Sonam Velani

Sonam Velani is passionate about cities and the infrastructure and technology that drives them forward. She leads Global Partnerships at Zipline, a healthcare logistics company that uses drones to deliver lifesaving medicine. Previously, Sonam was the Senior Advisor to New York City’s Deputy Mayor, helping oversee $4.5 billion of investments to build new mobility options, create jobs in cutting-edge sectors, and increase affordable housing. Sonam has also worked at the World Bank and at Goldman Sachs, where she helped plan, finance, and implement over $10 billion of infrastructure investments across the globe.

Sonam attended Harvard University and has a BA in Government, Economics, and Visual & Environmental Studies. An undocumented immigrant for two decades, Sonam has made it her mission to pay it forward with MPower, a mentorship program she started for DREAMers. Sonam is active in her community and enjoys biking, museum hopping, and traveling on a shoestring (60+ countries).