Leadership Team

Ashwin Puri is the Chief Investment Officer of First Midwest Group and FMG Capital, where he leads the firm’s investment strategy, due diligence, and portfolio management across all asset classes. In addition to overseeing capital allocation, Ashwin is a member of FMG’s Executive Committee and plays a key role in driving company-wide strategy, operations, and long-term value creation.

Ashwin grew up surrounded by First Midwest Group's businesses and has worked at FMG in a full or part-time capacity since 2017, including stints at various FMG-owned companies, as Principal, and most recently as Director of Investments.

Prior to joining FMG, Ashwin was a Principal at XRC Ventures, a New York-based venture capital firm investing in next-generation commerce, healthcare, and consumer technology companies. He also served as an Associate at ID Ventures, where he focused on early-stage investments in B2B SaaS and Life Sciences companies. Ashwin remains an active angel investor with an emphasis on emerging markets in Africa and Asia and has led accelerator programs supporting founders in New York and Michigan.

Ashwin earned his degree from Georgetown University, where he co-founded the university’s first startup accelerator. He also held internships at the White House under the Obama Administration, in the U.S. Senate, and for the U.S. State Department in the political section of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, China. In his spare time, you can find Ashwin traveling to visit new restaurants and countries (close to 90 so far), attempting to learn guitar, and planning mountaineering expeditions.