BharatPe cofounder Ashneer Grover has been in the news for allegedly abusing and threatening a bank employee over the phone in October. On Sunday, we delved deep into his controversial past and his apparent “God Syndrome”. Now, Grover could face increased scrutiny as expletive-laden emails he allegedly sent to an employee of Sequoia Capital India in 2020 have surfaced.
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BharatPe cofounder Ashneer Grover has been in the news for allegedly abusing and threatening a bank employee over the phone in October. On Sunday, we delved deep into his controversial past and his apparent “God Syndrome”. Now, Grover could face increased scrutiny as expletive-laden emails he allegedly sent to an employee of Sequoia Capital India in 2020 have surfaced.
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Leaked emails show Ashneer Grover’s fallout with Sequoia
Ashneer Grover
BharatPe's cofounder Ashneer Grover
The controversies are piling up for BharatPe cofounder Ashneer Grover, who allegedly berated and threatened a Kotak Mahindra Bank employee in October after missing out on Nykaa’s blockbuster IPO.
What’s going on? ET has reviewed an email exchange from August 2020 between Grover and Harshjit Sethi of Sequoia Capital India, in which the BharatPe cofounder allegedly used several expletives. At least four people aware of the argument said the emails were genuine.
Disagreements between the two began after BharatPe's Series B funding was delayed over Sequoia not committing to the round. This caused friction between the two, leading to the altercation over email.
In an email sent in August, Sethi wrote, “Messages and threats from you (Grover) over the last few days and months have been hurtful and disappointing… Specifically we have heard your message of not wanting us on the cap table... We need to have a decisive conversation about how the relationship between Sequoia and BharatPe changes going forward.”
The email was marked to Shailendra Singh, managing director at Sequoia Capital. Based in Singapore, he oversees Sequoia’s India and Southeast Asia operations.
In another email, Sethi suggested pausing BharatPe’s participation in Sequoia’s Pitstop, its annual fundraising and networking event for growth-stage startups.
Sethi, who has been with Sequoia Capital India since 2015, was promoted to as a managing director in the venture team in July 2021.
