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Shervin Pishevar

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Shervin Pishevar (born 1974) is an Iranian-American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and super angel investor. He is the co-founder and executive chairman of Hyperloop One and a co-founder and managing director of Sherpa Capital, a venture capital fund which has invested in companies including Airbnb, Uber, and Munchery.[1][2][3]

As an angel investor, Pishevar has seeded more than 60 companies. He was previously a managing director at Menlo Ventures, where he led investments in Warby Parker, Tumblr, Machine Zone, and Uber Series B. He is a strategic advisor to Uber, and served as a board advisor to the company from 2011-2015. He founded and operated technology-enabled companies including webs.com, WebOS, SGN, HyperOffice.[4][5]

An American citizen of Iranian descent, Pishevar was awarded an Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2016, and in 2015, he was appointed by Barack Obama to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. He was chosen by the U.S. Government as an Outstanding American by Choice in 2012. He is a member of the UN Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council, and has served as an entrepreneurial ambassador in state department delegations to the Middle East and Russia.[6][7]

Early life and education

Shervin Pishevar was born in Tehran, Iran, the son of Abraham Pishevar, a television and radio executive, and Eshrat (Kordary) Pishevar. Abraham Pishevar moved to the United States after he was placed on Ayatollah Khomeini’s execution list for broadcasting instructions on leaving Iran for foreign nationals. He became a cab driver in Silver Springs, Maryland, where he was joined by his family 18 months later. While driving the cab, Abraham Pishevar, who already held a Master’s degree, studied for and received a Ph.D. in Mass Communication at Howard University.[8]

Encouraged by his parents to pursue a career in medicine, Pishevar attended Montgomery-Blair High School, a math and science magnet school. As a science project, he began researching Magainin peptides, and later, while majoring in molecular cellular biology at UC Berkeley, he received a Presidential Fellowship to continue the study. In 1996, he co-authored an article in Journal of the American Medicine Society which helped lead to the Istanbul Protocol, the first set of international guidelines for documentation of torture.[9][10]

As a senior at Berkeley, Pishevar founded and served as Editor-in-Chief of Berkeley Scientific, the first peer reviewed undergraduate research journal in the United States. He completed more than a year of graduate courses in health economics at the Berkeley School of Public Health.[11]

Career

1997–2005: WebOS, Seges Capital, Ionside Interactive, Application Corporation

Rather than go into a medical profession, Pishevar decided to become an entrepreneur and at 23 founded WebOS, the first company to create cross-browser windows-like interfaces for the internet, establishing the concept of a Web-based operating system. In a 1999 article in the Financial Times, Pishevar called WebOS "disruptive technology", and predicted that it would change the dominant distribution of channels for software. In the same article, Pishevar was described as "Bill Gates' worst nightmare".[12][13][14]

In 2001, Pishevar co-founded Seges Capital, an offshoot of the Vanderbilt University Technology Company (VUTC), the venture arm of Vanderbilt University’s $2.5 billion endowment fund. In addition to fundraising for Seges, Pishevar helped manage 17 investments in early stage companies. Also in 2001, Pishevar co-founded Ionside Interactive, and served as the company’s president, director, and head of product, business development and sales. Creating an advanced 3D graphics and AI engine for the Pocket PC, Pishevar led the product development on several software titles. Additionally, Pishevar co-founded Application Corporation, which created the HyperOffice messaging and groupware suite.[15][16]

2005-2011: Webs, Inc., Social Gaming Network, Mozilla

In 2005, Pishevar was named founding president, COO, and board member for Webs Inc. (formerly Freewebs). Raising $12m for the company from Novak Biddle and Columbia Capital, Webs became one of the largest social publishing communities. Pishevar resigned his position at Webs to run SGN in 2008 and continued to served on the company’s board of directors until 2012.[17]

Pishevar co-founded the Social Gaming Network (SGN) which was spun out of Webs in 2008. Raising $15m in Series A funding from investors including Greylock Capital Management, Founders Fund, Bezos Expeditions, Columbia Capital and Novak Biddle Venture Partners, SGN was acquired by MindJolt in 2011. Pishevar has been a member of the SGN board of directors since 2010.[18]

In 2010, he was appointed chief application officer and GM at Mozilla Corporation.[19]

2011-present: Menlo Partners, Sherpa Capital, Uber, Hyperloop

In 2011, Pishevar joined Menlo Ventures, a venture capital fund with over $4billion under management. A managing director, he focused on the social web, consumer internet, and mobile areas. He led the Series B Uber investment, and became a board advisor to the company in 2011. Pishever served on the board or worked closely with companies including Machine Zone, Fab, and Warby Parker, and led Menlo's investment in Tumblr. Pishevar also helped launch the Menlo Talent Fund, a $20m seed fund which invested in more than 35 seed stage companies.[2][5]

In 2013, Pishevar left Menlo Ventures to start Sherpa Capital with Scott Stanford, formerly the co-head of Goldman Sachs’ Global Internet Investment Banking division. A venture capital company as well as an incubator and start-up advisory, Sherpa Capital investments have included Uber, Airbnb, Munchery, ipsy, Shyp, Stance, Rent the Runway, Beepi, PillPack, Doctor on Demand, and Cue Health, among others. The company closed a $154 million fund in July 2014, and in July 2016 raised $470 million for two new funds. In an article on the 2016 fundraise, Fortune reported that Pishevar had generated 72.4x MoM returns of approximately $5 billion (on paper) on $66.2 million in VC investments.[3][5][20]

In 2014, Pishever responded to Elon Musk's challenge to build a hyperloop, which Musk presented in a whitepaper titled Hyperloop Alpha. In late 2014, Pishevar and Brogan BamBrogan co-founded Hyperloop One, formerly Hyperloop Technologies. Sherpa Capital led the first investment round for the company, raising $37 million.[21][22][23] BamBrogan exited the company in July 2016.[24]

Angel/seed investments

As an angel/seed investor, Pishevar has invested in over 60 companies, including Aardvark, CabanaApp (sold to Twitter), Dollar Shave Club (sold to Unilever), Cherry (sold to Lyft), Gowalla, Milo (sold to eBay), Kissmetrics, Klout, LikeALittle, RapGenius, Rapportive (sold to Linkedin), Rixty, SolveMedia, Taskrabbit, Tello, Postmates, Votizen and Qwiki.[25]

Awards and recognition

Pishever was awarded an Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2016. In 2015, he was appointed by Obama to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, and in 2012, he was chosen by the United States government as an “Outstanding American by Choice,” an award which recognizes the achievements of naturalized Americans.[26] He is one of 10 members of the United Nations Foundation’s Global Entrepreneurs Council, and served as Entrepreneurial Ambassador on several United States Department of State delegations to the Middle East and Russia.[27] Pishevar was a keynote speaker at President Obama’s Summit on Entrepreneurship in Algeria, and was a member of the Technology, Media and Telecommunications policy working group that helped create the Obama Technology and Innovation Plan in 2008.[28] He was one the 15 leaders in technology who met with President Obama in 2013 to address issues including unauthorized intelligence disclosures, HealthCare.gov, and the US government’s information technology.[7][29]

Activism, political fundraising, and philanthropy

In April 2016, a fundraising event to benefit Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign was hosted by George and Amal Clooney at Pishevar's home. He was a top fundraiser for both of Obama's presidential campaigns.[30][31]

Pishevar is an advocate of the Startup Visa Act, which would create a new type of two year visa available to immigrant entrepreneurs. He is one of the creators of StartUpVisa.com, a website which provides information and builds grassroots support for the legislation. Additionally, he initiated the OpenMesh Project, an organization designed to create an ISP system in Egypt that could turn laptops into low-cost Internet routers.[32][33][34][34]

Pishevar is involved with the philanthropies Invisible Children and charity:water.[34]

Following the results of the United States presidential election in 2016, Pishevar publicly expressed support for a California independence movement and secession from the United States.[35]

Personal life

Pishevar lives in San Francisco. He has two children, Cyrus and Darya, whom he has raised as a single father.[36]

Boards

Organization Role
Beepi Board observer
Build.org Board of directors
(2012-2015)
Cue Health Board member
Define American Board of trustees
Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board Board member
Getaround Board of directors
(2011-2013)
Hyperloop One Board of directors
Illuminate the Arts Board of directors
Machine Zone Board of directors
(2011-2013)
Munchery Board member
Pill Pack Board observer
Uber Strategic advisor
board observer
(2011-2013)
Webs.com Board of directors
(2005-2012)

References

  1. ^ Upbin, Bruce (May 2, 2015). "Hyperloop is Real:Meet the Startups Selling Supersonic Travel". Forbes. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  2. ^ a b Swisher, Kara. "Menlo Ventures' Pishevar and Goldman's Stanford to Found Sherpa, a Startup Aimed at Making New Startups". February 10, 2013. AllThingsD. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  3. ^ a b Konrad, Alex (July 17, 2014). "Sherpa Ventures Closes $154 Million Fund To Find The Next Uber". Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  4. ^ Rusli, Evelyn M. "Moving Into Social Web, Menlo Ventures Adds Partner". June 13, 2011. New York Times. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  5. ^ a b c "Shervin Pishevar, Forbes Midas List". Forbes. May 1, 2016. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  6. ^ "2016 Medalist". neco.org. Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  7. ^ a b "BUREAU OF EDUCATIONAL AND CULTURAL AFFAIRS". eca.state.gov. US Department of State. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  8. ^ Lewis, Anthony. "Abroad at Home; Thanks And Giving". November 25, 1994. New York Times. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  9. ^ Hammer, Ben. "Living the Dream: Menlo Ventures Shervin Pishevar". May 15, 2006. The Next Web. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  10. ^ Pishvehar, Shervin; et al. "Physician Complicity in Misrepresentation and Omission of Evidence of Torture in Postdetention Medical Examinations in Turkey". August 7, 1996. JAMA. Retrieved 27 December 2013. {{cite web}}: Explicit use of et al. in: |last= (help)
  11. ^ "NIH Summer Students Hope to Launch Journal For Youngest Scientists". 1994. National Institute of Health. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  12. ^ "Whizkid with a passion for changing the world". September 15, 1999. Financial Times. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  13. ^ Smith, Gina. "HP TouchPad Firesale Spreads, HP WebOS Patents Hang in the Balance". August 21, 2011. Information Week. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  14. ^ Hughlett, Roger. "Tiny firm takes aim at Microsoft". October 18, 1999. Baltimore Business Journal. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  15. ^ Torode, Christina. "It's A Wireless World After All". May 26, 2000. CRN. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  16. ^ Cate, milly (January 7, 2002). "Vanderbilt launching Seges venture capital fund with other universities". Nashville Post. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  17. ^ Yeung, Ken (July 1, 2013). "Living the dream: Menlo Ventures' Shervin Pishevar". The Next Web. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  18. ^ Adweek staff (May 2, 2008). "FACEBOOK Building the Facebook gaming platform: Interview with Shervin Pishevar, CEO of Social Gaming Network". Adweek. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  19. ^ Mapp, Marquis. "Who Got A Seat at the Table". April 24, 2013. CNBC. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  20. ^ Primack, Dan (June 9, 2016). "Sherpa Capital Raises $470 Million for Two New Funds". Fortune. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  21. ^ Del Castillo, Michael (October 11, 2015). "Hyping The Hyperloop: How A Moonshot Technology Could Become A Reality". Buzzfeed. Retrieved 7 May 2016.
  22. ^ Kelly, Spencer (January 21, 2016). "Is Hyperloop the future of high-speed travel?". BBC News. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
  23. ^ Lunden, Ingrid; Cutler, Kim-Mai (September 16, 2015). "Hyperloop Technologies Is Raising $80M, Names Ex-Cisco Pres Rob Lloyd CEO, Emily White As Advisor". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 17, 2015.
  24. ^ Aktar, Allanah (July 1, 2016). "Hyperloop One co-founder BamBrogan leaves company". USA Today. Retrieved 2 July 2016.
  25. ^ "Sherman Pishevar: Angel List". 2013. AngelList. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  26. ^ "2012 Outstanding American by Choice Recipients". Official Website of the Department of Homeland Security.
  27. ^ McCorvey, JJ. "The United Nations of Entrepreneurs". February 11, 2013. Fast Company. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  28. ^ Liz, Gannes. "Tech Loves Obama, and Obama Loves Tech: The Campaign Roundtables". February 27, 2013. AllThingsD. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  29. ^ Hu, Elise. "Here Are The Tech Execs Meeting With President Obama Tuesday". December 16, 2013. NPR. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  30. ^ Patten, Dominic (April 15, 2016). "Hillary Clinton Snags $15M+ From George Clooney-Hosted SF & LA Fundraisers". Deadline. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  31. ^ "Obama's Top Fund-Raisers". New York Times. September 30, 2012. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  32. ^ Lyons, Dan. "Hackers' Egypt Rescue: Get Protesters Back Online". January 21, 2011. The Daily Beast. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  33. ^ MacMillan, Douglas. "VCs Push StartUp Visa Act". March 3, 2010. Business Week. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  34. ^ a b c Carlyle, Erin. "The Six Networking Secrets of Silicon Valley's Superconnector". November 9, 2012. Forbes. Retrieved 27 December 2013.
  35. ^ Solon, Olivia (9 November 2016). "Silicon Valley investors call for California to secede from the US after Trump win". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 November 2016.
  36. ^ Arrington, Michael (September 29, 2008). "SGN Founder's Rambling, Jetlagged, Semi-Lucid and Beautiful Email On Entrepreneurism". Techcrunch. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
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