Ulili Onovakpuri

Uriridiakoghene Onovakpuri is a venture capitalist and impact investing leader recognized for her work in advancing health equity and expanding access to capital for underrepresented communities. Onovakpuri began her career at Kapor Capital as a principal and advanced to managing partner, eventually co-leading the firm with Brian Dixon after the transition from co-founders Mitch Kapor and Freada Kapor Klein. Her early experiences with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis informed her focus on addressing healthcare inequities and supporting technology-driven solutions for underserved populations.

At Kapor Capital, Onovakpuri led investments in health technology and people operations technology companies, aligning with the firm's mission to leverage information technology for solving real-world challenges in education, finance, health, work, and justice. During her tenure, she co-raised a $126 million fund and supported more than 70 companies. Fund III marked a significant milestone as Kapor Capital partnered with multiple limited partners, including Cambridge Associates, Ford Foundation, Bank of America, PayPal, and Southern Poverty Law Center. The Fund III portfolio includes a high percentage of companies led by women, Black founders, and underrepresented people of color.

Onovakpuri also founded Kapor Capital's Fellows program, the longest-running venture capital internship program for underrepresented individuals, and launched the Summer Associates program to increase diversity within the venture capital industry. These initiatives reflect her commitment to broadening access to venture capital and fostering diversity as a strategic advantage in identifying transformative companies.

Prior to Kapor Capital, Onovakpuri served as director of global programs at Village Capital, a global accelerator and venture capital firm, where she worked with entrepreneurs worldwide. While in business school, she founded LifeKIT, a mobile health solution for rural communities. Onovakpuri holds an MBA with a concentration in health sector management from Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. She has spoken at forums including the Milken Institute Global Conference and Grace Hopper Celebration, and contributed thought leadership to TechCrunch. Under her leadership with Dixon, Kapor Capital expanded to more than $200 million in assets under management across three funds. Onovakpuri's career demonstrates that mission-driven investing and financial returns can coexist, and that effective solutions often originate from those with direct experience of the challenges they address.