Hirbod Bigvand

Chief Executive Officer

2023 - Current

TEDx Speaker

2024

Venture Partner

2021 - 2022

Conducted thorough market research and due diligence on over 50 startups, resulting in high-quality investment recommendations. Managed a portfolio of $15 million, achieving an average annual ROI of 12% through strategic investments and active portfolio management. Developed and maintained relationships with founders, industry experts, and co-investors, enhancing deal flow and collaborative opportunities. Led investment pitches and presentations to the firm's partners, securing approvals for multiple high-potential investment opportunities.

Venture Partner

2021 - 2021

Sourced investment opportunities using a structured approach to increase deal flow velocity in both quantity and quality by doing weekly sprints using multiple deal flow channels Developed investment theses around various industry verticals, reviewed pitch decks, met with startups and investors, and presented top investment opportunities at weekly Partners Meetings and Investment Committees Worked closely with the General Partners who have 45+ years of VC experience and invested in 10+ unicorns such as Beyond Meat, Uber, Facebook, Twitter, Wish, Oculus, Oscar, etc. Conducted quantitative and qualitative deep due diligence including: Market sizing, team’s ability to execute, go-to-market strategy, key risks, business model, key metrics, financial modeling, competitive landscape, customer and investor interviews, cap table and waterfall analysis, term sheets and investment documents Built a large network across accelerators, VC / PE funds, strategics, and startup founders, and have access to VU's investor and strategic network

Founder and CEO

2018 - 2020

Founded Surfboard, a social media app that focuses on local interactive communities, short video content, interactive mobile gaming, and sharing moments Raised a total of $1.1 Million in funding from top-tier venture capital firms and angel investors at a $15 million valuation Led the company from idea to early traction and successful app launches on iTunes and Google Play Recruited and managed more than 70 employees in different parts of the world Made exclusive partnerships with Google, Amazon, and Nvidia Recruited top-level executives to ensure the company's vision and goals were fully met Pitched at the Websummit In Portugal and got selected as one the top 3 startups in the United State

Founder and CEO

2016 - 2020

Founded the company which specializes in the technology and development of social media applications called Glaspa and Challengein Raised $200k in angel financing at a $2M pre-money valuation Acquired 20,000 new users within the first six months of business Built and managed the offshore team in India Created and conducted a sales training program for college ambassadors promoting the apps at universities Attended various startup exhibitions and other events to present the product and company to potential customers and investors

Entrepreneur In Residence

2020 - 2020

VentureOut provide promising founders with the resources, knowledge and connections they need to succeed in the world's top tech communities.

Venture Capitalist

2018 - 2018

The UT Dallas Seed Fund, a program of the Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the UTD Blackstone LaunchPad, is a newly-established venture capital fund run entirely by university students. Successfully pitched a $50,000 investment recommendation to the fund's board of directors Responsible for analyzing and determining the feasibility of different startup financial models by looking at revenue growth drivers, implied financial ratios, and burn rates matched with the runway. Analyzed company financials, identified key operating metrics, determined potential exogenous risks and cost drivers Identified potential investment opportunities by conducting due diligence