Ajay Agarwal: Do you remember how you originally got in touch with BCV?

Raj De Datta: BCV was really at the heart of the creation of Bloomreach. Your team was there from the beginning. I did a lot of exploration with BCV and you really opened up your network to me so I could speak with different people.

AA: What do you appreciate most about working with Bain Capital Ventures?

RDD: By the time they invested capital, we’d already worked together for a few years. That’s what I appreciate most–that they’re there to support you in ways far beyond just an investment.

AA: What inspired you to become a founder?

RDD: My path to entrepreneurship was a little bit accidental. I was working on Wall Street and preparing to go to business school, and someone I knew approached me and asked if I’d be interested in spending the summer helping them get their business off the ground. I so enjoyed that process that I ultimately decided not to go to business school and instead pursue the path of starting a company. And the best thing that came out of that was that very early on in life I fell in love with the process of imagining and creating. It has been clear since that moment that company-building is my calling.

AA: What’s the best advice you’ve received about being a founder?

RDD: Trust yourself. There may be a lot of experienced people around you, but there’s only so many answers they can give. You’re the only constant in your imagined venture, so trust your own judgment.

AA: What would you want other founders to know about working with BCV?

RDD: The people you’ll work with at BCV are very grounded and down to earth. They see their role as helping entrepreneurs build great companies, not just telling them what to do or being a source of capital.

They have the right balance of offering a strong point of view and also trusting founders. Above all, they’re incredibly supportive. They’ve seen Bloomreach through the good and the bad, and they’ve supported us through it all.