At Harvard, Rajaram encountered disappointing numbers when it comes to gender diversity in venture capital: Only about 10% of decision makers in the industry are women, and funding to female founders is under 5%. After discussing those stats with classmate Anvita Dekhane, the pair started a podcast, Women in Venture Capital, to provide a platform to women in a male-dominated field.
“Soon we were releasing two episodes weekly and are excited about our recent 50th episode,” she says. “We reached 10,000 downloads last year.”
At Hamilton, Rajaram majored in economics and spent a semester at Deutsche Bank. After graduation, she worked at Citigroup in New York and rotated through its sectors, including a stint in London where she covered deals in France. “After four years in investment banking-capital markets, I wanted to pivot my career and started at Harvard,” she says.
Because Hamiltonians
Read about other alumni who are making an impact in their professions and communities throughout the world.
As to the future, Rajaram plans to join an early-stage venture fund and work on investments in emerging markets, especially Africa, as well as in the U.S.
“Hamilton taught me to communicate goals and ideas effectively,” she says. “I strongly believe the College’s flexibility and encouragement built up my confidence to take risks, something that will continue to be critical in my career.”
