About Raul

I earned a BA in Economics from UC Santa Barbara, a Master’s in Public Policy from USC, an MBA from Wharton, and a Law degree from Penn Law. My career has spanned roles at Teach for America, the Federal Reserve, Accenture Strategy, Bain & Company, and venture capital. I am currently a Vice President at a VC fund investing in life sciences, healthcare, and technology. My journey started in education. After UCSB, I joined Teach for America, teaching math just 15 minutes from where I grew up. During my third year and fourth year of teaching, I was also a full-time student at USC, earning my MPP with the goal of working on monetary policy at the Federal Reserve. That path led me to an internship under Janet Yellen at the Fed, where I saw firsthand the impact of macroeconomic policy. However, I ultimately decided that pursuing a PhD—necessary for real influence in the field—wasn’t the right fit for me. I pivoted to business, attending Wharton and Penn Law, focusing on finance and transactional work. Post-MBA, I joined Accenture Strategy’s M&A advisory group, helping Fortune 500 companies with acquisitions, due diligence, and post-merger integration. From there, I moved to Bain & Company’s Private Equity Group (PEG) and M&A practice, where I advised major PE funds on commercial and operational due diligence, gaining a deep understanding of how investors evaluate and scale businesses. Now in venture capital, I apply my experience across consulting, private equity, and corporate M&A to identify and support high-potential early-stage companies.