Prabha Upreti

University of Chicago, Booth School of Business

“Investor and nonprofit founder building capital pathways and entrepreneurship ecosystems in overlooked and emerging markets.”

Hometown: Kathmandu, Nepal

Fun fact about yourself: I’ve fostered more than 20 rescue animals and “failed” twice by adopting two. My current bosses are Swan (Sanumaya), a graceful tripod tabby, and Bumi, a chaotic fuzzball named after the earth king from Avatar.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Princeton University, B.A. in Economics (Finance Certificate)

Graduate School and Degree: University of Chicago Booth School of Business, MBA (2026)

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? AES Corporation – Senior Analyst, Solution Innovation and New Growth

Where did you intern during the summer of 2025? Over the summer, I continued building my nonprofit while also interning as a Private Equity Intern at Palisades Growth Capital.

Where will you be working after graduation? Exploring impact investing and ecosystem-building roles across private markets (TBD).

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School

* Obama Foundation Scholar (2025–2026): Leadership program focused on the intersection of government, business, and social change.

* Co-Chair, Booth Net Impact Club: Led career programming and events for 150+ members exploring impact-oriented careers.

* Co-Chair, Booth Veg Club: Organized social and food-focused events for a community of 75+ students.

* Investment Associate, Steven Tarrson Impact Investment Fund: Sourced and diligenced investment opportunities in environmental sustainability.

* Golub Capital Board Fellow, Sunshine Enterprises: Developed technology strategy for a nonprofit supporting small business advancement in Chicago.

* Consultant, Small Business Growth Program: Advised a local ice cream business in Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood on growth strategy.

* Teaching Assistant, Business in Historical Perspective

Across these roles, I focused on building communities around impact by connecting students interested in climate, investing, and entrepreneurship with practitioners and with one another.

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? I am most proud of serving as Co-Chair of Booth’s Net Impact Club, where I helped expand programming and created spaces for honest conversations about building impact-oriented careers.

Leading the career vertical, we hosted events to explore the real tradeoffs, uncertainty, and multiple paths to impact, across industries such as sustainability, real estate, and tech, and roles ranging from consulting and investing to entrepreneurship and corporate leadership. I’ve enjoyed helping students build lasting relationships and gain clarity about what impact means for them personally.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I am most proud of founding Aakar Nepal. I started the organization after realizing many young people in Nepal had strong ideas for social change, but lacked mentorship, funding, and hard skills to bring them to life.

I built the program from a small pilot into a multi-year fellowship that has supported more than 50 youth leaders launching community-rooted projects across Nepal. Along the way I designed curriculum, recruited mentors, secured funding, and adapted the program to operate across regions with limited infrastructure.

Transitioning the program to strong local leadership has been a full circle moment. This experience has been a pilot for building lasting impact by empowering grassroots leaders through opportunities and access to resources.

Why did you choose this business school? I chose Booth for its intellectual rigor and flexibility. I wanted to design an MBA experience that combined private markets, entrepreneurship, social impact, and leadership development without being confined to a predefined path.

I was also drawn to the school’s openness to multidisciplinary thinking, including perspectives from psychology, policy, and management. Booth’s analytical depth strengthened my investment judgment, while its flexibility allowed me to explore impact investing, emerging markets, and systems change in an integrated way.

Who was your favorite MBA professor? Among the incredible professors, I felt fortunate to learn from Professor Emanuele Colonnelli’s expertise, humor, and kindness. His Emerging Markets Finance and Entrepreneurship class connects rigorous financial frameworks with the realities of capital-constrained environments.

Each class, he brought practitioners working across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, including leaders from global institutions like the World Bank into the classroom, challenging us to think critically about how capital shapes development outcomes. The course sharpened both my technical understanding of investment in emerging markets and my conviction about pursuing work that supports entrepreneurial ecosystems globally. Professor Colonnelli also takes a genuine interest in students’ goals and actively encourages diverse perspectives in discussion.

What was your favorite course as an MBA? While I enjoyed the technical rigor of many classes, the courses that pushed me to think across disciplines were the most transformative. Behavioral Economics was one of those courses.

It reshaped how I think about leadership and decision-making by highlighting how incentives, biases, and context shape behavior, often beyond the bounds of rational models. The course reinforced that effective leadership requires meeting people where they are, not where theory assumes they should be. Professor Devin Pope’s engaging classes start with students sharing “anomalies” from their life, making the material even more relatable and memorable.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition? One tradition that stands out is our “Desi Girls in Impact” chai nights. A friend realized that we kept running into the same South Asian women at impact-focused events, so she decided to make it intentional.

Each quarter, one of us hosts a small gathering where we catch up, share career questions, and support one another over homemade chai. It has become a simple but meaningful tradition of community and mutual support.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? I would lean even more into experimentation around leadership. I entered Booth hoping to grow as a leader alongside building technical skills and exploring my career path.

I found that whenever I step into opportunities to lead groups or speak publicly, especially through the experiential learning opportunities at Booth or extracurricular activities, I learn faster. Leaning into discomfort, experimenting with new styles, and actively seeking feedback to improve is something I plan to continue doing in my life and career.

What was the most impactful case study you had and the biggest lesson learned? In Navigating the ESG Landscape, we studied the rise of fast fashion companies like SHEIN and the complex ecosystem behind them. The case examined how social media “haul” culture, diffuse global supply chains, and regulatory gaps interact to shape business incentives.

Our discussions highlighted both the power and the limits of consumer pressure and corporate commitments. The biggest lesson was that real change requires coordinated action across companies, investors, regulators, and consumers, and any one group can ignite the process.

What did you love most about your business school’s town? Chicago is my favorite city for its civic depth and neighborhood culture. Impact work here feels tangible: rooted in local institutions and community organizations.

I live about a 15-minute walk from Lake Michigan, and from spring through fall the lakefront fills with runners, festivals, and families. Between neighborhood street festivals, comedy and drag shows, and incredible food from many cultures (including several restaurants dedicated to momo, a Nepali favorite), the city feels both globally connected and deeply local. Four years later, there is still so much to explore.

What business leader do you admire most? Yvon Chouinard, founder of Patagonia, for proving that operational excellence and values-driven leadership can reinforce each other at scale. I also admire his entrepreneurial journey, starting by solving a problem he personally faced and growing the company through relentless focus on product quality and environmental responsibility.

What is one way your business school has integrated AI into programming? What insights did you gain? AI was integrated into coursework and student projects to enhance learning. For example, in Negotiations class, we explored applications of LLMs in real-world negotiation scenarios.

My team explored how AI could support venture investment terms negotiation while considering the ethical and strategic implications. As we explored the implementation, governance and use principles identified both the opportunities and the limitations of AI in situations that still depend heavily on human judgment, trust, and relationships.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? I have the utmost admiration for my Net Impact co-chair and dear friend Melinda Wang. As a dual MPP/MBA student, she brings a unique perspective that strengthens both our programming and my own learning.

Whether organizing events, mentoring peers, bringing pizza to share with neighbors, or simply checking in when someone is navigating a difficult decision, she leads with empathy and intention. I’m inspired watching her navigate complex teams and topics with steadiness.

What are the top two items on your professional bucket list?

1. Build an investment platform that supports locally led entrepreneurial ecosystems in emerging markets.
2. Serve on the board of youth leadership and arts organizations.

What made Prabha such an invaluable member of the Class of 2026?

“Prabha has been a thoughtful and engaged member of the Booth community, particularly through her involvement with the Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation and the Social New Venture Challenge. She brings intellectual curiosity and a systems-oriented perspective to conversations about entrepreneurship and impact.

What stands out most is her collaborative spirit. Prabha actively supports classmates exploring social ventures, contributes meaningfully to impact-focused programming, and consistently asks questions that push discussions deeper. She combines strong analytical thinking with a genuine commitment to helping others succeed.

I have also been impressed by her introspection and growth during her time at Booth. She approaches leadership development with humility and a willingness to learn. Prabha did a great job developing a plan to grow her venture Aakar Nepal and her pitch was impressive and compelling. So much so, that in the coming quarter she will serve as my teaching assistant for course that supports the Social New Venture Challenge. I am sure she will use her experience to be a generous mentor and contributor to all the social ventures and the broader Booth community.”

DON’T MISS: MBAS TO WATCH: CLASS OF 2026

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