Shobana Sankaran
Mentor, Studios Program at Avanta Ventures- Claim this Profile
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Bio
Shourav Lahiri
I had the pleasure of working with Shobana on a group project while at Stanford. Shobana was the spine of our team, keeping us on track and focussed and ensuring we started preparations well in time so that we could deliver a quality project. Though she had to balance a deadline with another group at the same time, she managed to soldier through both projects with good humor and a steeliness which was admirable. On a personal level, Shobana is one of the most considerate and selfless people I know and it is always a pleasure to be around her. There is never a dull moment with Shobana as she always has a question, directed at you with a characteristic glint in her eyes.
Stefan Kratz
Shobana is a delightful colleague and classmate. She is highly skilled in analyzing and managing complex problems, as well as managing diverse teams. She is both tenacious and optimistic, and a real asset for both leading and participating in cross-functional teams.
Shourav Lahiri
I had the pleasure of working with Shobana on a group project while at Stanford. Shobana was the spine of our team, keeping us on track and focussed and ensuring we started preparations well in time so that we could deliver a quality project. Though she had to balance a deadline with another group at the same time, she managed to soldier through both projects with good humor and a steeliness which was admirable. On a personal level, Shobana is one of the most considerate and selfless people I know and it is always a pleasure to be around her. There is never a dull moment with Shobana as she always has a question, directed at you with a characteristic glint in her eyes.
Stefan Kratz
Shobana is a delightful colleague and classmate. She is highly skilled in analyzing and managing complex problems, as well as managing diverse teams. She is both tenacious and optimistic, and a real asset for both leading and participating in cross-functional teams.
Shourav Lahiri
I had the pleasure of working with Shobana on a group project while at Stanford. Shobana was the spine of our team, keeping us on track and focussed and ensuring we started preparations well in time so that we could deliver a quality project. Though she had to balance a deadline with another group at the same time, she managed to soldier through both projects with good humor and a steeliness which was admirable. On a personal level, Shobana is one of the most considerate and selfless people I know and it is always a pleasure to be around her. There is never a dull moment with Shobana as she always has a question, directed at you with a characteristic glint in her eyes.
Stefan Kratz
Shobana is a delightful colleague and classmate. She is highly skilled in analyzing and managing complex problems, as well as managing diverse teams. She is both tenacious and optimistic, and a real asset for both leading and participating in cross-functional teams.
Shourav Lahiri
I had the pleasure of working with Shobana on a group project while at Stanford. Shobana was the spine of our team, keeping us on track and focussed and ensuring we started preparations well in time so that we could deliver a quality project. Though she had to balance a deadline with another group at the same time, she managed to soldier through both projects with good humor and a steeliness which was admirable. On a personal level, Shobana is one of the most considerate and selfless people I know and it is always a pleasure to be around her. There is never a dull moment with Shobana as she always has a question, directed at you with a characteristic glint in her eyes.
Stefan Kratz
Shobana is a delightful colleague and classmate. She is highly skilled in analyzing and managing complex problems, as well as managing diverse teams. She is both tenacious and optimistic, and a real asset for both leading and participating in cross-functional teams.
Experience
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Avanta Ventures
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United States
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Venture Capital and Private Equity Principals
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1 - 100 Employee
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Mentor, Studios Program
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Jul 2020 - Present
The Avanta Studios program enables startups focused on mobility, InsureTech and insurance-adjacent verticals to explore new markets, business models, and technologies. The Avanta Studios program enables startups focused on mobility, InsureTech and insurance-adjacent verticals to explore new markets, business models, and technologies.
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Avail Car Sharing
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United States
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Internet Marketplace Platforms
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1 - 100 Employee
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Director of Risk and Insurance
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Nov 2021 - Mar 2023
My teams & I are focused on solving for key friction points in shared mobility platforms - risk, trust, safety and insurance, and turning them into growth pillars for our two-sided marketplace as we scale. I have the privilege of working with incredibly thoughtful and resilient colleagues. Check us out when you travel next: www.availcarsharing.com or when you're looking for the next stop in your professional journey: https://availcarsharing.com/careers
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Director of Insurance
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Aug 2020 - Nov 2021
Avail is a tech-powered two-sided mobility marketplace to help car owners and borrowers move freely and economically benefit by improving vehicle utilization. We're in fifteen US cities and steadily expanding our footprint. And we're hiring various roles, including on my team where we’re building insurance for carsharing - check out our open positions at http://www.availcarsharing.com.
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Nauto
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United States
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Software Development
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100 - 200 Employee
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Vice President of Global Insurance
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Jan 2016 - Apr 2020
I lead Nauto’s insurance vertical globally. Nauto is the only real-time AI-powered Driver Behavior Learning Platform able to predict, actively prevent, and reduce high-risk events in the mobility ecosystem. By analyzing billions of data points from over 400 million AI-analyzed video miles, Nauto’s machine learning algorithms continuously improve and help to impact driver behavior before events happen, not after. Nauto has enabled the largest commercial fleets in the world to avoid more than 25,000 collisions, resulting in nearly $100 million in savings. Nauto is located in North America, Japan, and Europe. I have the privilege of working with some great individuals at Nauto. If you're interested in joining our team, please check out our open listings here: www.nauto.com If you have experience enabling smarter insurance & mobility products and in business development, product and data science roles with a leading InsureTech team, get in touch with us, we're expanding! Show less
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Director of Insurance
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Jul 2015 - Dec 2015
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California Casualty
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United States
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Insurance
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400 - 500 Employee
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Business Development Consultant, Product R&D
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Jan 2014 - Mar 2015
Led efforts related to long-term strategic initiatives for the firm.
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Director, Database Marketing
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Nov 2011 - Dec 2013
Led marketing analytics efforts. Part of company’s product & market strategy cross-functional leadership steering team.
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Insurance start-up in stealth (now Metromile)
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Redwood City, California
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Product Management Consultant
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2011 - 2011
Helped develop product & go-to-market strategy for early-stage, Series A venture capital-backed start-up operating then under stealth mode, now in market as Metromile, a pay-per-mile auto insurance company. Helped develop product & go-to-market strategy for early-stage, Series A venture capital-backed start-up operating then under stealth mode, now in market as Metromile, a pay-per-mile auto insurance company.
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Stanford University Graduate School of Business
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United States
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Higher Education
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700 & Above Employee
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Sloan Fellow
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2010 - 2011
Graduated from the full-time Stanford Sloan Master's program, part of cohort of 56 accomplished mid-career professionals from diverse industries across 21 countries. Graduated from the full-time Stanford Sloan Master's program, part of cohort of 56 accomplished mid-career professionals from diverse industries across 21 countries.
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Esurance
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United States
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Insurance
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700 & Above Employee
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Database Marketing Manager
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Mar 2007 - Aug 2008
Led company’s direct mail marketing strategy. Led company’s direct mail marketing strategy.
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Esurance
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United States
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Insurance
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700 & Above Employee
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Product Manager
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2005 - 2007
Managed $60M P&L in five states representing 10% of company’s revenues & led company’s entry into Oregon. Managed $60M P&L in five states representing 10% of company’s revenues & led company’s entry into Oregon.
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Progressive Insurance
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United States
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Insurance
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700 & Above Employee
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Product Analyst
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Apr 2003 - Oct 2005
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Education
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2010 - 2011
Stanford University Graduate School of Business
MS, Management - Sloan Fellow -
The University of Texas at Austin
B.S., Mathematics
Community
