Semil Shah is an accomplished investor and writer with roots in Silicon Valley. He is the founder and General Partner of Haystack, a venture capital firm that invests in seed-stage startups. Shah has an impressive track record of investing in category-defining companies, including Instacart, DoorDash, and Hashicorp, among others. Prior to Haystack, he worked in product and operating roles at various startups and consulted with top venture capital firms. Shah's educational background includes a master's degree in Economic Development and Strategy from Harvard University and a BA in History from the University of Michigan. In addition to his work at Haystack, Shah serves as a Venture Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners and was named to the Midas Brink List in 2017. He is dedicated to supporting early-stage founders and is passionate about investing in exceptional people.