Spectrum Equity is delighted to announce John Connolly and Parag Khandelwal have been selected as two of GrowthCap’s Top 40 Under 40 Growth Investors of 2022. This represents the sixth and fourth consecutive year for John and Parag, respectively, to be recognized on GrowthCap’s Top 40 Under 40 list.

According to the publication, GrowthCap selected awardees based on the depth of their deal experience, ability to help the companies they invest in, collaborative work style, and progression towards firm and industry leadership roles, among other attributes.

This year’s Top 40 Under 40 Growth Investors were selected from the largest pool of nominees since the annual awards process began nearly a decade ago. The publication stated, “it was extremely challenging to make selections given the large pool of high caliber candidates and there were a good number of deserving investors we were not able to include.”

In evaluating candidates, GrowthCap deliberated over three rounds to arrive at this year’s final list of awardees. Their process involved reviewing feedback on nominees from their colleagues, peers, portfolio company CEOs and others on their investment skill, judgement and performance over time as demonstrated by specific examples.

John Connolly, Managing Director, Spectrum Equity

John joined Spectrum Equity in 2009 as an Associate. Now a Managing Director, John has completed a wide range of growth investments ranging from minority investments to full buyouts. He has been most active in the education technology, consumer internet, online marketplace, and SMB software sectors. John worked on Spectrum’s investments in Ancestry (acquired by Blackstone), ExamSoft (acquired by Turnitin), Finalsite (acquired by Bridge Growth Partners), GoodRx (IPO) and Grubhub (IPO). He currently works with DataCamp, Headspace Health, Jimdo, Kajabi, Otter.ai, Presence, Prezi, Teachers Pay Teachers, and WIN Reality.

John graduated from Georgetown University with a BA in Political Economy. He began his career as an Analyst within Credit Suisse’s media and telecommunications group in New York City.

“Spectrum Equity is a leading growth equity firm with an established record of partnering with entrepreneurs to help them accelerate growth and scale their internet-enabled software and information services companies. For the past 13 years, I have been fortunate to work alongside world-class entrepreneurs and founders who lead companies that are defining the categories in which they operate, and I look forward to continuing to play a strategic role in helping them achieve their growth ambitions.”–John Connolly

Parag Khandelwal, Principal, Spectrum Equity

Parag joined Spectrum Equity in 2012 as an Associate. Now a Principal, Parag is most active in the enterprise software, cybersecurity, and financial technology. He has been involved in Spectrum’s investments in BATS Global Markets (acquired by CBOE), RainKing (acquired by DiscoverOrg/ZoomInfo), Verafin (acquired by Nasdaq), and Quantile (acquired by London Stock Exchange Group plc). He currently serves on the boards of Bitly, Digital Marketing Institute, Offensive Security, Origami Risk, and Our Family Wizard.

Parag graduated from Northwestern University with a BA in Mathematics and Economics. He began his career as an Analyst with J.P. Morgan’s Restructuring Group in New York City.

“Spectrum Equity’s nearly three-decade focus on internet-enabled software and information services companies has enabled us to invest in an incredibly dynamic category and partner with exceptional entrepreneurs and founders. I’ve been fortunate to work alongside these leaders as they build category-defining companies, create innovative products and produce real efficiencies for their customers at scale.”—Parag Khandelwal