Akshay Chopra

SUMMARY BIO
Akshay is a serial venture builder, investor and fintech executive. As Managing Partner of 237 Ventures, he is an angel investor and advisor to governments and organizations. He serves on multiple boards and advisory boards, including Fuze and MENA FinTech Association. Akshay holds 7 patents and his executive roles include VP of Innovation & Crypto Solutions for Visa CEMEA.


HIGHLIGHTS
- Serial Venture Builder, Angel Investor, Board Director, and FinTech Executive
- Executive roles include VP of Innovation, Design, and Crypto for 92 markets (CEMEA) at Visa
- Deep board & governance experience with regulated & audited intuitions
- Board director at Fuze Financial, a VARA-regulated blockchain solutions provider with $14M funding from Further Ventures
-- Payments Co-chair & Advisory Board member MENA FinTech Association (industry association recognized by 22 central banks)
- Globally renowned speaker and thought leader, interviewed by CNN, CNBC, HBR, CEO Middle East, and more
- Angel investor in 18 startups globally with some very public and lucrative exits
- 7 global patents and dozens of innovations in the public domain
- Teaches blockchain & AI courses at SMU Academy, CFTE and more
- Built an analytics JV between Singapore Government & Deloitte (Deloitte Greenhouse)
- MBA from Indian School of Business, B.A. (Honors) in Economics, Certified Professional Coach

DETAILED BIO
Akshay is a serial venture builder, angel investor, board director, and fintech executive. A renowned industry figure and thought leader, Akshay has built fintech ventures, patents, partnerships, and innovation hubs globally, and his insights have extensively featured in Tier 1 media.

As Managing Parnter of 237 Ventures, Akshay invests in and builds tech ventures globally, and advises innovative governments and organizations.

Akshay is an experienced independent board director, including for regulated and audited entities. These Fuze Finance, VARA-regulated blockchain solution provider funded by Further Ventrues. He also serves on the advisory boards of MENA FinTech Association (recognized by 22 central banks), and Numuun.io.
Akshay’s career highlights include roles such as VP of Innovation & Crypto Solutions for Visa CEMEA. Akshay is also an investor in 237 Ventures and frequently invests in startups in FinTech, blockchain, AI, and SpaceTech.

Akshay spent over 8 years at Visa, establishing their Innovation, Digital Partnerships, and Crypto Solutions functions, initially in Asia-Pacific and then CEMEA. This includes building Visa’s award-winning Innovation Centers and teams in Singapore, Dubai, Kenya, Russia, and Riyadh.

Akshay holds 7 global patents in the FinTech and payments, and has served in various digital leadership capacities in Asia-Pacific and EMEA. He has played a key role in the development of numerous commercially successful products in eCommerce and digital banking.

Tier 1 global media outlets have extensively covered Akshay’s work and thought leadership; he has been featured in CNN, CNBC, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Financial Times, and more. He is a frequent keynote speaker in world-leading events.

Prior to Visa, Akshay co-founded and led the Deloitte Greenhouse in Southeast Asia, a joint initiative between the Singapore government and Deloitte, focused on analytics-driven innovation. Before Deloitte, Akshay served as Director, Emerging Markets at Gartner, and started his career at Standard & Poor’s.

Akshay holds an MBA from the Indian School of Business and B.A. (Honors) in Economics from the University of Delhi and is a Certified Professional Coach.