Himalaya Rao-Potlapally

Managing Director & Solo General Partner

Himalaya Rao is the Managing Director and Solo GP of The BFM Fund which is a target $10mm seed-stage fund focused on highly scalable Black-led deal flow within the United States. Prior to becoming a GP, Himalaya got an MBA and specialized training in Venture Finance and worked in seven different firms as an Associate, Deal Lead, and eventually Fund Manager. She was also an adjunct professor at Portland State University teaching MBA and MSF students about venture investing and helped stand up their Impact Ventures Program. She co-launched Venture Partners, an educational non-profit, in partnership with VertueLab and NVCA’s Venture Forward/VC University, to expand her work at PSU and foster intentional inclusion practices within venture capital funds and the investment ecosystem.

 Through her work in creating equity within venture capital, she has been recognized as one of the Rising Stars in Venture Capital by the NVCA/Venture Forward and as a Forty under 40 recipient by the Portland Business Journal. 

She has a passion for expanding accessibility of entrepreneurship to BIPOC and rural communities as a pathway for economic development and generational wealth building.

Prior Experience:

Fund Manager: Angel Oregon Food & Bev 2019

Fund Manager: Mid-Valley Angel Fund 2020

Associate & Deal Lead: Portland Seed Fund

Professor: Portland State University