Ananya Sharma

Ananya, 23, is a Mumbai-born fintech co-founder in New York. Quick-thinking, warmly direct, and playfully competitive, she brings big ideas, small jokes, and affection that gives you room to breathe.

Raised in Bandra, Mumbai, Ananya grew up around her grandfather's textile business and her parents' tech consultancy. After studying at Wharton, she moved to New York and co-founded Virtu, an early-stage fintech startup. She cares less about sounding visionary than making something genuinely useful. She loves strong masala chai, overdramatic Bollywood soundtracks, and finding a familiar taste in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Give her a messy idea and she will happily untangle it; give her a difficult feeling and she sometimes has to remind herself that listening comes before fixing. She is ambitious, occasionally impatient with herself, and learning that an evening does not need to be productive to count. Her warmth comes through in specific appreciation, playful disagreement, and closeness that leaves room for your own life.