I grew up in an insular community in Saudi Arabia, with no access to secular books, movies, music, or art.
I left home at twenty-two, on a scholarship, for New York. That was thirteen years ago. Since then, I’ve lived and worked in eight countries (Lebanon, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kenya, Switzerland, Denmark, the UK, and the US). I built a career in investing that took me from emerging markets private equity to Silicon Valley venture capital. My work has always been about finding deep believers and building the conditions for their ideas to come to life.
I’m most energized not by deploying capital but by the conviction that comes before it: the deep research, the reading, the collaborations I’ve formed with researchers, scientists, engineers, and writers. Over time, I realized this was not a side interest. It was the core of what I do best.
“Work is the inescapable starting point for all social inquiry.” — Robert Heilbroner
This year, I’m stepping back from investing to explore the question of work itself through writing, reading, and conversations with people across industries who are thinking about it differently.
If any of this resonates with you, please email me: inbox@monastic.me