Chetan Bansal
About Chetan Bansal
Chetan Bansal is Slam Corp’s Chief Development Officer (age 50 as of the FY2024 10-K), with 25 years of private markets investing experience and prior roles spanning Antara Capital (Partner, Co-Head of Investment Research), BTIG (MD & Head of Illiquid Credit Solutions), Jefferies (co-managed a proprietary portfolio), Citigroup (Director of Research in Distressed Debt Trading), and Cisco (Business Development focused on venture investments and strategic acquisitions). He holds an MBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a BA in Computer Science from Northwestern University . As Slam is a blank check company with no operations to date, company TSR, revenue growth, and EBITDA growth metrics tied to his tenure are not disclosed in filings .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antara Capital | Partner & Co-Head of Investment Research | Mar 2020–present | Co-leads investment research; capital and advice to early-stage, hyper-growth companies; special situations investing . |
| BTIG | Managing Director & Head of Illiquid Credit Solutions Group | Jan 2019–Feb 2020 | Led illiquid credit solutions; special situations across high-yield and distressed . |
| Family Office (self-managed) | Principal | Dec 2017–Dec 2018 | Managed family office investments . |
| Jefferies | Co-managed proprietary investment portfolio | Jan 2015–Sep 2017 | Proprietary portfolio management in special situations . |
| Citigroup | Director of Research, Distressed Debt Trading Group | Aug 2008–Apr 2012 | Research leadership in distressed debt trading . |
| Cisco Systems | Business Development (venture investments & strategic acquisitions) | Sep 2001–2005 | Executed venture investments and strategic acquisitions; sat on Cisco Strategic India Counsel (2003–2004) . |
| Crown Capital Partners | Investor; authored FreshDirect business plan | 1997–1999 | Wrote FreshDirect business plan; early-stage board involvement/observer roles . |
| Board observer roles | Plaxo (2004–2005), CXO Systems (2003–2004) | 2003–2005 | Growth-stage tech; both later acquired (Plaxo by Comcast in 2008; CXO Systems by Cisco in 2004) . |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Antara Capital | Partner & Co-Head of Investment Research | Mar 2020–present | Ongoing external role alongside SLAMF; special situations equities and credit . |
| Cisco Systems Strategic India Counsel | Member | 2003–2004 | Advisory council role during Cisco tenure . |
| Plaxo | Board Observer | 2004–2005 | Board observer; company acquired by Comcast in 2008 . |
| CXO Systems | Board Observer | 2003–2004 | Board observer; company acquired by Cisco in 2004 . |
Fixed Compensation
Slam’s filings state no cash compensation has been paid to executive officers or directors pre–business combination. Administrative support payments are made to the Sponsor but are not individual executive compensation.
| Metric | FY 2024 |
|---|---|
| Base salary ($) | $0 |
| Target bonus (%) | Not disclosed |
| Actual bonus paid ($) | $0 |
| Company administrative support to Sponsor ($/month) | $10,000 |
| Admin support expense incurred ($) | $120,000 |
Notes:
- The $10,000/month administrative support agreement reimburses Sponsor/affiliate for office space and services; it is not a salary to Bansal .
Performance Compensation
No performance-based incentives (RSUs, PSUs, options, or cash incentive plans) are disclosed for executive officers prior to a business combination. Post-combination compensation may be determined by a future compensation committee or independent directors and will be disclosed in the relevant proxy or tender offer materials for the business combination .
| Metric | Weighting | Target | Actual | Payout | Vesting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not disclosed (pre–business combination) | — | — | — | — | — |
Equity Ownership & Alignment
Beneficial ownership tables show no directly held Class A or Class B ordinary shares by Chetan Bansal within 60 days of the proxy dates. Footnotes note this excludes any indirect interests via a partnership interest in the Sponsor or its affiliates.
| Ownership Detail | As of Nov 22, 2024 | As of Jun 5, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Direct Class B Ordinary Shares (shares) | — | — |
| Direct Class A Ordinary Shares (shares) | — | — |
| Approximate % ownership | — | — |
| Pledged shares | Not disclosed | |
| Options/RSUs (exercisable/unexercisable) | Not disclosed | |
| Stock ownership guideline & compliance | Not disclosed | |
| Footnote re Sponsor interests | “Does not include any shares indirectly owned…via partnership interest in the Sponsor or its affiliates.” |
Context on founder shares and lock-up (Sponsor-level, not individual unless directly held):
- Founder shares/Founder lock-ups apply to Initial Shareholders; transfer/lock-up terms and the $12.00/share release condition post-combination are detailed at the company level . Bansal is not listed among individuals with directly held founder shares in the proxy tables .
Employment Terms
- Employment agreement: No employment agreements or benefits upon termination for executive officers; no key-man insurance disclosed .
- Severance & Change-of-Control: No severance or change-of-control benefits disclosed; “We are not party to any agreements…that provide for benefits upon termination of employment” .
- Clawback/Recovery: The 10-K indicates no restatements requiring incentive compensation recovery analysis during the relevant period; specific clawback policy not disclosed .
- Post-combination compensation: If Bansal remains post-combination, compensation may be set by a future compensation committee/independent directors and disclosed in business combination materials .
- Indemnification & D&O insurance: Slam maintains indemnification and liability insurance for directors and officers .
Related Party & Capital Structure Context (Alignment levers)
- Sponsor investments and instruments: Sponsor purchased 11,333,333 private placement warrants for $17.0M; founder shares created and transferred to certain insiders; working capital loans and promissory notes extended to the company (non-interest bearing; some convertible to warrants) .
- Voting/control: Sponsor’s holdings confer significant voting control over Slam prior to business combination (e.g., sponsor voting control and founder share convertibility mechanics) .
- Footnote “rule of three”: No single Sponsor manager is deemed beneficial owner of Sponsor-held securities due to governance mechanics .
Performance & Track Record
- Company operating status: Slam is a SPAC with no operations; thus, no operational performance metrics tied to Bansal’s SLAMF tenure are disclosed .
- Background track record: Bansal’s disclosed growth-stage investments include Via and SentinelOne; historical board observer/advisory roles at Plaxo, CXO Systems, and Cisco Strategic India Counsel .
Board Governance
- Role at SLAMF: Executive officer (Chief Development Officer); not listed as a director or committee member in the 10-K’s director roster .
- Committee memberships, attendance, independence: Not applicable/not disclosed for Bansal as an executive officer .
Investment Implications
- Pay-for-performance alignment: Pre-combination, Bansal receives no salary or bonus and has no disclosed individual equity awards—alignment is primarily via Sponsor economics (indirect interests possible per footnote), making incentives tied to completing a business combination rather than near-term cash comp .
- Retention risk: Absence of an employment agreement, severance, or change-of-control protections suggests higher at-will flexibility and potential retention risk, mitigated by broader Sponsor alignment to complete a deal .
- Insider selling pressure: With no directly reported share ownership for Bansal in beneficial ownership tables, immediate selling pressure from his personal holdings appears minimal; monitor any post–business combination grants and future Form 4 filings for changes .
- Upcoming catalysts: Compensation structure and performance metrics will be set and disclosed in connection with a business combination; investors should scrutinize post-combination equity awards (RSUs/PSUs/options), vesting schedules, and performance metric rigor for alignment quality .
- Governance context: Sponsor capital at risk (warrants/founder shares/loans) and significant voting control create strong incentives to consummate a transaction; evaluate target quality and the proposed compensation framework at closing for long-term value creation and execution risk .