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Aamir Virani

Building and Learning

Aamir Virani is a startup founder, investor, and advisor based in the San Francisco Bay Area. He has a diverse background in technology, entrepreneurship, and public service. Here are some key details about Aamir Virani:

Professional Experience

Entrepreneurship and Investing: Aamir co-founded Dropcam, a company that revolutionized home video monitoring. Dropcam was later acquired by Google Nest and rebranded as Nest Cam and Google Aware.1 He currently works on small software and data products while also serving as an angel investor and advisor to various organizations.1

Government Service: From October 2020 to November 2021, Aamir served as a Presidential Innovation Fellow, working with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) to implement software product management practices.2

Venture Capital: He briefly worked as a venture capitalist at Felicis Ventures, though he later decided to focus on other aspects of the startup ecosystem.12

Background and Education

  • Originally from Houston, Texas
  • Studied electrical engineering at Rice University and Stanford University
  • Started his career as a hardware engineer at National Instruments before transitioning to software engineering and product management12

Current Focus

Aamir now describes himself as an "Explorer," working on various projects and advising founders on building better companies and products.1 He is also the President of VSHAD Holdings.3

Personal

  • Lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and children
  • Maintains a strong connection to his hometown of Houston and is a Rockets fan
  • Active on social media, particularly Twitter (@avirani)1

Aamir Virani's diverse experiences in technology, entrepreneurship, and public service have positioned him as a valuable advisor and explorer in the startup ecosystem.

Highlights

Mar 15 · linkedin

I thought the right way to play the Silicon Valley game was: 1️⃣ work at a startup 2️⃣ start a startup 3️⃣ one more startup with the same crew 4️⃣ become a VC like fellow Rice University graduate John Doerr

I got to 4 and hated it.

Amit Kumar shares that he had the same idea, but like Reid Hoffman.

We talk about this a lot more on First Funders and how the career path is totally different. He says, "it's not a halfway house between being a founder and being retired."

Have you fallen for this idea, too? What happened?

Related Questions

What startups has Aamir Virani founded?
How did Aamir Virani's role at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency impact his career?
What are some key achievements of Aamir Virani at Dropcam?
How does Aamir Virani advise early-stage founders?
What inspired Aamir Virani to transition from hardware engineering to software engineering?
Aamir Virani
Aamir Virani, photo 1
Aamir Virani, photo 2
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Location

San Francisco, California, United States