Shervin Pishevar

Shervin Pishevar
Name	Shervin Pishevar
Birth date	1974
Birth place	Tehran, Iran
Occupation	Entrepreneur, venture capitalist, angel investor
Known for	co-founding HyperLoop One, establishing Sherpa Capital, investing in Uber

Shervin Pishevar is an American entrepreneur, venture capitalist, and angel investor known for early investments in technology startups and for co-founding transportation ventures. He has been involved with startups and investment firms across Silicon Valley, participated in public policy discussions in Washington, and engaged in philanthropy and advocacy related to entrepreneurship. Pishevar has also been a polarizing figure due to high-profile controversies and legal matters.

Early life and education

Pishevar was born in Tehran during the Iran–Iraq War era and emigrated with family to the United States amid the aftermath of the Iranian Revolution. He grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and attended local schools before studying at San Jose State University and later pursuing graduate coursework connected to University of California, Berkeley networks. During his formative years he was influenced by events such as the Iran Hostage Crisis and the global geopolitical shifts tied to the Gulf War and the rise of the Information Age. Early mentors and contacts included figures from Silicon Valley startups, the National Science Foundation grant community, and regional incubators.

Career and entrepreneurship

Pishevar's early career spanned roles with technology firms and startups tied to the dot-com era that involved collaborations with executives from Yahoo!, eBay, AOL, and Cisco Systems. He later co-founded or led ventures connecting consumers to digital services alongside entrepreneurs associated with PayPal, Amazon.com, Google, and Intel Corporation. Pishevar helped launch initiatives linked to transportation and urban mobility that intersected with projects by Tesla, Inc., SpaceX, Virgin Hyperloop One, and governmental agencies such as the United States Department of Transportation. He worked with media and content companies connected to NBCUniversal, The New York Times Company, Bloomberg L.P., and broadcast events featuring leaders from Harvard University, Stanford University, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Venture capital and angel investing

As an investor, Pishevar co-founded a venture capital firm active in seed and early-stage funding that partnered with notable investors from Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Accel Partners, and Kleiner Perkins. His portfolio included early stakes in transportation and marketplace companies that later involved rounds with Uber Technologies, Airbnb, Lyft, Slack Technologies, Pinterest, Snap Inc., Dropbox, MongoDB, Stripe, Palantir Technologies, and Yelp. He led or participated in angel syndicates involving founders who previously worked at PayPal Mafia startups and companies tied to YC (Y Combinator), 500 Startups, and Techstars. Pishevar also served on advisory boards and boards of directors alongside executives from General Catalyst, Benchmark, DFJ, and university-affiliated research labs such as SRI International and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Philanthropy and public advocacy

Pishevar engaged in philanthropic and public policy initiatives with organizations like United Nations, World Economic Forum, Aspen Institute, Council on Foreign Relations, and the Brookings Institution. He supported entrepreneurship programs connected to Khan Academy, Code.org, Teach For America, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and university entrepreneurship centers at Stanford Graduate School of Business and Harvard Business School. In public advocacy, he participated in panels and events featuring policymakers from The White House, members of United States Congress, and officials from the European Commission on topics intersecting with technology regulation, transportation policy, and startup ecosystems. His philanthropic giving included support for cultural institutions such as San Francisco Symphony, Metropolitan Museum of Art, and educational initiatives linked to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

Controversies and legal issues

Pishevar became the subject of controversy following allegations made during a period of heightened scrutiny in Silicon Valley that involved investigative reports by outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, Forbes, and TechCrunch. These allegations prompted responses involving law firms and inquiries connected to legal frameworks in California, the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, and employment policies informed by guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. He reached settlements or agreements in civil matters that involved counsel with ties to firms represented in high-profile cases including those against figures from Google LLC, Uber Technologies, and other technology companies. The controversies affected his roles at venture firms and public-facing organizations such as Hyperloop One, Sherpa Capital, and various nonprofit boards.

Personal life and recognition

Pishevar has been married and is a parent, maintaining residences linked to the San Francisco Bay Area and traveling frequently to hubs such as New York City, London, Dubai, and Beijing for business and philanthropic activities. He has been profiled in publications like Fortune (magazine), The Wall Street Journal, Businessweek, Wired (magazine), and Vanity Fair, and received acknowledgments from business lists and award committees connected to Forbes 30 Under 30-type recognitions and industry honors associated with the Consumer Technology Association and regional chambers of commerce. He has lectured and appeared at conferences including TEDx, DLD Conference, Web Summit, South by Southwest, and events hosted by universities such as Columbia University and New York University.

Category:1974 births Category:American venture capitalists Category:People from Tehran