Shervin Pishevar

Architect of the Future

Few entrepreneurs can claim to have shaped the 21st century as profoundly as Shervin Pishevar. A serial entrepreneur, investor, and tech visionary, Pishevar has been instrumental in helping create and championing nine groundbreaking industries: Hyperloop, the On-Demand Economy, Ride-Sharing, Cloud Kitchens, the Sharing Economy, App Stores, Social Gaming, Social Networking, Quantum Computing & AI, and starting the New Cities-Network States industries. As co-founder and first Executive Chairman of Virgin Hyperloop One, Pishevar introduced the world to a new era of high-speed transportation. But his impact doesn’t stop there. As the early lead investor and board member of Uber, he played a pivotal role in transforming ride-sharing into a global phenomenon. Pishevar’s influence extends to his founding of Edison Fund and Edison Labs, Sofreh Capital (his family office fund which have become engines of innovation in venture capital and venture studio models. Through these platforms, he has co-founded transformative companies like Hyperloop, Telly (Telly.com), SLAI (SLAI.com), and Hyperloop. At Sherpa Capital, which he also co-founded, Pishevar managed $650 million across three funds and an additional $500 million in co-investments, backing titans like Airbnb, Robinhood, SpaceX, Slack, and more. He also ideated and founded Silicon Foundry, a corporate innovation advisory form and incubator where he recruited Salesforce, eBay, Comcast/Dreamworks, and CondeNast as founding members. Silicon Foundry was acquired by Kearney. In 2022, Pishevar made waves again by taking quantum computing pioneer D-Wave public through his SPAC, DPCM Capital. Partnering with figures like Emil Michael, Eric Schmidt, and Peter Diamandis, he raised $300 million for the venture, propelling D-Wave to a valuation of over $1 billion.

The Billion-Dollar Track Record

Pishevar’s career is defined by a Midas touch. As Managing Director at Menlo Ventures, he led investments in early-stage giants like Uber, Warby Parker, and Tumblr, while establishing the Menlo Talent Fund, completing over 35 seed investments, including Parse (acquired by Facebook) and Scan (acquired by Snap). His early investments now exceed $7 billion in value, with over $3 billion distributed in profits—an astonishing 88% IRR. Forbes recognized his investing ability, featuring him on its prestigious Midas List of the top 100 venture investors for four consecutive years and placing him on the cover. As an angel investor, Pishevar has personally backed over 150 companies, including Facebook, Postmates (acquired by Uber), Dollar Shave Club (sold to Unilever for $1 billion), and frontier tech startups like Varda, Gambit AI and Gameto. His knack for identifying transformative ideas and founders early has cemented his reputation as one of the most visionary investors of his generation.

Beyond Business: A Legacy of Impact

Pishevar’s influence goes far beyond the boardroom. Through the Pishevar Institute, his family charity, he has given back to the community, endowing a Professorship at Howard University and supporting organizations like Build.org and the Malala Fund. President Obama recognized his contributions, appointing him to the Fulbright Board. Mr. Pishevar deeply cares about spreading economic opportunity and democracy and freedom technologies. Before his entrepreneurial journey, Pishevar was a scientist at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley Labs, where his groundbreaking research led to patents on malaria treatment and publications in esteemed journals like JAMA and Neuroscience Letters. Pishevar was instrumental in the creation of the Istanbul Protocol, banning doctors from participating in torture, stemming from his research article published in JAMA when I was only 19 years old.

A Vision for Tomorrow

With a career defined by bold bets and transformative ideas, Shervin Pishevar continues to look ahead, shaping industries that will define the future. Whether pioneering quantum computing, reimagining transportation, or funding the next generation of innovators, Pishevar remains an unstoppable force, constantly building bridges to tomorrow’s possibilities.

For Pishevar, innovation isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the legacy he’s crafting, one industry at a time.