Sundip Patel

Sundip Patel is a visionary entrepreneur whose journey embodies resilience and a deep commitment to social impact. Immigrating from Zambia as a child, his early experiences instilled in him a lifelong dedication to financial equity and community empowerment.

He earned an MSc in Social Business & Entrepreneurship from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an MBA from the University of California, Irvine, and holds CPA and CMA licenses. Sundip is a lifelong member of YPO. Since founding AVANA Companies in 2002, Sundip has grown it into a family of three world-class brands—AVANA Capital, AVANA CUSO, and EqualSeat™—to become a top private credit platform united by the mission “Delivering Capital for a Better Tomorrow.” As CEO, he oversees these entities and leads EqualSeat™, a fractional loan-trading platform that democratizes access for both retail and accredited investors.

Under his stewardship, AVANA Companies, the holding company for AVANA Capital and AVANA CUSO, was named an Inc. 5000 firm, has secured over $6.5 billion in funding to date, manages more than $1+ billion in private credit assets, and created over 5,500 jobs worldwide. AVANA CUSO stands as the nation’s leading provider of full-service lending solutions to credit unions.

In addition to serving on the board of AVANA Bank in Abilene, Texas, Sundip is spearheading strategic expansions into Saudi Arabia through Ezdaher Financing Company and into India via LendThrive Finance Private Limited. Beyond his business ventures, Sundip founded the Giggle Foundation to support underprivileged children.

Splitting his time between Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, India, and Phoenix, Arizona, he continues to inspire future generations as a sought-after speaker on socially and environmentally conscious business practices.