-- Arāya Ventures today announced a series of senior appointments across its Advisory Board, Investment Committee, and fund governance structures, marking a significant milestone as the firm expands its global platform across the UK, Europe, the GCC and Asia.
Dame Alison Rose DBE has been appointed Chair of Arāya Ventures’ Advisory Board. One of the UK’s most respected financial leaders, Dame Alison brings decades of experience leading global financial institutions and driving growth at scale. Her appointment reflects Araya’s continued focus on building deep institutional connectivity as it grows internationally.
She is joined on the Advisory Board by a distinguished group of seven leaders spanning asset management, policy, sovereign investment, and emerging technology including:
Baroness Charlotte Owen, a former government adviser, brings a deep understanding of how new technologies are reshaping global policy frameworks and the impact this is having on innovation.
Sheikh Dr Majid Al Qassimi, a recognised leader in sustainability and food security across the GCC, contributes deep expertise in investment strategy, regional market development, and long-term structural trends shaping the region.
Sam Uddin, who holds a senior leadership role with Jada Fund of Funds, brings significant institutional perspective through his experience across global capital markets and his work with sovereign-backed investment platforms.
And Johanna Rose Cabildo, CEO of D-GN and a board director of United Nations Next Gen, brings expertise in enterprise AI, data infrastructure, and the deployment of advanced technologies across global organisations.
Emma Davies, CIO of Guys St Thomas and former Co-CEO of Octopus Ventures, has joined the Investment Committee of Araya Global Fund I, bringing extensive experience in venture investing and portfolio scaling.
Joanna Dentskevich and Rob Savage have been appointed to the board of the JerseyGeneral Partner of the Arāya Global Fund I, further reinforcing the firm’s governance framework as it continues to attract institutional and cross-border capital. Both bring decades of experience across financial institutions, private equity, venture capital, and international fund structures.
These appointments come as Arāya continues to scale a differentiated venture platform focused on backing the next generation of AI-native and globally scalable companies. The firm operates across multiple investment vehicles, including its three flagship funds and a growing global private investor community at House of Araya, enabling founders to access a highly engaged network of family offices and angel investors.
Arāya began capital deployment in the final quarter of 2024 and has invested in 30 companies to-date including Aeon, Research Grid, Sanius Health and Beatpulse Labs, reflecting its focus on backing fast growth AI-native businesses addressing large, global markets which have already seen multiple mark-ups, acquisition approaches and revenue growth.
Beyond capital, Arāya supports founders through a highly networked platform spanning institutional investors, enterprise relationships, and international growth ecosystems across the UK, Europe, the GCC, Asia, and the US. The firm has facilitated commercial introductions between portfolio companies and large enterprises, while also supporting founders on fundraising, strategic positioning, revenue acceleration and international expansion, including ecosystem engagement initiatives in San Francisco.
Arāya also hosts founder masterclasses, investor showcases, and portfolio demo day events through initiatives including the Arāya Presents fundraising showcase series, reflecting the firm’s broader approach of combining capital with strategic support, institutional connectivity, and global network access from the earliest stages.
These senior appointments reflect Arāya Ventures’ commitment to building a world-class venture firm with the governance, network, and conviction required to support globally ambitious founders from the earliest stages.
“We are building Arāya to be a globally connected venture platform with the institutional depth, networks, and conviction required to back the next generation of category-defining companies. The calibre of leaders joining our advisory and governance structures reflects both the scale of that ambition and the opportunity we see ahead.” said Founder & Managing Partner, Rupa Popat.
About the company: Arāya Ventures is an award-winning asset management firm investing in the next generation of AI-native and globally scalable companies. With a strong global network, the firm backsexceptional founders building transformative businesses for a global market at the pre-seed and seed stage. Presently, the Arāya Ventures platform consists of three funds, the $26.3m Super Angel Fund, the $30m Global Fund and the £15m Arāya Sie Fund, deploying capital across AI, Health, Fintech and Future of Work in the UK, GCC and Asia. House of Arāya is the co-investment arm of Arāya Ventures. Combining exclusive co-investment opportunities in deals backed by the Arāya funds, an Academy that builds investment conviction, and a global community that sharpens every decision, House of Arāya is the home for access, learning, and connection.
Contact Info:
Name: Sejal Patel
Email: Send Email
Organization: Arāya Ventures
Website: http://www.araya.ventures
Release ID: 89198434
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