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Shelly Rao

Investor at Juniper Ventures

Shelly Rao is an experienced finance and corporate development professional currently serving as the Investment Director at Juniper Ventures, the venture arm of Juniper Networks.147 She joined Juniper Networks in December 2021, initially as Principal of Venture Investments & Corporate Development, and has since been promoted to her current role.14

Shelly focuses on early-stage investments and partnerships in cybersecurity, AI, data, and quantum technologies.17 Her investment range typically falls between $500,000 and $10 million, with a sweet spot of around $2 million.6 Some of her notable investments include Zededa, Lightbend, and Fungible (acquired by Microsoft).7

Prior to joining Juniper, Shelly held positions at:

  1. Universal Hydrogen as VP of Finance and Operations (2021)4
  2. Kepler Communications as Head of Finance (2019-2021)45
  3. CIBC Capital Markets in Investment Banking (2017-2019)45

Shelly has a strong academic background with a Bachelor of Commerce from McGill University, majoring in Finance and Mathematics.45 She is multilingual, with proficiency in French, Japanese, and Mandarin.4

In 2023, Shelly was recognized as one of Global Corporate Venturing's Rising Stars, highlighting her rapid progress and impact in the corporate venture capital space.23 She is also involved in mentoring and supporting other professionals, serving as a Principal Cohort at All Raise and previously as a Mentor for First Round Capital.4

Based in San Francisco, Shelly is known for her ability to empathize with founders due to her operational experience in startups.2 She brings a fresh perspective to venture investing, balancing it with the veteran experience of her colleagues at Juniper Ventures.2

Highlights

Nov 1 · theorg.com
Shelly Rao - Director, Ventures & Corporate Development at Juniper ...
Rising Stars 2023: Shelly Rao - - Global Corporate Venturing
Rising Stars 2023: Shelly Rao - - Global Corporate Venturing
Jan 1 · signal.nfx.com
Shelly Rao's Investing Profile - Juniper Networks Investor - Signal NFX
Jan 1 · shellyrao.com
Shelly Rao

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Shelly Rao
Shelly Rao, photo 1
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Location

San Francisco, California, United States