Leesa Soulodre Managing Partner, R3i

Where others see market turbulence, Leesa Soulodre sees strategic opportunity. As Founding Partner of R3i Capital and Planet43, she architects solutions at the convergence of applied AI and humanity's most pressing challenges—building ventures that don't just weather geopolitical and regulatory volatility, but capitalize on it.

Building the Future While Others Debate It

When Silicon Valley was still questioning climate tech's viability, Soulodre was already constructing its foundation. Through Planet43, her frontier-tech investment platform, she transforms breakthrough science into scalable global impact—from AI that diagnoses neurodegeneration to room temperature powered quantum computing, long duration solar thermal renewables, and water technologies reshaping urban resilience. These aren't theoretical bets; they're operational businesses delivering returns.

The results speak volumes: 400+ corporations guided across 19 sectors, hundreds of millions deployed into 350+ startups, multiple ventures scaled to billion dollar valuations, and 4X MOIC portfolio performance.

From fintech platforms through advisory roles at RepRisk and GMI Ratings, she powered the embedding of ESG principles into financial platforms and over 200 institutional portfolios—fundamentally rewiring how pension funds, asset managers, and sovereign wealth deploy capital at scale.

Embedded at the heart of Singapore's venture ecosystem, Soulodre partnered with government agencies and pioneered cyber risk governance frameworks that became the backbone of the nation's smart city transformation.

The Conviction to Go First

While VCs chased quick SaaS exits, Soulodre and her partner Professor emerita Marianne Winslett, invested in deep tech's patient revolution. Their portfolio tells the story: Ventures in room-temperature diamond quantum computing, solar thermal renewables, context analytics, and breakthrough biotechnology.

Her experience spans EIR, Venture Partner, and GP and IC member roles across five VC firms. Today, she leads R3i Capital (United States) while serving on the Investment Committees at Mandalay Venture Partners (Australia's premier agritech fund) and Striders Corporation's Omusubi Fund (Singapore). Yet her edge remains constant: identifying what others overlook and building ventures that transform volatility and regulatory prowess into alpha.

Architecting Responsible Innovation

Soulodre's influence extends beyond capital deployment. As Board Director at the AI Asia Pacific Institute, she shapes global standards for ethical AI. Her portfolio board and advisory positions (Coring Co, Viewmind, StratifiCare, and Meracle Health) position her at the nexus of health and technology, advancing longevity and sustainability solutions with measurable human impact.

A TRIUM Global Executive MBA graduate (NYU Stern, HEC Paris, LSE) with a Master's in Management, she cultivates future leaders as a moonlighting Adjunct Faculty at Singapore Management University, and IE Business School. She co-founded the TRIUM EMBA Angels Network, democratizing access to frontier tech investments across three continents, and serves as Godmother of the CEE Masters and Robots Conference, Eastern Europe's premier robotics and AI summit, now in its ninth year.

Recognized as one of CIO Magazine's "Five Rising Women Leaders to Watch," "10 Transformational Business Leaders 2023," and Finalist for Women in AI USA's "Responsible AI Leader of the Year," Soulodre is constructing a multi-generational venture platform that proves profitability and purpose are mutually reinforcing.

The Bottom Line

With a $1 billion deployment target by 2043 and a proven track record of turning scientific breakthroughs into market leaders, Soulodre and her teams are systematically building tomorrow's infrastructure today.

Because the future doesn't just happen—it's built by those with the conviction to invest in it first and accelerate impact.