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Meet Arooj…
Founder & Executive Director at the Nature-Inspired Finance initiative
As the Founder and Executive Director of The Nature-Inspired Finance Initiative (NIFI, formerly known as The Wealth Visionaries Collective), Arooj Sheikh is a cross-industry, cross-asset class connector of dots and people.
Arooj brings nature to finance. Highlighted speaking engagements include “DNA of Family Capital Success” at the Family Office & Investors Summit, held in Davos, Switzerland during the World Economic Forum and “How Women Can Create World-Changing Companies” at Harvard University.
Sustainable/blended/regenerative finance, systemic investing, nature as an asset class, venture building, and more. Open to event collaborations, speaking appearances, advisory roles/board seats.
On The Future We Create
If you dropped someone from 100 years ago into today, they would think much of our world to be magic — and perhaps absolutely ludicrous at times. Seeing as how we’ve evolved to sit around all day, we now spend our hard-earned dollars to engage in physical labor, in what looks like heavy machinery to work specific muscles in our body. Paired with cell phones, the ability to control the weather (i.e., air conditioning), and the works — it’s clear our world has changed drastically.
In observing the world around us, we see in spades what was once thought to be science fiction. Everything around us was once just a thought — an idea someone brought to life, often through sheer conviction and belief beyond reason.
A prime example is the four-minute mile. Once considered beyond human capability and thought to pose severe physical risks, the goal created a psychological barrier for runners for over 70 years.
Once the barrier was broken by Sir Roger Bannister in 1954, the record was broken again just 46 days later. In the coming year, three runners achieved what was considered to break the human body for centuries. And since, over a thousand runners have done the same. Whether we believe we can or can’t, we’re almost always right.
We have the power to not just shatter existing “limitations”, but to entirely transform the sense of what’s achievable and set new benchmarks for what the world thought possible.
Our world changes when good people win.
Our work has the potential to outlive us by generations. Our decisions have far-reaching consequences, influencing the course of industries and societies. We must embrace this power with a sense of responsibility and compassion.
The world can still be a place where everyone has access to clean water, food, and shelter. Where humans are healthier, happier, and live longer than ever. We can still choose a world in which we have achieved abundance at scale for society and our systems are in harmony with nature.
Earth itself is a tiny blue dot — a happenstance and a wondrous world we have the rare and odd fortune to live in. And that’s why this is all so incomprehensible. We are living in what is yet another minute blip of history, in the grand scheme of things. And yet, it’s our responsibility to steward our resources and gifts. So what will we create?
“Life can be so much broader, once you discover one simple fact, and that is that everything around you that you call ‘life’ was made up by people who were no smarter than you. And you can change it, you can influence it, you can build your own things that other people can use. Once you learn that, you’ll never be the same again.” — Steve Jobs
“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark”
Michelangelo
Nature-Inspired Finance Initiative (NIFI)
Founder & Executive Director
Sustainable finance and responsible investment are at the heart of our community. When more of us invest through a climate-informed and humanity-conscious lens, we scale change quickly. We must go beyond net zero and shift into regenerative and nature-positive systems across all asset classes.
We design masterful “flow state” experiences and intellectual discussion salons, blending thoughtful perspectives at the intersection of ancient wisdom, technology, nature, and finance. We curate for values, heart, and character — and it shows in the transformative experiences we create. Our guests *routinely stay hours beyond the end of our events, enjoying conversations.
“If 3 amazing people come together with high skills in complementary domains, the outcome isn’t 3x as big as they could’ve done on their own: it’s 30X or 300X. Great partnerships are as rare as they are powerful.” – A.H.
Global Keynote Speaker
With a knack for striking the perfect balance of philosophical and practical, Arooj is the kind of speaker that will jolt your audience alive.
Her infectious enthusiasm for nature -inspired finance, ability to challenge conventional wisdom, and refreshing takes on the future, coupled with her wealth of knowledge make her an excellent choice for any speaking engagement.
Select Speaking Engagements:
⚫ World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland (Family Offices & Investors Summit, “DNA of Family Capital Success”)
⚫ Harvard University (“How Women Can Create World-Changing Companies”)
⚫ Startup World Cup (“Global Startup Ecosystems”), Women’s Venture Summit, Texas Venture Gala (“Global Family Office Trends”), Women’s Entrepreneur Summit, Global Innovation & Entrepreneurship Summit, and several others
Podcast Host
The Visionary Capitalist Podcast (Coming Soon)
Mindset Coaching
Any successful person knows that it’s an inside job first — that the right mindset is the key to unlocking success, abundance, and luck in every aspect of life.
Arooj possesses a remarkable ability to quickly identify and reframe limiting beliefs, and you’ll often find yourself saying, “Hmm, I hadn’t thought about it that way”, as she helps you unlock more energy, purposeful action, and direction.
If you want to step into the most successful, joyful, and impactful version of yourself, Arooj is your go-to coach. Apply now for her powerhouse coaching sessions!
Contact Arooj
Arooj is available for…
Virtual Coffee Chats
