Pejman Nozad
@pejmannozad
Followers
26,549
Following
3,029
Media
688
Statuses
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Pear VC, Soccer, seed investor DoorDash, Dropbox, Guardant Health, Gusto, Applovin, Branch, Aurora Solar, Vanta, Addepar, Course Hero and more
california
Joined April 2008
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HAPPY TWENTY FOURTH
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3/I was, homeless, sleeping upstairs in a yogurt shop, but I have to say, it was this transformative experience. Instead of feeling like I was completely cornered, I felt like I could do anything. If I can make homelessness work, I can make anything work.
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@jmj
When I came to US I had $700 and I spent most of it on pay phones to call a girl that I loved in Iran! We are married for 27 years now.
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1/In Tehran I had been a well-respected sports journalist— But that didn’t carry any weight in America. So I got a job at a car wash in San Jose and I’m telling you, I was the best car washer in the entire world. I took so much pride in that job.
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@POTUS
I was once undocumented Iranian Muslim - today I am a VC, backed +200 startups, worth +$20B, created thousand jobs!
@realDonaldTrump
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Silicon Valley is not only San Francisco! Spend some time in Palo Alto, Berkeley, San Jose, Mountain View, Burlingame, etc. Visit Stanford and UC Berkeley campuses and be sure the magic of this town will never go away!
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همون روزي كه در هيروشيماي ژاپن دروازه بان بحرين طحال ات رو پاره كرد ولي بازي رو ادامه دادي، فهميديم كه هم آقاي گلي هم آقاي دل!
امروز هم كه پاي حرف حق ايستادي، بهترين گلت رو زدي!
ياشاسين شهريار!
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The best venture capitalists are great listeners. I remember in this meeting with
@Dropbox
founders at their apartment, Mike Moritz listened carefully and asked only few questions. Five days later
@sequoia
led the pre -seed round!
@drewhouston
@arashf
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I came to America 26 years ago today. I didn’t speak English, had only $700 and I had no plan. I just knew America welcomes immigrants and is full of opportunities. I did not know how to swim but I saw an ocean and I jumped in!
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2/Lesson: Don't get trapped in your ego. You'll need to roll up your sleeves a lot and remember that no task is beneath you. You might find yourself doing unglamorous things in this journey, but take pride in everything and give it your all.
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31 years ago today, I borrowed money to travel to Tehran and marry the love of my life, Mania. She left her family, her mother, and everything she knew to start a new, uncertain life with me in America. Her sacrifice and unwavering support have been the pillars of our incredible
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Grateful beyond words for the opportunities America has bestowed upon me. From arriving penniless to building a life, sending my children to top universities, and establishing a venture capital firm, this country has been the catalyst for my dreams. Whatever I do to give back,
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Be the best in the world at what you do! I was the best rug salesman ever, worked 6 days a week, 10 hrs a day, for 17 straight years!
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Started at the rug gallery with no customers handed to me. Instead of waiting, I paved my own path, proving my worth as a salesman. 🌟 Never wait for a chance, create it!
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I came to America penniless and didn't speak the language. I bought a 1973 Chevrolet for five payments of $150 and drove every day for 2 hours to wash cars for 10 hours. I was the best car washer the world has ever seen. I put so much energy into washing cars that my customers
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We started
@pearvc
6yrs ago at Coupa Cafe with a simple goal: partnering with founders at ground zero and support them to build defining companies. Today we are announcing Pear lll, a $160M early stage fund with the same mission.
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We are excited to announce Pear SF Office: a 30,000 sq/ft state of the art office with 240 desks and 20 conference rooms, building a community for tech builders and entrepreneurs.
@pearvc
A new generation of companies is moving up in San Francisco -- into nicer, more central office space by
@cookie
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گل كه ميزد بچه ها با روياي اينكه يه روزي شماره هشت بپوشن به خواب ميرفتن و فرداش رو با كوچه و توپ پلاستيكي- به عشق جادوگر شدن- به سر ميكردن!
دريبل كه نه، معجزه كه ميكرد، عشق به فوتباليست شدن جاي دود و ترياك و هروبين رو ميگرفت.
علي كريمي جادوگر قلبها!
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1) I made my first angel investment 20 years ago. It was a disaster!
In fact I might have the worst track record in my first year as an angel investor. Two decades later with over 300 investments, many failures and few wins, I learned from some of the best entrepreneurs
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10/Lesson: Don't be afraid to be different! Lean into what makes you unique and find a creative way to use it to your advantage. You're more defensible that way too.
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Silicon Valley gave me a chance, and I am forever grateful for the opportunities to support founders. To my team and everyone who believed in me, thank you for making this possible!🙏
We're so proud of
@pejmannozad
for earning the top spot on the
@Forbes
Midas Seed List for the second year in a row. This list recognizes the top 25 seed investors globally.
You can see the full list here:
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1/ In 2016, I was honored to receive
@sequoia
founder Don Valentine’s jacket, but the story actually starts on a Saturday morning over 20 years ago.
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Raising our first $50M fund in 2013 was not easy. After all, neither of us had any venture experience and we did not fit the mold of typical VCs. After facing a series of no’s, a few brave LPs put their trust in us!
@pearvc
@MarHershenson
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11 years ago:
@sequoia
partner Sir Michael Moritz meets
@drewhouston
&
@arashf
at their apartment. Today
@Dropbox
goes Public.
@Nasdaq
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4/Lesson: The founder journey is very hard and very frustrating. But I hope you'll learn to see all these obstacles and challenges as transformative experiences, as opportunities to prove to yourself that you can make it work.
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I serve Persian tea at our office! It is more than just a cultural gesture. It is an embodiment of my heritage, a piece of my personal story that I brought into my professional world. This simple act of sharing creates an authentic space for conversations.
@jeff_jordan
🙏
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Silicon Valley is where your son raises money from your competition and does NOT let you invest in his startup!
Pludo is live on the App Store 🪐 Discover and create short form audio with your friends!
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6/Lesson: Always swing back. The best founders don't back down, and sometimes just getting back up and giving it one more go is all you need to prove to someone they should give you the chance of a lifetime.
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🚀 Exciting News from Pear VC! 🌉 We are thrilled to announce the opening of our new 30,000 sq ft Pear Studio in San Francisco’s Mission Bay. A space dedicated to fostering collaboration among founders and entrepreneurs.
@pearvc
👇
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It is easy to manage your reputation as an investor/VC. You might know me as the investor in
@Dropbox
@DoorDash
@GuardantHealth
but you don’t know the companies in my portfolio that have gone Zero. Entrepreneurs have limited chances. Hats off to them for trying & being relentless
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We are looking for an ex founder/ceo to join our team at
@pearvc
, a warrior who wants to spend next 10-20 years with entrepreneurs at ground zero and help them build long lasting companies.
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I believe 2023 is the best year in my career to pre-see/seed startups!
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9/We served Persian tea in the back of a rug store. It gave me the opportunity to get to know them and for them to get to know me. There was a magic in the tea, a chance to strip away all of the phony stuff, to be real and honest and human with each other.
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Pear VC launches a massive 30,000 sq ft Pear Studio in SF Mission Bay for tech founders. This collaborative space will host events, hackathons, and support early-stage startups, especially in pre-seed and seed stages
Read more 👇
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8/Lesson: Be curious! Try to soak up everything like a sponge in any environment you're in. You never know where your next great idea might come from.
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Some of my best partnership happened over Persian food or tea when I met the founders of
@Dropbox
@GustoHQ
@GuardantHealth
@AppLovin
@SoundHound
When people come together over food, they are able to break down barriers and share a common experience. They can discuss their
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The world’s unity behind Ukraine is humanity at its best!
I hope one day we could do the same for the people of Afghanistan, Syria, and other countries that are forgotten!
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We signed a lease on this beautiful South Park office and have not used it for one day and it will remain closed for foreseeable future! I missed seeing my SF friends.
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I live and work in Bay Area but if you are considering to move to a city and start a tech company, Los Angeles should be your first choice!
The combination of talent, amazing weather, diversity, food, beaches and a cosmopolitan city is hard to beat!
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🚀 Exciting news! Today, I'm thrilled to introduce a dream come to life: The Pear Persian Founders Circle - an intimate community of Iranian engineers, academics, and entrepreneurs, guided by successful leaders from various industries.
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Pear Studio SF :
224 desks +20 conference rooms
Community of Tech Builders
Speaker series, Workshops, Hackathons
Access to Pear team and advisors
+
A fresh $432M dedicated pre-seed/seed fund to back you up!
🚀 Exciting News from Pear VC! 🌉 We are thrilled to announce the opening of our new 30,000 sq ft Pear Studio in San Francisco’s Mission Bay. A space dedicated to fostering collaboration among founders and entrepreneurs.
@pearvc
👇
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The art of Persian food by the very talented Chef Afrand!
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When I first moved to America, it was tough emotionally. I didn’t have a job and didn’t speak the language. I found a soccer team full of engineers, business owners, who’d immigrated 20 years before and they’re still some of my best friends to this day.
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Tonight is a very special night for Iranians! We jump over the fire!😯
Chaharshanbe soori is one of the most favorite Iranian ancient festivals and its history dates back to more than two thousand years ago. In fact, it can be said that Chaharshanbe soori is a custom for
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Today we are thrilled to announce a dedicated AI startup bootcamp, PearX for AI:
- up to $5M investment in each team
- 1:1 expert advice
- $250K cloud credits
- access to beta APIs
- AI talent matching
- customer intro
- community of AI practitioners
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These are the times you invest in the next Google, Uber, Airbnb, Dropbox, Uber and others. When investors wrongfully believe entrepreneurs stop dreaming for few quarters!
I'll write this up in next few days, but in last week, observed disparate signals from leadership across VC firms, recruiting firms, & pre-IPO CEOs that they've scaled back hiring plans, planned RIF, and are slowly entering a "trim the hedges" mode -- often citing Vision Fund.
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Congratulations to my partner
@MarHershenson
for being Nr. 2 woman on the
@Forbes
Midas List of global top venture capitalists!
#ForbesMidasList
You inspired me and our team every day!🍐
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My partner
@MarHershenson
is the best in the VC world. She is a woman, has a Stanford PhD with 28 patents and started three companies.
We are equal partners immigrated form Iran and Spain!
But nowhere in your rankings😯
Silicon Valley is taking a step BACKWARDS on diversity. The percentage of African American and Hispanic VCs has fallen over the past year.
Our annual study (a 6-month effort from our team with help from
@AllRaise
)
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Celebrating 47 yrs of friendship with my friend Hamid! From growing up together in Iran during times of war and revolution, to playing soccer and immigrating to the US, we've shared an unbreakable bond. Friends like Hamid make life's challenges more bearable and its triumphs even
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5/ I pleaded with him. “How can you say no to someone you haven’t even met?” There was this long pause, and then he said, “Fine, come in.” The next day, I went to see him, and I got the job. By the end of the week, I moved out of that attic.
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I stand with Iranian people who deserve freedom, liberty and prosperity!
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20,000 Iranians were killed on the spot by nerve gas used by Saddam’s army. I was a teenager and the memories of seeing burned human beings are never forgotten!
UN didn’t do much to stop it.
Russia vetos UN resolution on its own invasion of 🇺🇦
Corruption at the cost of lives!
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Farewell and congratulations to the remarkable
@sequoia
partner Mike Moritz! Your legendary career in venture capital has left an indelible mark.
I remember this conversation with
@arashf
&
@drewhouston
at their tiny apartment building
@Dropbox
. You were a great listener!
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From a cramped apartment in SF to a multi-billion dollar public company,
@Dropbox
proves that even the biggest tech giants start small. Dream big and keep hustling!
@arashf
@drewhouston
@sequoia
@ycombinator
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Pear passed on seed rounds of these companies:
Rappi, Front, Convoy and Faire.
We loved the founders but either we moved slow (Faire) or we thought seed valuation is high (Rappi, Convoy, Front).
Each investment could potentially return the fund.
Back outliers and have no fear!
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Why founders love PearX:
- small co-hort
- $250k- $2M investment
- 1:1 support
- Pear Studio in SF and Menlo Park
- In-House Recruiting
- Camp Pear in Santa Cruz Mountains
- Community of founders
- Fundraising support
- Mentor network
- Speakers Series
- Demo day
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Seventeen years ago I met
@keyvanm
when he was a PhD student at
@Stanford
. He told me one day we speak to our cars, our phones,etc. and he is building
@SoundHoundApp
to realize that dream.
Today Soundhound went public!
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The Iranian Women are true inspiration to anyone who seeks freedom, liberty and prosperity!
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Happy Nowrouz, the Persian New Year and the beginning of spring.
For over 3,000 years, Iranian people have observed the vernal equinox as a period of renewal and a celebration of human life’s connection with the cycles of nature.
Peace and Love for the world!
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7/I learned that almost all of my customers are in technology and I was witnessing an amazing community, and I wanted to be part of it. And so, in addition to showing my customers rugs, I started asking questions.
Little by little, I learned about the world around me
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We have launched "Startup Hire Me" a website that helps connect employees who were recently let go or displaced by COVID-19 with startups that are currently hiring. Please share!
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1/ Wishing peace and health for the world on this very special night!
I have always loved celebrating Yalda and reading Hafiz's poetry, and eating pomegranates with family and friends.
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Too much competition with multistage funds and I decided to switch profession!😅🍐
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In the venture capital business, you only need to make one decision right in your career! If you can repeat that once every decade, then you can pat yourself on the back!
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I just heard my partner
@MarHershenson
telling a group of investors:
"Listen to the founder with an optimistic attitude and park your ego outside" .
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Super excited about PearX Winter 2023!
Pear VC team is bigger than the cohort!😂🍐💪
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“Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.” - Rumi
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Growing up as a teenager in Tehran during the Iran-Iraq war shaped me in unimaginable ways. Amid brutality and chaos, we found resilience.
Every day was a struggle for survival. School, homework, and playing soccer filled our days until darkness fell, and the real terror began.
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I remember those nights sleeping in an attic! I had dreams ,
#AmericanDreams
. No one can steal it from us!
#Dreamers
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1/Nowruz, the Persian New Year, is a time of renewal that marks the beginning of spring.
One of the most important aspects of Nowruz is the Haft-Seen, a table setting that includes 7 items that begin with the letter "S" in Farsi, each symbolizing a different aspect of life.
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Please meet
@pearvc
Gelato Truck!🍐🍨
Free gelato for students and entrepreneurs served by me and
@MarHershenson
😂👍
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Deena Shakir’s parents fled Iraq and came to America as a refuge in 70’s. Her family worked hard, never gave up and built their life here.
Today
@deenashakir
is a
@Harvard
educated partner at
@Lux_Capital
.
Thank you America for giving us the opportunity!
Please never change!🙏
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America gave me (an immigrant from Iran) the opportunity to build my life and I am forever grateful!
Happy Birthday America!
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The energy at Pear Studio SF grand opening was real, exciting and encouraging! We can’t wait to meet founders who are going the shape the future!🍐🙏
@pearvc
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Hey
@elonmusk
I sold you a Persian rug, long before you sold me a Tesla!
I have one more thing you need to buy!
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