Meet the team
Welcoming Raja Chakravorti, Chief Business Officer at SDF
Author
Denelle Dixon
Publishing date
It’s an exciting day for the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) and the Stellar ecosystem! We are welcoming Raja Chakravorti to SDF as our new Chief Business Officer and I want to tell you about him so you can be excited too. So here goes….
Raja is a passionate business leader with two decades of experience driving successful business outcomes by ensuring strong partnerships and alignment. He previously led product partnerships and business development for Universal Access at Plaid, a leading financial data network company, built and scaled Root Enterprise with a focus on B2B solutions, and drove revenue growth and partnerships for PayPal’s North America business. Raja will now use that experience leading and scaling financial services and technology businesses to support the growth of the Stellar ecosystem.
Raja also has a deep connection to SDF’s mission. Throughout his career, Raja has been driven by the goal of creating broad and equitable financial access through technology. When asked, “why SDF?” he said, “SDF’s mission to create more equitable access to the global financial system using blockchain directly aligns with my goals to drive greater access through innovative technology. As the child of parents who immigrated from India, I saw firsthand the challenges they faced, from accessing affordable credit to sending money home. These experiences have fueled my passion to make financial services more inclusive and accessible.”
Since then, Raja’s career has been marked by his ability to drive innovation and growth in fintech, payments, and insurance. He has a deep understanding of the financial services industry and a proven track record of creating solutions that empower consumers and businesses. His leadership and drive will be invaluable as SDF continues on the path to transforming everyday financial services on a global scale.
Beyond his professional achievements, Raja is an emerging marathon runner, a dedicated coach for his two daughters, and a supporter of educational opportunities for girls in India. We’re excited for more of the Stellar ecosystem and community to meet him at this year’s Stellar Meridian in a few weeks! Until then, here’s some rapid fire Q&As to get to know him a bit better.
DD: Recent obsession or product discovery?
RC: ChatGPT4o - I'm fascinated by the power of AI to optimize processes. It is a massive unlock for technology services, but comes with a set of inherent risks that need to be addressed prior to incorporating it into the lives of people everyday. There is tremendous promise in its ability to further level the playing field in financial services, but the set of trust metrics that need to be achieved are high. Generative AI is a space that I'm excited and hesitant about, but I can't wait to see what is next.
DD: One thing about me is…
RC: I love my family, food, traveling to fascinating places, active movement, and laughing constantly. That's 5 things :)
DD: On repeat?
RC: Everything by "Fred again...". I love music and my tastes are diverse, from hip hop to electronic, punk to classic rock, country to Indian bhangra, and everything in between. We have a ton of dance pop going in the house these days with my 7 and 8 year old daughters dominating the airwaves, however.
DD: Currently reading/watching?
RC: "Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind" by Yuval Noah Harari. Fascinating survey of the history of humans, intersecting natural sciences and social sciences.