear–you learn by doing, and sometimes by stumbling a bit too. That’s how you figure out what actually excites you!