Our Story: Bridging Profit and Purpose through Arise Ventures and MyStepUp
The story of our organization is not just a tale of two entities but a single, unified vision to redefine the global innovation landscape. It began with the realization that while technology has the power to bridge vast distances, the opportunity to build that technology remains unevenly distributed. Ankita Vashistha and Avinash Vashistha founded Arise Ventures to accelerate the growth of the next generation of global tech leaders, but they knew that a venture fund alone could not address the systemic gaps in education, gender equity, and mentorship. To solve the human side of the equation, they established MyStepUp as the dedicated non-profit wing of the ecosystem.
​The Visionaries Behind the Movement
At the heart of this journey are two leaders who have spent their careers at the intersection of technology and social impact.
Ankita Vashistha, a recognized pioneer in the venture capital world, has spent over a decade advocating for gender-lens investing and diverse leadership. From her early days in electronics engineering to founding some of the first funds focused on women-led innovation, she saw firsthand how much potential remains untapped because of a lack of institutional support. Her role as the Managing Partner of Arise Ventures allows her to deploy capital strategically, but her leadership of MyStepUp allows her to mentor the "founders of tomorrow" before they even reach the boardroom.
Avinash Vashistha brought a different but complementary perspective to the table. As the former Chairman and CEO of Accenture India, he led some of the most complex digital transformations in the corporate world. He witnessed how high legacy workloads and slow modernization could stifle even the most ambitious organizations. By joining forces with Ankita to lead both Arise and MyStepUp, he focused on creating an agile framework that combines the speed of a venture fund with the long-term community impact of a foundation.​
One Mission, Two Distinct Engines
We view Arise Ventures and MyStepUp as two engines on the same aircraft. Arise Ventures is the high-performance engine that fuels growth, provides global market access, and scales AI-driven startups to reach international heights. It is designed for the high-speed world of competitive intelligence and corporate strategy.In contrast, MyStepUp is the engine that ensures the flight is sustainable. As the non-profit wing, MyStepUp focuses on the grassroots level. It provides the skilling, mentorship, and foundational support that founders need to navigate a world where cloud infrastructure maturity and data focus are still evolving. MyStepUp ensures that innovation is not a privilege for the few but a pathway for the many. By focusing on diversity and inclusion, the foundation prepares underrepresented entrepreneurs to be "investment ready" for funds like Arise and beyond.
Modernizing Legacy Systems through Collective Action
Today, our story is unfolding in dynamic markets across India, Singapore, and the United States. We are currently working to dismantle the barriers of reduced agility that often plague large legacy ecosystems. Through the Arise Ventures and MyStepUp model, we are not just investing in companies but we are actively building the infrastructure for a modern, data-driven future. Whether it is through strategic partnerships in Ethiopia or digital literacy programs led by the foundation, we remain committed to the idea that true success is measured by the strength of the ecosystem we leave behind. We believe that by integrating the strategic rigor of venture capital with the compassionate outreach of our non-profit wing, we can create a world where every visionary founder has the tools to change the world.