Surya Pugazhenthi

Product Builder | 16VC | LvlUp Ventures | UCSC Alum

San Francisco Bay Area

About

I’m a product-minded builder focused on AI platforms. I design systems where LLMs call tools, integrate with APIs, and ship with analytics tracking. Through hackathon-winning and self-interest projects, I’m learning to acquire insights in early-stage startup development and venture analyst work. Interests: Platform PM, API/SDK strategy, agentic AI frameworks, B2B workflow automation, startup operations, venture capital analysis, founder support.

Experience

  • Venture Associate at 16VC
    Jun 2026 - Present · 2 mos

    Sourcing and evaluating pre-seed and seed-stage investment opportunities across the SF Bay Area startup ecosystem through demo days, founder outreach, and the hackathon and builder community.

  • Venture Scout at LvlUp Ventures
    Mar 2026 - Present · 5 mos

    Sourcing and evaluating pre-seed and seed-stage investment opportunities.

  • Venture Analyst Intern at Venture Starters
    Jan 2026 - Present · 7 mos

    I'm participating in Venture Starters’ educational internship program, gaining hands-on exposure to early-stage startup pitching and investor Q&A in a live, virtual environment.

  • Product Developer at Slug AI
    Jan 2025 - Jun 2025 · 6 mos

    I designed, prototyped, and iterated on the UI/UX for CALENDARIZE, an AI-powered calendar tool built by a team of students within SlugAI. Try here: https://calendarize.ratcliff.cc/

  • Vice President of Growth & Strategy at Code for Your Future
    Aug 2023 - Dec 2023 · 5 mos

    I served in a principal role responsible for shaping the long-term vision, direction, and initiatives of Code For Your Future, a CS-focused club at DVC. I organized meeting objectives, prepared instructional material for coding sessions, and committed to equipping members for success in CS exams, internships, and interviews.