Ashkan invests at the earliest moment, when conviction is the only evidence.

At OddBird, he leads pre-seed and seed investments, where he is drawn to founders with a relentless need to win and the ability to make their future feel inevitable.

Before venture, Ashkan spent nearly a decade inside high-growth startups—not as a bystander, but as a builder alongside founding teams during the years that define a company. He helped organizations go from scrappy to serious, then did it again and again. He later founded his own company, giving him firsthand empathy for what founders carry: the gap between the vision in your head and the reality in front of you.

He began backing founders as an angel investor before joining the firm, developing conviction through deep relationship-building rather than process.

Before technology, Ashkan walked on to the Division I Purdue Boilermakers football program and earned playing time. The lessons he still runs on: prepare, move fast, and win.

He spends most of his time with engineers. The founders he finds most compelling haven’t decided to build yet—but will.