Deepak Goel
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- Full Name
- Deepak Goel
- Title
- Founder & CEO, KarmaCircles
- Firm
- KarmaCircles
- Firm Type
- Angel Investor (individual)
- Investment Stage
- Seed
- Sector Focus
- Consumer internet, mobile, software/SaaS, marketplaces, professional networking, and social/edtech platforms
- Geographic Focus
- United States (primarily San Francisco Bay Area) and India
- Location
- Fremont / San Francisco Bay Area, California, United States
Background
Deepak Goel is the Founder and CEO of KarmaCircles, a peer-to-peer social learning and knowledge-sharing platform where members search for skilled people, request a meeting (online, phone, or in person), and "pay it forward" by thanking and helping others in return. He founded the company to enable structured, bite-sized "giving" and to advance a pay-it-forward culture among professionals and entrepreneurs. KarmaCircles is based in Fremont, California, and launched a mobile app in 2016.
Before KarmaCircles, Goel was co-founder and Chief Technology Officer of Packback, a Chicago-based education/textbook startup funded by Mark Cuban (on ABC's *Shark Tank*) and other notable angels, where he built the product, online marketing strategy, and engineering team. He previously served as Chief Product Officer of IndiaHomes (backed by NEA, Foundation Capital, and Helion Ventures) and as Director of Product Management at Coupons.com, where he created and scaled several multi-million-dollar products. Earlier in his career he held senior product and executive roles at Microsoft and Nokia.
Goel is a graduate of IIT Delhi and holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley. He is a TEDx speaker, a Mensa member, and has been issued four patents for his inventions. He is an active mentor at 500 Startups and an advisor to the Khosla Impact Fund and the Impact Engine accelerator, and he has reviewed thousands of business plans and advised more than a thousand entrepreneurs over the years.
Investment Thesis & Focus
- Invests as an individual angel at the seed / early stage, typically alongside other angels and accelerators (500 Startups, Impact Engine).
- Sector interests span consumer internet, mobile, software/SaaS, email/online marketing, marketplaces, and social/professional-networking platforms — closely mirroring his own operating background in product management and online marketing.
- Backs mission-driven and impact-oriented founders, consistent with his advisory roles at Khosla Impact Fund and Impact Engine and the "pay-it-forward" ethos behind KarmaCircles.
- Brings hands-on product and go-to-market mentorship rather than just capital; he positions himself as a builder/operator-investor who has advised 1,000+ founders and reviewed thousands of business plans.
Notable Investments
- Packback — Chicago-based education/e-textbook platform (later an AI-powered discussion tool); Goel was co-founder/CTO and an early backer; funded by Mark Cuban.
- Wishberry — India-based crowdfunding platform for creative projects (entered the ecosystem via this deal around 2015).
- Sverve — influencer-marketing/blogger network connecting brands with social-media influencers.
- Stylisted — on-demand beauty and hair/makeup services marketplace.
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