Paula Mariwala

Paula Mariwala is a well-known venture capitalist, who has been part of building the early stage start up ecosystem in India since 2006. One of the first women VC in India, she is the founding partner at Aureolis Ventures, which invests in innovative companies focused on social and environmental impact, Founder/President Emeritus of Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs India (“SAE”), an active angel investing platform of Stanford University alumni and Founding Managing Director of Seedfund Advisors. She is also Promoter Director of The Hinditron Group of Companies, a leading technology company with a global footprint.

Paula brings a rich experience of investing in early-stage companies in India and USA. Through her investments in these companies, she hopes to have a deep impact across the most fundamental spaces of healthcare, education, climate and sustainability, and women leadership to name a few.

Paula is deeply committed to the causes of education, environment, gender equality, and human rights. She supports several NGOs and serves on the boards of Team4Tech, Indian School of Leadership, The Gender Lab, Avanti Young Women Leaders Program and KatalystIndia. She is an advisor to the SDG Philanthropy Platform, India, The UN India Women Entrepreneurship network, and on investment committees of social impact funds Ankur Capital and Beyond Capital Ventures. In addition, she mentors women entrepreneurs and young women from socially disadvantaged backgrounds through various personal and professional networks.

Paula wants to help foster entrepreneurship and science & technology in India. Her roles as the founding member on the Board of Management of KREA University, The Governing Board of K.J. Somaiya College of Engineering, and on Advisory Boards incubators like Riddl-BIRAC, GoMassive and FITT-IIT, Delhi, allow her to do so.

She plays an active role in bringing in cross-border experiences and collaborations as Member of the Advisory Board of The Centre for Human Rights and International Justice at Stanford University and Board Member of Stanford SEED. Paula holds an MS in Applied Physics from Stanford University and BSc (Hons) in Physics from St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.

Paula lives in Mumbai with her husband, Dr. Ravi Mariwala. She loves painting, writing poetry, hiking, cooking and engaging with community and social issues.