Chief Executive Officer
Partner

Zafer founded Silicon Valley Venture and Innovation (SVVI) in 2019 in San Francisco with the aim of working with world-leading governments, corporations, and Institutional Investors on capital deployment and ecosystem development strategies and execution.

Before SVVI, Zafer was at Social Capital, a pioneering VC firm in Palo Alto, where he lead capital formation for the MENA region and later was tasked with spinning out Capital as a Service, an AI,  data-driven investment technology set of tools.

Zafer worked with entrepreneurs from all over the world as a partner at 500 Startups (2015-2018), through 500's acceleration programs in Silicon Valley and its Ecosystem Development Programs around the world. In 2016, Zafer launched 500 Startups' Ecosystem Development Programs in Japan, which scaled to Australia and Latin America in 2017. He created and led the 500 Startups' Corporate Startup Innovation (CSI) Program in San Francisco, which aims at getting corporations and startups to innovate together.

Previously, Zafer co-founded The Online Project, where his team developed and executed digital strategies for Fortune 500 companies and high-profile organizations. In 2004, Zafer co-founded his first company: Modern Media, LTD, a media house that owns and operates popular radio stations which received recognition from the US-based National Association for Broadcasters in 2007 (In 2014, Modern Media was acquired by D&C Electronics).

Operations
Partner

As one of the main partners at SVVI, Ramzi offers his network of investors the opportunity to invest in some of the hottest VC tech opportunities in the US generating excellent financial returns. His role also entails helping corporates execute their innovation and VC strategies.

Ramzi spent the last 2 decades introducing new technologies to regulators, governments, and large scale organizations in the Middle East and North Africa. Ramzi has capitalized on innovation waves one after the other. As a founding team member of the first regional SMS Value Added Services Provider in MENA, the founder of the first privately owned and run Radio network, and the founder of the first Social Media services provider in the region,  Ramzi mastered the craft of new media and technology large enterprise business and partnership development.

Having set up offices and presence in KSA, UAE, Jordan, Oman, and Egypt. And served clients in 12 of the region’s leading markets. Ramzi’s on-the-ground execution experience is an asset and an advantage. The genuine partnerships he has created throughout the years, combined with his astute business instinct, have generated tens of millions of dollars in sales for the companies he has built and partnered with. His attention to detail and attentiveness to clients ensures that promises are always met and expectations are always exceeded.

With a passion for helping business leaders & innovators build successful business models, strategies and brands. Tetsuya has more than 25 years of experience leading sophisticated technology and business deployments in Japan.

Examples of Yamashita's work include building the first Silicon Valley Startup Acceleration Program in Japan. RF system evolution from 2G to 3G, M2M business, global mobile internet service and multiple smartphone technologies. Many of these projects involve public-private partnerships, global technology deployments, and global and Japanese investors.

Yamashita is also a council member of Gerson Lehrman Group (GLG). and previously the Senior Vice President of NTT DoCoMo USA Inc.

Investor Relations
Partner

With over 8 years of financial services industry experience in London and Dubai, Jumana leads SVVI's investor network and community. Jumana started her career as a Private Bank Executive at Barclays Private Bank where she assisted in overseeing a portfolio of ultra-high net worth Individuals and Institutions across East Africa, the UAE, Oman, and the Levant. Thereafter, she joined Safanad, a global principal-led investment house, where she worked closely with the Investment Partners ensuring effective transaction execution. Jumana was strategically focused on supporting the Investment Partners Group in the firm’s business development and growth strategy.

A startup angel investor herself, Mrs. El-Saadi has been working closely with top fund managers and start-ups in MENA, the United States, and Europe for years. Her global network on both sides of the startup ecosystem inspired her to institutionalize the process of introducing allocators, fund managers, and entrepreneurs to build SVVI's investor network and community.

Venture Partner

Former Senior Business Executive at Kamin Gulf Trading.