Anu Shultes, CEO of Digital Direct Lender LendUp, is Among Forbes List of 50 Over 50 Women in Investment

Anu Shultes, CEO of financial technology company LendUp is the sole Indian American woman in Forbes list of 50 Over 50 in investment, highlighting “female investors and financial leaders who are leading high-growth businesses in the male-dominated spaces of Wall Street, venture capital, and impact investing.” Forbes says women are “shaping the future of finance, fueling high-growth businesses and forging a more innovative and inclusive financial future.” This is the final list in Forbes’s ‘50 Over 50 initiative,” launched in June and produced in partnership with Mika Brzezinski’s Know Your Value initiative.

“The women on this list are changing the face of finance and creating new ways to move and make money,” said Maggie McGrath, editor, ForbesWomen. “Whether working on Wall Street, venture capital, or as a fintech founder, they’re united by a shared mission to make finance more inclusive and increase women’s economic participation. They’re paving the way for other women to be leaders and make a lasting impact in a traditionally male-dominated industry.”

Shultes, 53, is a 25-year veteran of the financial services industry, and per Forbes, “has a personal mission to lift people out of poverty,” by infusing her work with “her passion for financial inclusion.” Her career spans a broad spectrum of roles across subprime credit cards, subprime loans, and prepaid cards. Her significant experience building efficient operational processes and teams to support them has led her to become one of the few female CEOs in fintech.

The India-born Shultes was promoted from general manager to CEO of LendUp in 2019. Under her leadership, LendUp launched its digital bank and financial health platform Ahead in 2020. The digital direct lender is backed by investors including Google Ventures, PayPal Ventures, and Kapor Capital.

In an interview with Mefeater magazine, Shultes said she immigrated to the U.S. to pursue her Master’s in Management Science. “As an international student graduating in 1992, there were very few companies that were willing to hire non-residents due to Visa restrictions,” she told the magazine, adding that she was hired by a company called Providian based in San Francisco. “The CEO was an immigrant himself and a graduate of the program I was in,” she said. Her first job in Providian, which was “a pioneer in credit cards for the subprime market,” was the stepping stone for her career in Financial Services.

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Forbes‘ ’50 Over 50’ platform, in partnership with Mika Brzezinski’s “Know Your Value,” is dedicated to shining a light on diverse women over the age of 50 who have achieved significant success later in life, often by overcoming formidable odds or barriers. Due to an abundance of interest in the inaugural 50 Over 50 list, Forbes has continued to roll out additional sub-lists to spotlight women who are achieving great success after 50.

In addition to the investment list, Forbes has published a sub-list focused on Vision, which highlights women making an impact on society through their work in art and science, and Impact, which celebrates women who are changing their communities and the world through social entrepreneurship, law, advocacy and education.