Arash Ferdowsi

Arash Ferdowsi is widely recognized as the co-founder and former Chief Technology Officer of Dropbox, a cloud storage and collaboration company he co-founded with Drew Houston. After studying at MIT, Ferdowsi played a pivotal role in scaling Dropbox from a nascent startup into a global enterprise, culminating in its successful initial public offering (IPO) in 2018, which valued the company at over $10 billion. Following his departure from the CTO role in 2020, Ferdowsi has increasingly dedicated his time to angel investing, leveraging his deep operational experience and extensive network within the technology ecosystem.

As an angel investor, Ferdowsi primarily focuses on early-stage opportunities, with a notable emphasis on Seed rounds. His investment thesis often gravitates towards B2B software, developer tools, fintech, and infrastructure companies that exhibit strong product-market fit and significant growth potential. His impressive portfolio includes stakes in some of the most successful and disruptive startups of the past decade. For instance, he was an early backer of Figma, a collaborative design platform that was at one point valued at $20 billion, and Notion, the popular workspace software. Other notable investments include Plaid, a fintech infrastructure provider valued at $13.4 billion in its last funding round, and Scale AI, an an AI data platform. His portfolio includes investments in over 50 companies, reflecting a broad yet strategic engagement with the startup landscape.

Ferdowsi's value to portfolio companies extends beyond capital. His background as a founder who navigated the complexities of hyper-growth, product development, and scaling a global tech company provides invaluable mentorship and strategic guidance to nascent teams. He brings a founder-friendly perspective, understanding the challenges and opportunities inherent in building transformative technology. While specific check sizes are not publicly disclosed, his consistent participation in highly competitive Seed rounds alongside top-tier venture capital firms underscores his reputation as a discerning and impactful early-stage investor.