Diarra Smith

Diarra Smith is the Head of Portfolio & Brand at Ada Ventures, a London-based pre-seed and seed stage venture capital firm. Ada Ventures focuses on finding and funding extraordinary talent building breakthrough ideas, with a strategic approach known as "Inclusive Alpha®".

Diarra manages the portfolio function, encompassing fundraising, M&A, and enterprise business development, alongside overseeing brand, marketing, PR, and communications. Diarra also co-leads the firm's scout and emerging fund manager programmes. Diarra's role involves being the voice of founders, leading the founder experience, and building products and services to support founders as they scale.

Before joining Ada Ventures in 2021, Diarra spent over a decade supporting startups across funding, operations, and venture building, including a role leading venture and portfolio support at Year Here, a Social Impact Venture Builder. Diarra's background, including studying philosophy and working in Bermudian politics, informs a core conviction that transformative change requires long-term effort.

Currently, Diarra is focused on driving investment performance alongside meaningful positive impact, ensuring that all founders have equal opportunity to access funding.

Bio is AI generated & may not be accurate.