Shervin Pishevar

Shervin Pishevar is a prominent American venture capitalist and entrepreneur, widely recognized for his early-stage investments in highly successful technology companies. He began his venture capital career as a managing director at Menlo Ventures, a leading Silicon Valley firm. Pishevar later co-founded Sherpa Capital in 2013, which subsequently became Sherpa Ventures and eventually merged with Lightspeed Venture Partners. His investment philosophy has consistently centered on identifying and backing disruptive technologies and innovative consumer internet businesses, often at their nascent stages.

Pishevar built a reputation for his prescient early bets, becoming an angel investor in several now-household names. Notably, he was one of the earliest investors in Uber, reportedly investing $25,000 in the ride-sharing giant, a move that yielded significant returns. He also made early investments in companies like Airbnb, Warby Parker, and Postmates, demonstrating a keen eye for market-transforming opportunities. His involvement often extended beyond capital, providing strategic guidance to founders.

Through Sherpa Capital, Pishevar continued to focus on seed and Series A/B rounds, aiming to lead or co-lead investments in promising startups. The firm successfully raised substantial capital, including a $470 million fund in 2016, enabling it to deploy significant capital into its portfolio companies. While his personal angel checks could be as low as tens of thousands, his firm's typical first checks ranged from several millions up to tens of millions of dollars, reflecting their strategy of taking meaningful stakes in high-growth ventures.

Beyond his investment career, Pishevar is also known as a co-founder of Virgin Hyperloop (formerly Hyperloop One), a venture aimed at developing high-speed transportation technology. His career as an active investor saw a reduced public profile after 2017. However, his legacy as an early backer of some of the past decade's most impactful tech companies remains a significant part of his professional identity.