Paula Ravindra Mariwala

Paula Mariwala is widely regarded as one of the first women venture capitalists in India, with over 25 years of experience across Silicon Valley and India's technology and startup ecosystem. She holds an MS in Applied Physics from Stanford University and a BSc (Hons) in Physics from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai. Trained as a physicist and technologist, she worked with technology companies in both the USA and India before moving into venture investing, becoming active in Indian early-stage investing from 2006 — well before startups became fashionable in the country.

She was the founding/executive Managing Director of Seedfund, one of India's pioneering early-stage venture firms, where since its inception in 2006 she sourced, evaluated and mentored startups and led investments in education, healthcare, deep technology and rural/social-impact sectors. Seedfund built a portfolio of roughly 30 early-stage companies during her tenure. In parallel she co-founded and led Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs India (SAE), Stanford's active angel-investing platform in India, where she now serves as President Emeritus.

In 2017 she founded Aureolis Ventures, a Mumbai-based early-stage fund that backs "bold and innovative companies that create impact," concentrating on social and environmental impact. Across her career her personal portfolio spans 45+ companies. She is also Promoter Director of the Hinditron Group of Companies, a long-established Indian technology company with a global footprint.

Beyond investing, Mariwala holds an extensive set of board, advisory and investment-committee roles, including Women's World Banking, Team4Tech, Ankur Capital and Beyond Capital Ventures (investment committees), KREA University, Katalyst India, The Gender Lab, the Centre for Human Rights and International Justice at Stanford, and Stanford SEED. She lives in Mumbai with her husband, Dr. Ravi (Ravindra) Mariwala, and lists painting, poetry, hiking and cooking among her interests.

• Invests at seed and early stages in India, sourcing, diligencing, scaling and exiting companies across the full VC lifecycle.
• Sector emphasis on technology, sustainability/climate, deep tech, healthcare, education, social impact and women empowerment — "bold and innovative companies which create impact."
• Through Aureolis she explicitly orients toward companies with social and environmental impact, blending commercial returns with mission.
• Known for hands-on partnership with founders, emphasizing building impactful and scalable businesses rather than passive capital.
• As an angel, she invests both via the Stanford Angels & Entrepreneurs India platform and individually through her family office and foundation.