Nitin Rai
Nitin Rai is Founder and Managing Partner of Elevate Capital, an inclusive venture fund that includes the Capital Fund I and II, Innovation GAP Fund, and an Inclusive Fund, a pre-seed and seed-stage fund that invests in diverse and underserved entrepreneurs in Pacific Northwest. Nearly 60% of Elevate Capital investments are in women, and 40% in African American and LatinX founder/CEOs led startups.
Since 2016, Elevate Capital has invested in over $10 Million in 38 startups. These companies have raised follow-on funding of over $80 Million, with a market cap of more than $213 Million and created more than 500 jobs. These companies also report 50% of their employees as diverse. Elevate has already had two exits, with its portfolio companies, Beaverton-based RFPIO and Portland-based Garden Bar by Evergreens.
Nitin Rai also served as Chairman of TiE Global of Board Trustees in 2019. In this role, Nitin led the Board of Trustees’ mission to help its 60 plus global chapters to help entrepreneurs become successful through global programs and initiatives. Nitin serves as Chair of TiE Global Angels to help entrepreneurs across the globe get funding from TiE Charter Members.
Since 2007, Nitin has been an active angel investor, mentor, and is a founding charter member and President of the Board of TiE Oregon. In this role, TiE Oregon has grown to a full-fledged angel investment group with a successful mentoring program. It has launched several education and accelerator programs, including TYE and TIE XL. TiE Oregon Angels have invested over $12 million in 52 startups with 11 exits that returned over 3X in cash to the angels. TiE Oregon ranks in the top three chapters globally and routinely receives recognition for its angel investment, women, and youth programs. Nitin has invested in over 100 startups since 2011, personally and through his funds.
Nitin is also a successful entrepreneur. He started his career in Silicon Valley as an engineer at two startups. In 1994, he founded First Insight Corporation, a highly successful electronic health records (EHR), practice management, and image management software company, and a revenue cycle management service for eye care professionals, based in Hillsboro, Oregon, and Pune, India. First Insight is a leader in the optometry and ophthalmology software industry with its flagship product MaximEyes.
Nitin is a recognized technology leader and entrepreneur and has mentored hundreds of startups both locally in Portland as well as globally via the TIE Global network.