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VC Flags False LinkedIn 'CEO' Claim for Anysphere That Reached PitchBook

The episode underscores how unverified profile data can infiltrate trusted research tools used by investors.

Overview

  • Pune-based Ashish Bagade listed himself as CEO or co-CEO of Anysphere on LinkedIn despite no affiliation with the startup.
  • Venture capitalist Zach DeWitt surfaced the mismatch on X, posting screenshots that drew wide attention.
  • PitchBook also showed Bagade as co-CEO, indicating the inaccurate claim flowed from social media into a prominent financial database.
  • Anysphere, the San Francisco AI firm behind the Cursor coding assistant, was founded in 2022 and is led solely by CEO Michael Truell.
  • The case prompted criticism of LinkedIn’s lack of title verification and questions about PitchBook’s vetting, with experts urging users to verify professional claims.