Born and raised in Dallas, Puja Dharod is a Texan Gujarati who earned her undergraduate degree from The University of Texas at Austin.

She currently serves as Vice President of Investments at SSCP, where her work spans investing, real estate acquisitions and management, lease negotiations, financial management, business growth, marketing, brand strategy, strategic planning, and high-level decision-making.

Puja’s commitment to helping others began while she was still in high school. After witnessing a team member within her family’s restaurant business experience a devastating personal hardship, she founded the Puja Foundation in 2011.

The Puja Foundation is a nonprofit organization that provides financial assistance to team members and their families facing catastrophic and unexpected life events.

She chose the name Puja Foundation because her name means “to pray,” and she wanted the organization to represent the belief that prayers can be answered through compassion, generosity, and action.

Since its founding, the foundation has supported families across companies including Cicis Pizza, Applebee’s, Sonic Drive-In, Roy’s Restaurants, Corner Bakery, and Logan’s Roadhouse.

Through her experience in business, investing, real estate, marketing, leadership, and philanthropy, Puja has developed a strong ability to identify opportunities, negotiate effectively, build brands, evaluate risk, solve complex problems, and guide others through important decisions.

As a Business & Life Strategy Consultant, Puja brings that real-world experience into every session. Her approach is honest, practical, and personal. She helps women gain clarity, recognize their blind spots, make stronger decisions, and create realistic strategies for moving forward in business, career, financial freedom, confidence, personal growth, and life.