The Top 10: #10 Priyanka Chopra, head of finance, Prosus Ventures
Priyanka Chopra serves as head of finance for Prosus Ventures, the corporate venture capital (CVC) unit of Prosus, the Netherlands-based internet assets arm of South Africa-headquartered media and e-commerce group Naspers.
Larry Illg, CEO of Prosus Ventures and Food, said: “Priyanka is an asset to Prosus Ventures and her impact is evident across all our portfolio companies around the world. She is responsible for financial diligence on all new investments, manages FP&A (financial planning and analysis), accounting and tax for the group, and serves as a close financial and operational advisor to our portfolio companies to help them achieve scale and profitability.
“Over her more than four years with us, she has contributed immensely to our success and is a true partner to the Prosus Ventures investment team.”
Chopra said: “I have been with Prosus Ventures for more than four years, and I oversee the global finance function for our unit. I have a multifaceted role that encompasses the key elements of CVC – the investment side, the corporate side and the portfolio support side.
“On the transaction side, it is my responsibility to sign off on the valuation for new investments and to lead finance, accounting and tax due diligence. Almost always, my review on the finance side overlaps with the commercial review of the transaction, and as a result, I work closely with the deal lead.
“On the corporate side, I lead internal reporting and budgeting for the portfolio and new transactions, so that the internal and external stakeholders for Prosus and Naspers have visibility into our plan and results.
“On the portfolio support side, I work with management teams to understand their pain points and figure out how to leverage the extensive resources and experience of the broader Naspers Group to help make our companies successful.”
Chopra’s background encompasses deal-making and startup finance, so CVC was a natural fit for her. “I spent a decade across investment banking and private equity, and then some years in operational and corporate finance roles for high growth tech companies, before joining Prosus Ventures. As a result, I am able to understand deal dynamics, and also see things from the point of view of the management teams that run our young companies. Post-close, I can help their finance team look around corners and think through best practices to help the business scale, and of course, this engagement also helps Prosus invest confidently in follow-on rounds to support future growth. It is wonderful to see how the pieces fit together to make a transaction successful over the long term.
“I joined Prosus Ventures at the very beginning of this unit’s journey, and so have had a chance to work with every one of our portfolio companies. After a lot of hard work on investments in iFood, Delivery Hero and Swiggy, it was gratifying to see Food Delivery become its own reporting segment for Prosus. As well, since our team’s mandate is to invest in companies that serve major societal needs, it’s been wonderful to see our companies in India like BYJU’s and Meesho help tens of millions of people live better. Since I grew up in India, the team’s success there is also a bit personally special for me.
