Raj Chinai

Raj has over 20 years of experience in operating and investing in emerging companies from the U.S., India and the Middle East. During this time, he has developed deep, trust-based relationships with VCs, CEOs and other influential leaders who continue to shape the future of India’s tech start-up landscape.

Prior to Iron Pillar, he was the Managing Director at LCR Capital Partners, a US-based private investment and advisory services firm, where he helped UHNW/HNW families secure access to alternative investment opportunities in the US and Europe. Before his stint at LCR, Raj spent four years as the Managing Director at Dubai-based Sobha Group, a multi-billion-dollar real estate development company in the Middle East and India, where he worked with the company’s Founder & Chairman to execute strategic investments in the Gulf region and globally. Raj is a Senior Advisor to both LCR and the Chairman’s Office at Sobha.

Earlier in his career, as part of the initial growth of India’s venture capital ecosystem, Raj was a Principal and founding team member of SVB India Capital Partners, and was subsequently with Kalaari Capital. He began his career in Silicon Valley, where he led business development deals at Yahoo.

Raj is a Founding Board Member of the YPO Dubai Downtown Chapter, Co-Founder & Co-Chair of the Harvard Business School Alumni Angels Association (India Chapter) and Senior Advisor at Taurus Family Office.

Raj earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, MPA from Harvard and BA from the University of Pennsylvania, where he graduated magna cum laude.