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Bobby Yazdani
Born
Babak Yazdani
CitizenshipAmerican
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
OccupationFounder & Managing Partner of Cota Capital Founder & Managing Partner of Signatures Capital
OrganizationCota Capital
Known forEntrepreneur & Venture Capital
WebsiteCota Capital Signatures Capital

Babak "Bobby" Yazdani (born 1963)[1] is an Iranian-American entrepreneur and investor specializing in early-stage, private U.S.-based modern enterprise technology companies.[1]

In 1997, he founded Saba Software, a provider of Human Capital Management (HCM) software solutions. He took the company public in 2000.[2] Yazdani founded Signatures Capital in 2006 and co-founded investment firm Cota Capital in 2014, where he serves as a Partner.[1][3][4]

Yazdani was ranked #1 out of 2000 angel investors in a 2014 report by CB Insights as having the most successful track record for investing in companies that received follow-on funding.[5]

Yazdani began investing in 1989 and is an early investor in companies such as Google, Dropbox, Klout, Salesforce and Uber.[3][6][7]

Early life and education

Yazdani was born in Tehran to a middle-class family. He left Iran in 1980 for the United Kingdom, where he completed his high-school education.[1] Yazdani moved to the United States at age 19 and graduated with a B.A. in Applied Mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley.[7][8]

Career

Oracle

From 1988 to 1997, Yazdani held various senior management positions at Oracle Corporation.[7][8]

Saba Software

Yazdani founded Saba Software in 1997 and took the company public in 2000. He was identified as an industry pioneer in creating the Human Capital Management category.[9] Under his leadership, Saba acquired THINQ Learning Solutions in May 2005,[10] Centra Software in 2006[11][12] and Pedagogue Solutions and Comartis in June 2011.[13] Yazdani stepped down as CEO in 2013 when Saba was acquired by Vector Capital.[14] The following year, Yazdani agreed to an SEC-negotiated claw back of $2.5 million in bonuses. Yazdani was not charged with any wrongdoing.[15] In February 2020, Saba was acquired by Cornerstone OnDemand for $1.3 billion.[16]

Signatures Capital

In 2006, Yazdani founded Signatures Capital, which serves as his family office and focuses on early stage investments.[17][18] Yazdani’s first investment was in medical technology company Masimo, for which he provided capital but also wrote software to improve the accuracy of Masimo’s early neonatal pulse oximeters.[17] According to the Huffington Post, Yazdani has invested in more than 100 companies in the technology sector via Signature Capital.[1] Through Signatures Capital investments, Yazdani invested, among others, in Dropbox, Google,[19] Uber, Masimo,[20] Nextbio (acquired by Illumina),[21][22]SoundHound,[23] Salesforce,[24] Clever Sense (acquired by Google),[25][26] Greensmith Energy (acquired by Wartsila),[27][28] Baarzo (acquired by Google),[29][30] Bina Technologies (acquired by Roche)[31][32] and Checkr.[33]

Cota Capital

In 2014, Yazdani co-founded Cota Capital, a technology investment firm that partners with technology companies to help them grow and develop "the opportunity for improving lives."[34][35] Since its inception, the firm has invested in numerous private and public technology companies, including Berkeley Lights,[36] Capella Space,[37] Cloud Lending (acquired by Q2 Holdings),[38] Tubi (acquired by FoxCorp),[39] Gusto (formerly ZenPayroll),[40] Mission Bio[41] and Movandi,[42] OpenGov, ParkourSC[43] and Truebill (acquired by Rocket Companies),[44][45] and Rhombus Systems.[46]

Philanthropy

Bobby Yazdani is a founding member of the Persian Tech Entrepreneurs network and a member of The Reset Foundation.[47] He also underwrote the Signatures Innovation Fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, between 2015 and 2019, which supported "data science projects with commercial promise."[47]

In 2022, Yazdani and other members of the Iranian-American community established the American Legacy Fund, an endowment program meant to support the development of youth soccer in the United States.[48] He serves on the board of trustees of the Mathematical Sciences Research Institute and he is a supporter of the Maryam Mirzakhani Endowed Professorship, created in honor of the late Fields medalist.[49][50]

Cota Impact Fund

The Cota Impact Fund provides grants to a number of philanthropic institutions, such as the International Red Cross, the World Central Kitchen and UNICEF.[51]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Memarian, Jahandad (2017-07-12). "Babak "Bobby" Yazdani: Bridging Abstract Thought and Entrepreneurship". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2018-09-24.
  2. ^ "Saba soars in IPO". CNET. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  3. ^ a b "Signatures Capital". E27.
  4. ^ "Cota Capital - Founded in 2014, Cota Capital is a California-based investment firm that partners with entrepreneurs to build disruptive businesses. | Startup Ranking". StartupRanking. Retrieved 2022-06-13.
  5. ^ "We Analyzed 2000 Angel Investors. Here are the Top 1%". CB Insights. June 21, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  6. ^ "Bobby Yazdani - the Founder of Cota Capital on Investing in + Advising Entrepreneurs". 7 March 2018.
  7. ^ a b c D'Monte, Leslie (2012-02-10). "Bobby Yazdani | Think of us as a private social network for business". mint. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  8. ^ a b D'Monte, Leslie (2012-02-10). "Bobby Yazdani | Think of us as a private social network for business". mint. Retrieved 2022-06-14.
  9. ^ Wang, R. "Ray". "Executive Profiles: Disruptive Tech Leaders In Social Business -- Bobby Yazdani, Saba". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  10. ^ "Growing through challenges at Saba". Silicon Valley Business Journal. 13 December 2007. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  11. ^ "Saba Software to acquire Centra for $60M". Boston Business Journal. October 6, 2005. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  12. ^ "Saba Software to acquire Centra for $60M". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  13. ^ "Saba Software acquires Comartis Group". VISCHER. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  14. ^ "Saba Software to be taken private by Vector Capital". Reuters. 2015-02-10. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  15. ^ "U.S. SEC claws back Saba Software ex-CEO's pay over fraud". Reuters. 2014-09-24. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  16. ^ Patrick, Thibodeau (13 May 2020). "In February 2020, Saba was acquired by Cornerstone OnDemand for". TechTarget.
  17. ^ a b "Webinar - Who is an Entrepreneur?". Rutgers Business School-Newark and New Brunswick. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  18. ^ "AI can be a force for good too, says veteran investor Bobby Yazdani". Australian Financial Review. 2017-11-13. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  19. ^ "FundersClub's New "Partnerships" Let You Start A Venture Capital Fund Or Invest In One". TechCrunch. July 15, 2014. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  20. ^ "Masimo: 25th Anniversary Report — P. 20" (PDF). Masimo. November 6, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 13, 2015. Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  21. ^ "NextBio on AngelList". Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  22. ^ Levin, Jennifer (2013-10-31). "Illumina Signs Agreement to Acquire NextBio, Leader in Analyzing and Aggregating Complex Genomic Data". Fierce Biotech. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  23. ^ "SoundHound on AngelList". Retrieved January 9, 2015.
  24. ^ Barret, Victoria. "Best Stories Of The Decade: "Silicon Valley's Hottest VC Is a Rug Dealer"". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  25. ^ "Google Acquires Clever Sense, Creator Of Local Recommendations App Alfred". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  26. ^ "Bobby Yazdani on Angel Investors". Angel.co.
  27. ^ "Greensmith Energy Company Profile: Acquisition & Investors | PitchBook". pitchbook.com. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  28. ^ "Wartsila to Acquire Greensmith for Energy Storage Software". www.greentechmedia.com. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  29. ^ "Baarzo Company Profile: Acquisition & Investors | PitchBook". pitchbook.com. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  30. ^ Drake, Sarah (June 23, 2014). "Google buys video search startup Baarzo, report says". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  31. ^ Ward, Lisa (March 21, 2013). "The Funded: BINA Technologies". Silicon Valley Business Journal. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  32. ^ "Roche acquires Bina Technologies and enters the genomic informatics market". Fierce Biotech. 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  33. ^ "Checkr Venture Capital and Private Equity Financings". www.vcnewsdaily.com. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  34. ^ Peisner, David (2018-10-23). "Dara Khosrowshahi and 39 other Iranians who power Silicon Valley". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  35. ^ Glassman, James (2022-04-20). "It's Time to Move Beyond ESG When Picking Stocks | RealClearMarkets". www.realclearmarkets.com. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  36. ^ Mack, Heather (2018-10-15). "Berkeley Lights Raises $95 Million to Speed Cell-Therapy Drug Discovery". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  37. ^ "Capella raises $97 million to expand radar constellation". SpaceNews. 2022-04-25. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  38. ^ "Cloud Lending Closed Latest Financing Round Led By Cota Capital: Global Expansion Continues - Crowdfund Insider". www.crowdfundinsider.com. 2017-02-23. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  39. ^ "Tubi TV Grabs $6 Million From MGM, Lionsgate And Others For Its Free, Ad-Supported Streaming Service". TechCrunch. 19 November 2015. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  40. ^ "2016 IPO Prospects: Gusto Expands Beyond Payroll Processing". Sramana Mitra. 2016-06-23. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  41. ^ FinSMEs (2018-12-13). "Mission Bio Raises $30M in Series B Funding". FinSMEs. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  42. ^ FinSMEs (2020-04-16). "Movandi Raises $27M in Series C Funding". FinSMEs. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  43. ^ "Follow the Money: Single-Cell Analysis, Spatial Biology, Drug-Resistant Infection Treatments, 3D Genomics". Pubs - Bio-IT World. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  44. ^ "Truebill raises seed funding to help you cancel unwanted subscriptions". TechCrunch. 22 March 2016. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  45. ^ "Rocket Companies buys Truebill for $1.275B". TechCrunch. 20 December 2021. Retrieved 2022-06-17.
  46. ^ Systems, Rhombus. "Rhombus Systems Raises $10M Series A to Help Organizations Create Safer Spaces". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  47. ^ a b "Bobby Yazdani". Water Innovation Advisors. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  48. ^ "U.S. Soccer American Legacy Fund". U.S. Soccer Development Fund. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
  49. ^ "Board of Trustees". Mathematical Sciences Research Institute.
  50. ^ "Personal Profile of Bobby Yazdani". Mathematical Sciences Research Institute.
  51. ^ "Impact". Cota Capital. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
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