# Zahabiya Gabaji

> Zahabiya Gabaji is a Compensation Partner at Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), one of the world's most influential venture capital firms. Based in San Mateo, California, she leads compensation strategy and people operations for a16z's portfolio and internal teams. With roots in education and arts — she studied English and Education at UC Berkeley and worked at the Berkeley Art Museum — Gabaji made a deliberate pivot into tech HR, scaling compensation programs at Snowflake before joining a16z. At one of the most closely-watched firms in Silicon Valley, she architects the compensation frameworks that help a16z attract and retain world-class talent across its 950-person organization and advise portfolio companies on competitive pay structures.

- **Role:** Compensation Partner at Andreessen Horowitz
- **Organizations:** Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Snowflake, SMART Tutoring Services, Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA), University of California, Berkeley
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor's degree, English and Education, University of California, Berkeley
- **Known for:** Compensation Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, one of the most prestigious VC firms globally, Scaled HR and compensation infrastructure at Snowflake during a period of explosive company growth, Implemented Workday HRIS at Snowflake as the company grew rapidly toward its record-setting 2020 IPO

## Career timeline

- **2014-2018 (est.)** — Studied English and Education at UC Berkeley
- **2016-2018 (est.)** — Gallery Attendant at Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive (BAMPFA)
- **2016-2019 (est.)** — K-12 and Adult Tutor and Head Tutor at SMART Tutoring Services
- **2019-2021 (est.)** — Recruiting Coordinator at Snowflake, then transitioned to Compensation Analyst
- **2021 (est.)** — Led implementation of Workday and oversaw internal compensation reviews at Snowflake as the company scaled through its record-breaking IPO
- **2022 (est.)** — Joined Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) as Compensation Partner
- **2023-present** — Compensation Partner at a16z, leading total rewards strategy across a 950-person firm managing $39.6B in total assets

## Achievements

- Compensation Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, one of the most prestigious VC firms globally
- Scaled HR and compensation infrastructure at Snowflake during a period of explosive company growth
- Implemented Workday HRIS at Snowflake as the company grew rapidly toward its record-setting 2020 IPO
- Listed as an author/contributor on the a16z platform
- Built a career in people operations starting from a liberal arts and education background - demonstrating a non-traditional path to senior tech HR

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Active as Compensation Partner at Andreessen Horowitz, email verified April 2026
- **2026-02** — Andreessen Horowitz completed its most recent funding round of $1.7B in February 2026

## Links

- Website: https://a16z.com/author/zahabiya-gabaji/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zahabiyagabaji/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zahabiyaaa/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zahabiya.gabaji

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/zahabiya-gabaji
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-05-08