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Rana el Kaliouby

InvestorFounder

Co-Founder and General Partner at Blue Tulip Ventures · Venture Partner at Bold Capital Partners · Co-founder at Affectiva

Boston

FoundedAffectiva

Find your path to Rana

1,942 people in our graph share verified history with Rana — schools, employers, funds. One of them is your warm intro.

Alex ChachavaunlockedRana: together at YPO (2019–2024)
Rana: together at World Economic Forum
×2Rana: together at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
×4Rana: together at University of Cambridge

About

Rana el Kaliouby is an Egyptian-American AI scientist and entrepreneur whose work centers on humanizing technology and bringing emotional intelligence to the digital world. She co-founded and led Affectiva, an MIT spin-off that pioneered the field of Emotion AI, raising over $50M in venture capital before the company was acquired by Smart Eye in 2021, where she became Deputy CEO. She is now co-founder and General Partner of Blue Tulip Ventures, an AI-focused firm investing in early-stage startups building Human-Centric AI, and remains an active angel and pre-seed investor focused on underrepresented founders. She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and completed a postdoctorate at MIT, teaches as an executive fellow at Harvard Business School, and authored the bestselling memoir Girl Decoded. She is a TED speaker, co-host of a PBS NOVA series on AI, and an advocate for AI ethics and diversity in tech.

Beyond investing

Founded
Co-founded Affectiva, an MIT spin-off that pioneered the field of Emotion AI, which exited to Smart Eye in 2021. Co-founded Blue Tulip Ventures, an AI-focused venture firm.
Education
Holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge. Completed a postdoctorate at MIT.
Boards
Board member of SIMPEDs at Boston Children's Hospital. Board of Trustees member at the Mass Technology Leadership Council. Board of Trustees member at the American University in Cairo.
Communities
Member of the Boston Steering Committee for All Raise, supporting female founders and funders. Member of the Young Presidents' Organization (YPO) and serves on YPO's New England board. Part of the Partnership on AI and the World Economic Forum's Council of Young Global Leaders.
Awards
Recognized on Fortune's 40 Under 40 list. Named one of Forbes' Top 50 Women in Tech.
Family
Grew up in Egypt and Kuwait and is a divorced mother of two.
More
Author of the bestselling memoir Girl Decoded, published by Penguin Random House in April 2020. A TED speaker and co-host of a PBS NOVA series on AI.

Mentioned above: the University of Cambridge mafia →

From Rana's own website — common ground for a warm intro.

Co-founder at Affectiva

Intro paths

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In turn, Rana can intro founders to Affectiva's investors below.

Affectiva's investors · 6

BY Venture PartnersSt Helier · $714K – $70M checksHorizons VenturesHong Kong · $1M – $110M checks · since 2016Kleiner PerkinsMenlo Park · $500K – $15M checks · since 2016Motley Fool VenturesAlexandria · $1M – $2M checksThe E14 FundCambridge · $1M – $5M checksTrend Forward CapitalFrisco

Co-founders at Affectiva

RPRosalind Picard
Rosalind PicardCo-founder
MK
Martin KrantzFounder
MK
Mats KrantzCo-founder

Experience

  1. Blue Tulip VenturesCo-Founder and Managing Partnercurrent2024 — present
  2. Pioneers of AIPodcast Hostcurrent2024 — present
  3. Smart EyeAI Advisorcurrent2024 — present
  4. Smart EyeDeputy CEO2021 — 2024Boston, Massachusetts, United States
  5. Harvard Business SchoolEntrepreneur in Residencecurrent2025 — present
  6. BOLD Capital PartnersVenture Partnercurrent2023 — present
  7. YPOMembercurrent2019 — present
  8. AI Operators FundGeneral Partnercurrent2022 — present
  9. Eisenhower FellowshipsEisenhower US Fellow 2023current2023 — present
  10. World Economic ForumYoung Global Leader (YGL Class of 2017)current2017 — present
  11. World Economic ForumMember, Future Global Council on Robotics and Artificial Intelligence2016 — 2024
  12. Videra HealthMember Board Of Directors2021 — 2025Utah, United States
  13. Harvard Business SchoolExecutive Fellow2021 — 2025Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States
  14. AffectivaCo-founder, CEO2016 — 2021Boston, Massachusetts, United States
  15. AffectivaChief Science Officer and Chief Technology Officer2009 — 2016
  16. MIT Media Lab E14 FundVenture Partner2017 — 2021Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States

Skills & more

Investor2Venture Capital1Strategy99Entrepreneurship99Artificial Intelligence99Machine Learning99Computer Vision93AI56Product Development29Algorithms99Research76Image Processing31
+12 moreSoftware EngineeringData MiningComputer ScienceProgrammingSignal ProcessingCloud ComputingSoftware DevelopmentHuman Computer InteractionStrategic PlanningPublic SpeakingStart-upsData Analysis

Languages Arabic · English

From Rana's professional profile.

Podcasts & interviews

featuring Rana el Kaliouby

Rana el Kaliouby | Girl Decoded Video Trailer PAPERBACK

Rana el Kaliouby

Colleagues at Blue Tulip Ventures

Amy Villeneuve
Board Director, Advisor & Past COO and President of Amazon Robotics at Underscore VC
Brent Sapiro
Investor at Blue Tulip Ventures
Carla Brodley
Investor at Blue Tulip Ventures
Claire Hughes Johnson
Corporate Officer, Stripe at Operator Collective
Dune Thorne
Investor at Blue Tulip Ventures
Eric Cohen
Investor at Blue Tulip Ventures
Eric Horvitz
Investor at Blue Tulip Ventures
Esther Dyson
Founder of Wellville; chairman of EDventure Holdings

Frequently asked questions

Who is Rana el Kaliouby?
Rana el Kaliouby is an Egyptian-American AI scientist and entrepreneur whose work centers on humanizing technology and bringing emotional intelligence to the digital world. She co-founded and led Affectiva, an MIT spin-off that pioneered the field of Emotion AI, raising over $50M in venture capital before the company was acquired by Smart Eye in 2021, where she became Deputy CEO. She is now co-founder and General Partner of Blue Tulip Ventures, an AI-focused firm investing in early-stage startups building Human-Centric AI, and remains an active angel and pre-seed investor focused on underrepresented founders. She holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge and completed a postdoctorate at MIT, teaches as an executive fellow at Harvard Business School, and authored the bestselling memoir Girl Decoded. She is a TED speaker, co-host of a PBS NOVA series on AI, and an advocate for AI ethics and diversity in tech.
Where does Rana el Kaliouby work?
Rana el Kaliouby is Co-founder of Affectiva and Co-Founder and General Partner at Blue Tulip Ventures.
What companies did Rana el Kaliouby found?
Rana el Kaliouby founded Affectiva.
Where did Rana el Kaliouby go to school?
Rana el Kaliouby studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Post-Doc, Computer Science); Harvard Kennedy School (Executive Education, Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century); University of Cambridge (PhD, Computer Science).
What awards has Rana el Kaliouby received?
Recognized on Fortune's 40 Under 40 list. Named one of Forbes' Top 50 Women in Tech.
What podcasts and interviews feature Rana el Kaliouby?
Tracked appearances include "Rana el Kaliouby | Girl Decoded Video Trailer PAPERBACK".

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