Ajay Chopra co-founded Pinnacle Systems in 1986, growing it literally from his own living room into a global, multibillion-dollar digital video technology company that won an Emmy award and traded on NASDAQ for nearly two decades before its acquisition by Avid Technology. That founder's-eye view of the entire company-building journey - from a two-person operation to a public company - shapes his approach at Trinity Ventures, which he joined as General Partner in 2006, describing himself as 'a VC with an entrepreneur's heart' who empathizes directly with the emotional rollercoaster founders face. He has led Trinity's investments across consumer and enterprise applications, autonomy, mobility, and digital health, with notable exits including TubeMogul's roughly $540 million acquisition by Adobe in 2016 and Fitstar's acquisition by Under Armour.
Education
BS, Electronics & Computer Science, Birla Institute of Technology & Science (BITS), Pilani
MS, Electronics & Computer Science, Stony Brook University
Previous Experience
Systems Architect, Atari Inc. (8-bit computer line)
Engineering Manager, Mindset Corporation
Co-Founder, Chairman & CEO, Pinnacle Systems (1986-2005, grew from his living room into a multibillion-dollar public company)
Notable Investments
TubeMogulFitstar
Career Timeline
1980s
Works as a systems architect at Atari, then an engineering manager at Mindset Corporation.
1986
Co-founds Pinnacle Systems with Randall Moore and Mirek Jiricka, building it into a global, multibillion-dollar digital video technology company that won an Emmy award and traded on NASDAQ.
2005
Pinnacle Systems is acquired by Avid Technology after nearly two decades as an independent public company.
2006
Joins Trinity Ventures as General Partner.
2016
TubeMogul, a Trinity portfolio company, is acquired by Adobe for approximately $540 million.