Bio

Raja Kumar is the Founder and CEO of Ascent Capital Advisors. He has played a pivotal role building an experienced management team and forging significant investor relationships for the firm. Raja has more than 16 years of investing experience in India spanning Venture Capital and Private/Public Equity. Raja is passionate about supporting entrepreneurs and is associated with several successful private equity backed companies in India. Raja leads the firm’s fund raising efforts and guides the team in concluding investments and facilitating exits. Previously, Raja has served as a senior officer of the Indian Civil Services as Commissioner of Income Tax, as Regional Director of Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), India’s capital markets regulator, and as Executive Director of UTI Mutual Fund. During his association with SEBI, he oversaw the launch of several IPOs, regulated market intermediaries and was also a member of its Advisory Committees. He has also served as a director of five Indian stock exchanges and on the Executive Committee of IVCA. Raja holds a Master’s degree and an M. Phil in Science and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School.