From Research to Capital Allocation: A Data-Driven Approach to Venture Investing and Inclusive Entrepreneurship

An expert in artificial intelligence (AI), entrepreneurship, and finance, Dr. Rosa Mehrabi has made significant contributions in her field. With a dedication to merit-based and sustainable finance allocation, she works to expand opportunities for women in entrepreneurship. To this end, Dr. Mehrabi is actively building a US entrepreneurship ecosystem where every founder has a fair chance to grow.

Connecting with the Human Side of Entrepreneurship

Though Dr. Mehrabi began her career with an engineering background, she quickly felt drawn to the human side of innovation. Moving in a new direction, she completed a PhD in entrepreneurship through the University of Tehran. During this process, her research focused on entrepreneurial decision-making and opportunity recognition, preparing her for a transition to venture capital.

"I saw firsthand how access to capital, data, and informed decision-making can shape entrepreneurial success," Dr. Mehrabi shared. "I also became increasingly aware of the structural challenges faced by women entrepreneurs."

Overcoming the Challenge of Visibility

Dr. Mehrabi's career spans countries, disciplines, and industries, but has consistently been challenged by matters of visibility and representation. Rather than allowing these constraints to limit her trajectory, or that of others, she focused on delivering real, high-impact results in male-dominated environments. Over time, this approach led Dr. Mehrabi to assume leadership roles and influence decision-making.

"I overcame these challenges through continuous learning, adaptability, and a deliberate focus on producing rigorous, data-driven work," Dr. Mehrabi explained, "allowing me to operate effectively [in] global innovation and investment."

Contributions in the Realm of Venture Capital

To date, Dr. Mehrabi has leveraged her startup fundraising and venture capital expertise to make data-driven investment decisions for a variety of financial risk management groups. She has held senior investment analysis and valuation roles across venture capital firms, financial institutions, and global technology platforms, including her work as an investment analysis director at a venture capital firm.

While working in venture capital, Dr. Mehrabi mentored over 70 startup founders, providing a range of skills and connections. During this period, she worked closely with a woman founder whose product had potential, but whose business model and narrative were not investor-ready. Over several months, Dr. Mehrabi helped her build infrastructure from the ground up to ensure long-term scalability. For her, this reinforced that her work was having a real impact.

Dr. Mehrabi has also conducted explanatory research aimed at developing a practical due diligence framework specifically designed for sustainable financial technology ventures. This work offers both conceptual and practical clarity at a time when U.S. financial markets face growing pressure to enhance climate resilience, support responsible technological innovation, and maintain global leadership. The resulting framework provides investors, policymakers, and startup founders with a clear roadmap for navigating these challenges, strengthening the sustainable FinTech ecosystem, and advancing broader goals related to economic resilience and national competitiveness.

A Focus on the Role of AI in Finance

Most recently, Dr. Mehrabi has focused more on the intersection of AI and data analytics in finance environments. Operating in Silicon Valley, she has served as a financial risk analyst and a portfolio data analyst, utilizing AI-driven business intelligence tools to support more effective growth decisions. For entrepreneurial finance, this kind of multifaceted insight can make all the difference.

"Unlike many professionals, who specialize in a single domain, I have worked across the full lifecycle of innovation," Dr. Mehrabi said. "This interdisciplinary background enables me to connect human judgment, financial structure, and data-driven insight in a way that is rarely addressed holistically."

Ambition for the Future

Inspired by her own challenges and recognizing her ability to help others overcome them, one of Dr. Mehrabi's goals is to reduce the structural barriers women entrepreneurs face. Relying on mentorship, strategy, and data-driven guidance, she aims to create change at the founder and system levels.

Furthermore, Dr. Mehrabi aspires to expand her public-facing work through research, writing, and speaking, especially in the field of sustainable finance, and to promote the multilevel due diligence framework for advancing U.S. sustainable fintech investment and financial system resilience.