Private Investor, Former Advisor & Sales Engineering Executive at Tech Startups
Palo Alto, CA
Madhu Rao, a former Sales Engineering executive, has had the experience of being at the forefront of significant technology waves, leading and building teams at prominent Silicon Valley startups. She enjoyed the energetic, creative, and chaotic startup environment and now stays engaged by investing in early-stage companies that excite her.
Born in London, Madhu did her schooling in India and Germany, obtaining a degree in Civil Engineering from the National Institute of Technology, India. She came to America for higher studies and has graduate degrees in Environmental Engineering and Computer Science.
After 20 years in technology, Madhu left her professional career to be a full-time parent. She considers it her proudest accomplishment to be a mother to two beautiful humans who, too, are embarking on the next stage of their educational journey. Her son will start his PhD in South Asian Philosophy and Religion at Princeton, and her daughter is pursuing her BA in Psychology at NYU.
While an engineer by training, Madhu is a creative at heart. She invests in art, loves the beauty of form, and currently takes on interior design projects for friends and family. She also enjoys the outdoors. In addition to traveling and hiking around-the-world over the past year, she completed a 50-mile bike ride in Palm Springs, CA. Madhu is a huge advocate for mental health and regularly responds to calls at the San Francisco Suicide Prevention Hotline.