# Semil Shah

> Semil Shah is the Founding General Partner of Haystack, a seed-stage venture capital firm he started from scratch in 2013 with $1M and zero management fees. Through seven funds totaling over $200M, he has backed companies including DoorDash, HashiCorp, Figma, and Instacart at seed stage. He also serves as Venture Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners. Named to the Forbes Midas Seed List four consecutive years (2022-2025), he built his career the hard way — through writing, blogging, and relentless deal-flow generation after being repeatedly turned down by top VC firms.

- **Role:** Founding General Partner at Haystack; Venture Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners
- **Organizations:** Haystack, Lightspeed Venture Partners
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor of Arts, History, University of Michigan, Master's degree, Economic Development and Strategy, Harvard University
- **Known for:** Forbes Midas Seed List 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 — four consecutive years, Forbes Midas Brink List 2017, Built Haystack from $1M Fund I (no fees) to $75M+ Fund VII over seven funds

## Career timeline

- **pre-2013** — Product and operational roles at startups including Votizen, Rexly, and Swell (acquired by Apple)
- **pre-2013** — Creator and host of 'In the Studio' on TechCrunchTV; contributor to TechCrunch and Harvard Business Review
- **2011-2013** — Consulted with Kleiner Perkins, DFJ, General Catalyst, and Trinity Ventures on deal flow and analysis
- **2013** — Founded Haystack Fund I with ~$1M, charging no management fees
- **2013** — Made seed investments in DoorDash, Instacart, and HashiCorp — all in the same year
- **2014** — Departed TechCrunch to focus full-time on Haystack
- **2016** — Joined GGV Capital as Venture Partner; launched The Alignment Summit
- **2018** — Joined Lightspeed Venture Partners as Venture Partner
- **2019** — Closed Haystack Fund V at $50M — first oversubscribed fund
- **2021** — Closed Haystack Fund VI at $50M
- **2022** — Named to Forbes Midas Seed List for the first time
- **2023** — Closed Haystack Fund VII at $75M core + $25M companion fund
- **2023** — HashiCorp acquired by IBM for ~$6.4B
- **2025** — Figma IPO; Suno raised $250M Series C at $2.45B valuation
- **2025** — Named to Forbes Midas Seed List for the fourth consecutive year

## Achievements

- Forbes Midas Seed List 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025 — four consecutive years
- Forbes Midas Brink List 2017
- Built Haystack from $1M Fund I (no fees) to $75M+ Fund VII over seven funds
- Backed DoorDash, HashiCorp, Instacart, Figma, and Carte at seed stage
- 16 unicorn investments from Haystack portfolio
- 36 accretive exits; 60+ companies at $100M+ valuation
- Adjunct Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine
- Venture Partner at Lightspeed Venture Partners since 2018
- Hosted The Alignment Summit annually for 7+ years

## Latest updates

- **2025-12** — Nominal raised $75M Series B led by Sequoia Capital (Haystack portfolio, all rounds)
- **2025-10** — Figma IPO — Haystack portfolio exit
- **2025-09** — Suno raised $250M Series C at $2.45B valuation
- **2025-00** — Named to Forbes Midas Seed List for fourth consecutive year
- **2025-09** — Invested in Birches Health (mental health/addiction services)
- **2025-00** — Regular quarterly appearances on Lightspeed's Generative Now podcast covering AI and VC trends

## Links

- Website: https://semilshah.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/semilshah
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/semil

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/semil-shah
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-04-25