Chandra Roxanne

Chandra Roxanne joins the Astia team as Managing Director of Astia Edge. Astia Edge is a seed stage investment program for visionary women of Black/African and Hispanic/LATAM descent. In her role, Chandra is responsible for curating and executing deals, fundraising and LP relations, and portfolio management.

Chandra’s journey started in the SBIR/STTR program at the National Science Foundation (NSF). At the NSF, Chandra led the funding cycle for Phase I and Phase II grants for technology businesses in the US. Shortly thereafter, Chandra joined the Program on Social Enterprise at the Yale School of Management where she co-built and managed the Global Social Entrepreneurship-India course. In 2019, Chandra became the Outreach Consultant for Community Healing Network, Inc., designing and leading Emotional Emancipation and Ubuntu Healing Circles for Black citizens in the US and abroad. They received a 2021 MacArthur Equity Recovery grant to support their work in combatting the psychological and emotional harm caused by anti-Black racism.

Chandra holds a BFA from Ithaca College and a MA in Arts Administration from Goucher College. For her research on an alternative monetary system and shared economy called arts currency, the Association for Cultural Economics International selected her as a 2016 Young Researcher. Her research on arts currency has also been recognized by the European Network on Cultural Management and Policy and featured on Princeton Community Television’s New Beginnings. Chandra also holds an MSc in Economy, Risk and Society from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a certificate in venture finance through VC University, a joint initiative between Berkeley Law, the National Venture Capital Association, and Venture Forward.

Alongside her work with Astia, Chandra enjoys singing classical music, yoga, and travel. She is also a founding member of 100 Months to Change, a global coalition working to build a more conscious form of capitalism. A former athlete, Chandra is a two-time MD State Champion in long jump, and she held the record in long jump for the Southern Maryland Athletic Conference for 16 years.