Скачать или смотреть Susa Ventures: 0 to VC in 12 Months

Work at a startup: https://alif.build/network

Shaheer went from LinkedIn product manager to VC at Susa Ventures in 12 months — no banking background, no MBA, no founder experience. He started an accelerator called Olive, posted five times, and got 700 startup applications. That experience taught him more about venture capital than any internship would have and led directly to Susa's fellowship program, where he created his own role.

This episode breaks down the unconventional path into venture capital: how to develop taste as an investor, why running your own program beats scouting at a fund, what fellowship programs actually lead to full-time roles, and how concentration strategies like Founders Fund's work at the seed stage.

Links:
Omar → https://x.com/omarwasm
Saher → https://x.com/shaheersan

0:00 – Intro
0:58 – The unconventional path into VC
2:21 – Scale AI rejection story (they hired an MBA)
2:41 – LinkedIn took 9 months to ship one AI feature
3:52 – Why "taste" is the thing that makes you unique as an investor
4:18 – 700 applications from 5 posts (Olive accelerator)
5:06 – What running an accelerator teaches you about VC
10:45 – Getting into Susa's fellowship program
15:30 – How he created his own role at the firm
22:15 – The "right to win" philosophy
28:50 – Building the Muslim founder/investor ecosystem
34:50 – Founders Fund: differentiating A-minus from A+ founders
37:14 – How Susa supports companies (talent + Series A prep)
38:29 – One year goal: finding his unique edge