"I visited various angel groups. I was an aspiring angel investor. Decided I didn't like what I found at that time. So I started our own angel group for MIT alumni. And that was my first encounter with angel investing... one of the first companies we invested in went public last year. It was good to see some success." - Swati Chaturvedi
Takeaways
- Swati is an advocate of allocating a portion of any portfolio to alternative asset classes.
- Diversification is a key element of financial success.
- Deep tech and life sciences, while difficult to diligence, are places where you can find huge alpha as an investor.
- Research and due diligence are critical in life sciences because the science itself is difficult.
- Attending investor calls, asking questions and consistently reading the latest on each industry company and individual are very important ways in which to stay informed.
Bio
Swati Chaturvedi is the co-founder and CEO of Propel(x) – an investment platform that enables accredited investors worldwide to invest in alternatives, including investments in startups, hedge funds and venture capital funds. Ms. Chaturvedi has a long history of working in the alternative investments space and is the founder of the MIT Alumni Angel Investors group. She founded and led the group from 2013–2015, and continues to be on the screening committee. Prior to starting Propel(x), Swati worked as an investment professional at Exigen Capital private equity, Siemens Venture Capital and Temasek Holdings. She has also been a management consultant working across a variety of industries. Ms. Chaturvedi holds an MBA degree from the Sloan School of Management, an M.S. degree from MIT, an M.S. degree from UC Berkeley, and a Bachelor’s degree from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee.
