Rupa Ganatra Popat

Founder & Managing Partner @ Araya Ventures

Rupa Ganatra Popat is a prominent entrepreneur and investor, currently serving as the Founder and Managing Partner of Araya Ventures, a venture capital firm she established in June 2022. The firm focuses on investing in mission-driven founders across various sectors, including education, health, finance, sustainability, and commerce.1 2

Education and Early Career

Rupa holds a BSc in Economics from the University of Manchester, graduating in 2003. She began her career in investment banking at RBC Capital Markets, where she spent nearly a decade in various roles, ultimately becoming the Director and Head of Middle East Derivative Sales.1 2 5

Entrepreneurial Ventures

After her banking career, Rupa transitioned into entrepreneurship. She co-founded several initiatives, including:

FUTR Group (2014-2021), which focused on future trends in retail and consumer behavior.
Make A Difference Summits (2017-2021), a global learning platform aimed at promoting inclusive workplace strategies.
CIJ Group, connecting public relations professionals with influencers and journalists.1 2 5

Role at Araya Ventures

At Araya Ventures, Rupa aims to empower underrepresented founders and increase diversity in angel investing through initiatives like AVA Angels, which educates women about angel investing. She has been recognized as one of Forbes' Top 15 Investors in underrepresented founders and was a finalist for the UKBAA Angel Investor of the Year award in 2023.3 4 6

Additional Contributions

Beyond her role at Araya Ventures, Rupa is actively involved as:

An Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Morgan Stanley.
A Board Advisor for several organizations, including Pink Salt Ventures and Johnson & Johnson.
A mentor for various start-up programs.1 2 4

Rupa's extensive experience in both investing and entrepreneurship positions her as a significant figure in the venture capital landscape, particularly concerning diversity and inclusion within the industry.