Some people chart a straight line into venture capital—Aqil isn’t one of them. Instead, his career initially focused on enabling others. Whether helping scientists at Amgen, supporting startups at AWS, or equipping sales teams as a product marketing manager, Aqil has always been the person making things possible. Now, as a Vice President on Jump Capital’s investing team, he’s bringing that same problem-solving mindset to infrastructure software and cybersecurity.

From Chemical Engineering to Infrastructure Investing
Aqil’s background as a chemical engineer might not immediately scream “venture capital,” but he sees a direct throughline. “Chemical engineering is all about breaking things down into individual pieces, understanding how each piece works, and then figuring out how they interact. I learned that in the context of refineries and manufacturing plants, but that pattern of thinking applies perfectly to infrastructure software.”

His time at AWS reinforced this perspective. “We didn’t just need to understand how compute, storage, and networking products worked individually—we had to understand how they interacted and optimized them continuously.” That systems-level thinking now fuels his investment approach, where he’s drawn to founders tackling complex infrastructure challenges.

What Gets Him Excited
Aqil loves looking at macro trends and tracing them back to the infrastructure that supports them. One of his favorite examples? The great fried chicken sandwich boom of 2019-2020. While everyone was obsessed with the latest menu wars, the real winners were companies like Tyson Foods—the suppliers behind the craze. “That’s the lens I try to bring to investing. Right now, AI agents are proliferating, but they introduce a new set of infrastructure challenges—ensuring accuracy, reliability, and secure data flows. That’s where I see major opportunities.”

“Right now, AI agents are proliferating, but they introduce a new set of infrastructure challenges—ensuring accuracy, reliability, and secure data flows. That’s where I see major opportunities.”

His areas of focus include:

• Durable Workflows: Ensuring reliability for AI-driven automation
• Solving the AI-driven compute crunch
• Building the AI Agent Stack: Tools, orchestration, and data infrastructure
• Data Security & Privacy: Balancing protection with performance

What Founders Can Expect
Jump Capital is known for being hands-on and research-driven, and Aqil plans to continue that tradition. “One of the biggest challenges in infrastructure is translating technical depth into a message that resonates with executives. It’s easy to say, ‘We make X faster and cheaper,’ but differentiation requires a deeper level of communication. My experience at AWS—where I had to distill technical concepts for customers—helps me support founders in crafting their messaging and go-to-market strategy.”

Why Jump Capital?
“I genuinely believe in the people here,” Aqil says. “Even if they all teased me for walking into a glass wall during my interview.” (Editor note: the glass wall remains unmarked and the Jump team sprang into action with plenty of advil and support…after we caught our breath.) Beyond the clear close-knit camaraderie, it was Jump’s emphasis on collective learning and deep research that sealed the deal, “There’s a culture of growing together that’s surprisingly rare in venture but very clearly here.”

“There’s a culture of growing together that’s surprisingly rare in venture but very clearly here.”

Building Community in NYC
Based in New York alongside fellow Jump investors, Aqil is eager to dive into the startup ecosystem. “We’re hosting meetups, school-based events, and I’d love to start a weekly small-group dinner—four people max—to connect more meaningfully. Also, selfishly, I need to make friends in a new city. If you’re interested, ping me!”

Beyond Venture: The Three C’s
When he’s not diving into infrastructure software, Aqil’s life revolves around the Three C’s: Cricket, Coffee, and Chocolate.

Cricket: A lifelong Chennai Super Kings fan, he disappears on Sunday mornings every April and May to watch the Indian Premier League.
Coffee: A chemical engineer at heart, he geeks out on brewing techniques and starts every morning with a meticulously crafted pour-over.
Chocolate: Less a structured hobby, more a deep appreciation.

Advice for Founders
“People like me love when you get into the technical weeds, but at the end of the day, customers care about ROI. Go beyond cost savings—help them understand how your tool directly impacts the metrics they’re measured on. Make your champions look good, and you’ll have an easy way in.”

Get Connected
If you’re building in infrastructure software or cybersecurity—or just want to chat about the best coffee spots in NYC and where to watch cricket—Aqil would love to connect.