Shervin Pishevar Business and Social Impact

Shervin Pishevar is a highly accomplished entrepreneur and venture capitalist who has made a significant impact in the business world. He co-founded Sherpa Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage technology companies.

Pishevar has also been involved in several high-profile startups, including Hyperloop One, which aims to revolutionize transportation. He has also invested in other notable companies like Uber and Airbnb.

As a venture capitalist, Pishevar has a keen eye for spotting innovative ideas and turning them into successful businesses. His investment strategies have yielded impressive returns, making him a respected figure in the industry.

Shervin Pishevar was born in Tehran, Iran, to Abraham Pishevar, a television and radio executive, and Eshrat (Kordary) Pishevar. His father was placed on Ayatollah Khomeini's execution list for broadcasting instructions on leaving Iran for foreign nationals, prompting the family to move to the United States.

Abraham Pishevar became a cab driver in Silver Spring, Maryland, where he studied for and received a Ph.D. in Mass Communication at Howard University while driving his cab. He already held a Master's degree.

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Pishevar attended Montgomery Blair High School, a math and science magnet school, where he was encouraged by his parents to pursue a career in medicine. He won an election to become a student member of the Montgomery County Board of Education.

As a junior at Montgomery Blair High School, Pishevar pushed to create a $10 education tax to county taxpayers and donate student projects from auto mechanics and woodworking classes to charity. He also began researching Magainin peptides as a science project.

Pishevar co-authored an article in the Journal of the American Medicine Society in 1996, which helped lead to the Istanbul Protocol, the first set of international guidelines for documentation of torture. This achievement demonstrates his early interest in health and medicine.

While majoring in molecular cellular biology at UC Berkeley, Pishevar received a Presidential Fellowship to continue his research on Magainin peptides. He completed more than a year of graduate courses in health economics at the Berkeley School of Public Health.

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Shervin Pishevar co-founded Seges Capital in 2001, where he helped manage 17 investments in early-stage companies.

Pishevar also co-founded Ionside Interactive in 2001, serving as the company's president, director, and head of product, business development, and sales.

He led the product development on several software titles, including an advanced 3D graphics and AI engine for the Pocket PC.

In addition to his work at Ionside Interactive, Pishevar co-founded Application Corporation, which created the HyperOffice messaging and groupware suite.

As an angel/seed investor, Pishevar has invested in over 60 companies, including Aardvark, CabanaApp, and Dollar Shave Club.

Pishevar's investments have also included RapGenius, Rapportive, and Taskrabbit, among others.

In 2013, Pishevar left his role as managing director at Menlo Ventures and founded Sherpa Capital with Scott Stanford.

Sherpa Capital participated in its first investment in July 2013, co-leading funding for the San Francisco-based BackOps, a SaaS provider for human resources, sales, finance, and other back-office positions.

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The fund closed a $154 million fund in July 2014 to back start-ups focused on consumer technology.

Pishevar's investments have also included Uber, Airbnb, and Munchery, among others.

As of July 2017, investors had put nearly $640 million into Sherpa Capital.

Pishevar's angel investments have played a crucial role in the success of many startups, including Uber, which received angel investments from Pishevar and Chris Sacca in 2010.

These investments not only provide financial resources but also offer valuable mentorship and advice to entrepreneurs.

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Shervin Pishevar is a passionate advocate for social change. He initiated the Open Mesh Project in 2011 to create a low-cost Internet router to form a "mesh network" in Egypt.

Pishevar has also been a vocal supporter of the Startup Visa Act, which would create a new type of two-year visa for immigrant entrepreneurs in the United States. This act would provide a pathway for talented individuals to contribute to the country's economy.

In 2016, Pishevar proposed a mobile app to reduce police shootings by sharing information between officers and citizens during traffic stops. This innovative idea aims to minimize face-to-face contact and promote a safer interaction between law enforcement and the public.

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During the Arab Spring protests in Egypt, Pishevar traveled to the country in 2011 to witness the movement firsthand.

He initiated the Open Mesh Project to help create software that could turn laptops into low-cost Internet routers to form a 'mesh network' in response to the Egyptian government's shutdown of the internet.

Pishevar has been an advocate for the Startup Visa Act in the United States, which would create a new type of two-year visa available to immigrant entrepreneurs.

In 2016, he proposed a mobile app that could share information between police officers and citizens during traffic stops to reduce police shootings and face-to-face contact.

Pishevar publicly expressed support for a California independence movement and secession from the United States following the 2016 presidential election, but later clarified his position to advocate for California exerting more influence on national politics.

Here are some notable examples of Pishevar's activism:

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.

He was one of the 10 members of the United Nations Foundation's Global Entrepreneurs Council from 2011 to 2013, where he helped create the UN's first mobile application.

Pishevar was chosen by the United States government as an "Outstanding American by Choice" in 2012, an award that recognizes the achievements of naturalized Americans.

He was also one of 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.

Pishevar was appointed by Obama to the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in 2015.

He was awarded an Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2016, a prestigious honor that recognizes outstanding contributions to the United States.

Pishevar was named to Vanity Fair's "New Establishment" list in 2017, a recognition of his influence in the business world.

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Shervin Pishevar co-founded WebOS, Inc. in 1998, a web-based operating system that utilized cross-browser Windows-like interfaces for the internet.

He served as CEO until the company dissolved in 2001 and holds patents for technology developed by WebOS.

In 2010, Pishevar was appointed chief application officer and general manager at Mozilla Corporation.

Pishevar has a strong background in venture capital, having joined Menlo Ventures as a managing director in 2011.

He led the firm until 2013 but remained as a venture advisor to the fund until 2014.

As a managing director of Sherpa Capital Fund I, Sherpa Capital Fund II, and Sherpa Everest I from 2013 to 2017, the three funds raised and invested over $650M.

Pishevar's investments included Uber, Airbnb, Munchery, ipsy, Shyp, and many other successful companies.

He co-founded Sherpa Capital with Scott Stanford in 2013.

In 2014, Pishevar founded Hyperloop One, a transportation company that aimed to create a hyperloop system for passenger and freight transportation.

Sherpa Capital led the first investment round for Hyperloop One, raising $37 million.

Pishevar has also served on the board of directors of several companies, including Uber, Snap, PillPack, and Poshmark.

As an angel investor, he has invested in over sixty companies, including Aardvark, AngelList, and Uber.

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