Soraya Darabi — Co-Founder

Soraya is a Founder and Managing Partner of TMV – a global early-stage venture firm with 200 million in AUM across TMV Funds I-III and TMV: Lifecycles. TMV backs innovation reshaping legacy industries. She built the firm to enable breakthrough entrepreneurs with the capital and go-to-market expertise required to reach a major inflection point of growth. Soraya has invested in over 100 startups in her career, including Anthropic, FIGS, Cityblock Health, Kindbody, Roon, Slingshot AI, Ridwell, Casper, Hungryroot, Clockwise, Scope3, Mavely, Yoke, Millie Clinic, Portcast, Bridge Money, Topline Pro, Tutored by Teachers, Fi, Freightify, Smalls, Gimlet Media at early rounds of financing. Pre-IPO, Cloudflare. She began her career at The New York Times, where she positioned the global news leader on social networks such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, partnered with startups large and small, and established award-winning campaigns. She went on to co-found the application Foodspotting, named by Apple and Wired Magazine as an “App of the Year," later acquired by OpenTable, then Priceline. She graduated with high honors from Georgetown University and completed the Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century program at the Harvard Kennedy School. Soraya currently serves on the Board of Directors for Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights and lives in New York City with her family. Speaking | Media | Awards: * Featured on the cover of Fast Company Magazine * Featured on the the cover of Brand Week * Inc. Magazine "30 Under 30" * Fortune Magazine "40 Under 40: Women to Watch" * Georgetown "GEMA" Award: Investor of the Year * World Economic Forum "Young Global Leader" * Four-time featured speaker at The World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland * Featured on the homepage of Morgan Stanley * 15 years of keynote speaking with The American Program Bureau * Thrice named “Mentor of the Year" at TechStars New York * Founder of the global network of women emerging fund managers, "Transact Global" * TMV named to the Time Magazine's list of "Top Venture Capital Firms" 2025

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Venture Capitalist with strong expertise in startup investment and media strategy.

Location: New York, New York, United States

Experience: 14 yrs 7 mos

Skills

Investment Management
Strategic Guidance
Podcasting
Public Speaking

Career Highlights

Founder of TMV, managing $200 million in AUM.
Invested in over 100 startups, including notable names.
Featured in multiple prestigious publications and awards.

Work Experience

Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

Member Board of Directors (3 yrs 6 mos)

Synchrony

Host of the Business Schooled Podcast (1 yr 5 mos)

Transact Global

Founder, Transact Global (8 yrs 5 mos)

Yamba Malawi

Member Of The Management Board (5 yrs 1 mo)

The Nature Conservancy

Member Board of Trustees (3 yrs 2 mos)

TMV

Co-Founder, Managing Partner (10 yrs 3 mos)

World Economic Forum

Young Global Leader (5 yrs 6 mos)

Foodspotting

Co-Founder (2 yrs 3 mos)

The New York Times

Manager, Digital Partnerships Social-Media (2 yrs 3 mos)

Education

B.A. at Georgetown University

Kennedy School at Harvard University

Soraya Darabi

Co-Founder

New York, New York, United States14 yrs 7 mos experience

Most Likely To SwitchHighly Stable

Key Highlights

Founder of TMV, managing $200 million in AUM.
Invested in over 100 startups, including notable names.
Featured in multiple prestigious publications and awards.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a Venture Capitalist with strong expertise in startup investment and media strategy.

Contact

Skills

Core Skills

Investment ManagementStrategic GuidancePodcastingPublic Speaking

Other Skills

AdvertisingBloggingBrand DevelopmentBroadcast Television ExperienceBusiness StrategyCommunity ManagementContent DevelopmentContent StrategyCopywritingDigital MarketingDigital MediaDigital StrategyE-commerceEmail MarketingEntrepreneurship

About

Experience

14 yrs 7 mos

Total Experience

4 yrs 5 mos

Average Tenure

10 yrs 3 mos

Current Experience

Robert f. kennedy human rights

Member Board of Directors

Dec 2022 – Present · 3 yrs 6 mos · New York, United States

"People-powered advocacy. Positive change will not come from top-down solutions, it will come from a global community of change makers working together — doing what each of us can — to shape our shared future."

Synchrony

Host of the Business Schooled Podcast

Aug 2019 – Jan 2021 · 1 yr 5 mos · New York, United States · On-site

Join business co-founder and investor Soraya Darabi as she hits the road to get schooled by eight entrepreneurs who’ve graduated from their early start-up days and hit new levels of success. Click below to listen.
Listen here: https://www.synchrony.com/business-schooled2.html

Podcasting

Transact global

Founder, Transact Global

Jan 2018 – Present · 8 yrs 5 mos · Remote

A membership for Emerging Fund Managers who share experience, research and counsel.

Yamba malawi

Member Of The Management Board

Jan 2018 – Feb 2023 · 5 yrs 1 mo · Lilongwe, Central Region, Malawi

The nature conservancy

Member Board of Trustees

Jul 2016 – Sep 2019 · 3 yrs 2 mos · New York

The Nature Conservancy addresses the most pressing conservation threats at the largest scale. Its mission is to "conserve the lands and waters on which all life depends."
Visit www.nature.org to learn more and donate.

Tmv

Co-Founder, Managing Partner

Mar 2016 – Present · 10 yrs 3 mos · Greater New York City Area · On-site

Leads TMV, focusing on innovation across legacy industries.
Manages investments across TMV I, TMV II, TMV III, and TMV: Lifecycles
Nurtures early-stage startups with high growth potential as a board member and alongside the TMV GTM (Go to Market) team
Collaborates daily with founders and management teams to drive value creation through strategic guidance.

Investment ManagementStrategic GuidanceVenture Capital

World economic forum

Young Global Leader

Jun 2014 – Dec 2019 · 5 yrs 6 mos · United States

The mission of the Forum of Young Global Leaders is to create a dynamic global community of exceptional people with the vision, courage and influence to drive positive change in the world.
Young Global Leader member on behalf of The World Economic Forum.
Three-time speaker at The World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on "The Future of Work," "New Frontiers of Innovation " & "Keeping Up with Consumers."

Public SpeakingLeadership

Foodspotting

Co-Founder

Oct 2009 – Jan 2012 · 2 yrs 3 mos · San Francisco Bay Area, New York

Foodspotting is a visual geo-local guide that lets you find dishes instead of just restaurants and makes finding good food easier by letting you see what's around you. It was an Apple and Wired App of the Year. In 2013 the company was acquired by Open Table.

The new york times

Manager, Digital Partnerships Social-Media

Sep 2007 – Dec 2009 · 2 yrs 3 mos

As Manager of Digital Partnerships and Social-Media Marketing at The New York Times, Soraya successfully led the drive to market nytimes.com across multiple social-media platforms including Facebook and Twitter. In 2009, her New York Times multimedia Inauguration Day campaign on Facebook won first prize at the INMA Awards for excellence in marketing.
Beta user of: twitter, foursquare, tumblr, facebook brands, YouTube partner channels, venmo, SoundCloud, square.