Long before she was financing billion-dollar infrastructure deals, Sonam Velani was a child navigating the complex urban landscape of Chicago. Her parents, who immigrated from Mumbai, came to America chasing the promise that cities hold out to millions: opportunity, stability, and upward mobility.
Chicago’s skyline told one story—of ambition, design, and progress. The elevated trains rattling overhead, the shimmering steel curves of Millennium Park, and the historic facades lining Michigan Avenue spoke to the city’s architectural brilliance and cultural pride.
But Sonam also witnessed another reality.
Growing up in a working-class family, she experienced the fragility beneath the glamour. She saw firsthand how inadequate housing, unreliable transportation, and environmental risks quietly constrained opportunity. She understood how infrastructure is not just concrete and steel—it is destiny.
This early awareness became the foundation of Sonam Velani’s life mission: to redesign cities so that prosperity is not determined by a ZIP code.
Sonam Velani: Breaking Barriers Through Education
As the first in her family to attend college, Sonam Velani carried both the weight of sacrifice and the promise of transformation. She earned a full scholarship to Harvard University, where she pursued a BA in Government, Economics, and Visual & Environmental Studies.
Her academic journey reflected her interdisciplinary thinking. Government taught her the mechanics of power. Economics sharpened her understanding of capital flows. Visual and Environmental Studies nurtured her appreciation for design and the built environment.
Even then, Sonam Velani was connecting the dots between cities, climate, and capital.
Mastering the Mechanics of Capital at Goldman Sachs
After graduating, Sonam Velani entered the world of high finance at Goldman Sachs. There, she financed over $10 billion in transportation, energy, and water infrastructure projects.
This was not abstract financial modeling. It was real-world impact at scale. She worked on transactions that modernized transit systems, expanded energy networks, and strengthened water infrastructure—projects that shape daily life for millions.
At Goldman Sachs, Sonam Velani learned how capital moves—and how it can be directed toward public good when structured thoughtfully. She became skilled in complex financial transactions, risk management, and public-private partnerships.
But she was never interested in capital for capital’s sake. She was interested in alignment: how financial systems could serve communities.
Sonam Velani: Building Climate-Resilient Infrastructure Across the Globe
Sonam Velani’s career soon expanded into the global development arena at The World Bank. In Asia, she helped build coastal protection systems and water infrastructure designed to safeguard vulnerable communities from climate risks.
From rising sea levels to water scarcity, the challenges were immense. But so was the opportunity. She collaborated with governments to design, finance, and implement large-scale investments that would protect lives and livelihoods for generations.
Her work spanned continents—from New York to Barcelona to Mumbai—bridging public institutions and private capital to deploy multi-billion-dollar investments in climate-smart infrastructure.
Shaping New York City’s Green New Deal
Returning to the United States, Sonam Velani joined the New York City Mayor’s Office, where she helped develop New York City’s $15 billion Green New Deal.
This initiative aimed to transform one of the world’s most complex urban environments into a leader in climate action. It required aligning policy, financing, engineering, and political will.
Sonam Velani operated at the intersection of strategy and execution—helping the city pursue carbon neutrality, modernize buildings, and accelerate climate resilience efforts.
She was not simply drafting policy; she was building the financial and operational frameworks to make it real.
Innovation in Motion: Drone Mobility in Africa
At Zipline, Sonam Velani stepped into a different frontier of infrastructure: aerial logistics.
She helped launch drone mobility solutions across Africa, delivering life-saving medicines to remote regions. This was climate-smart infrastructure in its most agile form—technology overcoming geography.
The experience reinforced her belief that innovation can leapfrog outdated systems and that emerging technologies can serve communities most often left behind.
Streetlife Ventures: Investing in the Future of Cities
All these experiences converged when Sonam Velani co-founded Streetlife Ventures.
As Managing Partner, she invests in early-stage startups building the next generation of urban systems—clean energy, mobility solutions, climate resilience tools, and technologies that make cities more sustainable and equitable.
Streetlife Ventures reflects Sonam Velani’s core philosophy: cities are ecosystems. To fix them, you must think systemically. That means aligning entrepreneurs, policymakers, community leaders, and investors around shared outcomes.
Through Streetlife Ventures, Sonam Velani is not just funding companies. She is funding the infrastructure of possibility.
A Voice on the Global Climate Stage
Sonam Velani is also a respected thought leader in climate and urban development. She has spoken at the UN COP Climate Summits and C40 gatherings, sharing insights on how cities can accelerate climate action while expanding economic opportunity.
Her voice bridges sectors—translating financial complexity into accessible strategies and inspiring collaboration across climate tech, policy, and justice communities.
Sonam Velani: Paying It Forward – Leadership Beyond Capital
Success, for Sonam Velani, is incomplete unless it lifts others.
She co-founded the Climate Tech Cities community to foster collaboration across climate innovation, policy, and justice groups. She launched Parachute, a creative storytelling platform spotlighting climate solutions and urban investment opportunities globally.
Her service extends to organizations such as the Aga Khan Development Network, the Women’s Impact Alliance, and the Girl Scouts. She serves on boards and selection committees including Women.NYC, Activate, The Clean Fight, and Venture for Climate Tech.
In recognition of her community leadership, she received the National President’s Volunteer Service Award.