Jan 2025 – Present · 1 yr 4 mos · San Francisco Bay Area

• AI-powered RIA roll-up
• Accel led the round

Jan 2025 – Present · 1 yr 4 mos · San Francisco, CA

• Predict user behavior before launch
• Blok Intelligence is led by Tom Charman and Olivia Higgs. I led Oddbird’s investment at the seed in 2025 and invested at preseed as an angel end of 2024. + Connected them with their now Head of Design.

Jan 2025 – Present · 1 yr 4 mos · El Segundo, CA

• AI OS for Mining
• Watoga Technologies is led by Elliot Forcier-Poirier, Roko Baljak, and Samuel Desjardins. I led Oddbird’s investment at preseed in 2025. Most recent capital by Long Journey Ventures

Jan 2025 – Present · 1 yr 4 mos · San Francisco, CA

• AI Workers for Pest Control Businesses
• Solea AI is led by Christopher Brodowski and Paul Muller. I led Oddbird’s investment at preseed in 2025. 1984 led the round

Jan 2025 – Present · 1 yr 4 mos · New York, NY

• Agentic AI for Supply Chain
• Rome AI is led by Tobias Muller and Henrik Laxhuber. I led Oddbird’s investment at the seed in 2025. General Catalyst led the round

Aug 2024 – Nov 2024 · 3 mos · Palo Alto, CA

• Fall 24’ Cohort, PFC Fellow at Pear VC

Jan 2024 – Present · 2 yrs 4 mos · San Francisco Bay Area

• At Oddbird, we believe the companies that define categories tomorrow often look odd today — and we embrace that. I invest at the preseed / seed / early stage in AI-native technology businesses. Industries include: Enterprise, Industrials & Manufacturing, Energy & Infrastructure, Defense & Government, Consumer, and Fintech.
• Companies we've backed have also partnered with Sequoia Capital, Kleiner Perkins, General Catalyst, A16z, Greenoaks, Accel, NEA, and Lightspeed.
• Email: ashkan@oddbirdvc.com

Mar 2023 – Apr 2024 · 1 yr 1 mo · Menlo Park, CA

• Allora is an AI-powered assistant helping first-time parents navigate life as new parents.
• I gained a ton of empathy for the founder journey and learned the importance of stacking the cards in your favor when building an early stage startup - full time founders, working in person, and prioritizing momentum.

Jan 2022 – Present · 4 yrs 4 mos · El Segundo, CA

• Accelerating the development of commercial space infrastructure
• Varda is led by Will Bruey and Delian Asparouhov. I invested at the Series B. Most recent capital is Series C. [sourced through a preexisting investor relationship]

Jan 2022 – Present · 4 yrs 4 mos · New York, NY

• AI powered commodity & currency hedging
• Pillar is led by Harsha Ramesh and Chinmay Deshpande. I was the 2nd check in at company inception. Most recent round of capital led by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z). [sourced through founder referral]

Jan 2022 – Jan 2022 · 0 mo · San Francisco, California

• Plato is a community for engineering leaders. Engineering Leaders engage in 1-on-1 mentorship, benefit from cohort-based learning, and access exclusive content. Plato was acquired by Coda and was previously part of Y Combinator's Winter 2016 cohort.
• I joined in a white space role at the Series A to spearhead the build-out of our technical program management community product. I onboarded TPM leaders from Meta, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google, Microsoft, Stripe, Airbnb, Coinbase, Robinhood, and more.

Jan 2021 – Present · 5 yrs 4 mos · New York, NY

• OS for revenue
• Default is led by Nico Ferreyra and Victor Papyshev. I invested at preseed and at the seed. Most recent round of capital led by 8VC. [sourced via direct outbound motion]

Jan 2020 – Jan 2021 · 1 yr · San Francisco Bay Area · On-site

• Spin is an e-scooter and e-bike provider serving cities across North America and Europe. The company was acquired by Ford Motor Company. I was at Spin when we were doing $1M in revenue a quarter and left when we were doing $1M in revenue a week. Spin is where I implemented systems and processes built for scale.
• I led cross-functional teams to develop and implement strategic initiatives in our markets, drove operational efficiency, and managed high-impact projects. I utilized my strong analytical skills to evaluate and report on performance metrics weekly, which helped inform decision-making and resulted in significant improvements in our business outcomes across markets.

Jan 2019 – Jan 2020 · 1 yr · San Francisco Bay Area · On-site

• I implemented data-driven growth strategies, managed a $250,000+ performance marketing budget to support operations, and drove significant user acquisition and revenue growth through continuous experimentation. I analyzed campaign performance and collaborated with cross-functional teams to optimize local marketing efforts and increase ridership in our active markets.

Jan 2018 – Jan 2019 · 1 yr · On-site

• Rinse is a tech-enabled laundry and dry cleaning delivery service serving major US cities. I joined Rinse at Seed and was there through Series B. Rinse announced their Series D in 2025. Rinse I embraced the scrappiness of an early stage startup, wore many hats, and grew a ton professionally from when I originally started.
• I managed a team of salaried and hourly operation staff members and was accountable for a team of 200+ part-time W2 delivery drivers. I led our driver vertical at a time of high growth, I spearheaded white space projects, enhanced operational efficiency, and surpassed many performance goals for my vertical. I took pride in fostering a collaborative culture and empowered my team to learn new parts of the business excelling in their lanes and ultimately taking on more responsibility.

Jan 2017 – Jan 2018 · 1 yr · On-site

• I grew into a role at Rinse where I managed our delivery driver community. I was adept at fostering engagement and growth through strategic communication and impactful initiatives. I demonstrated a track record of leveraging relationships I cultivated to drive community success and enhance our end-user experiences at their front doors.

Jan 2016 – Jan 2017 · 1 yr · On-site

• Did whatever and went wherever I was needed for the success of our complex operation. I was dependable, had a good attitude, and pushed our pace.