As a Partner at CMEA Capital Saad invests exclusively in bad asses, including leading all seed and early stage investments in the people behind Zaarly, Blekko, Luminate, Jobvite (and some awesome others you’ll hear about).

Saad has spent his career innovating. From R&D to entrepreneurship, from Hollywood to Silicon Valley, Saad has always sought the bleeding edge of technology and creativity. “I’m happiest when I am surrounded by whiteboards and thought provoking people.”

His pursuit of innovation often takes him to unexpected places. Saad grew up between Pakistan and the Bay Area, and attended an American high school in Karachi where his soccer tournaments and theater performances were often played out in locations including Kathmandu, Delhi, and Islamabad.

Prior to CMEA, he was a Venture Partner at Garage.com where he helped build Silicon Valley’s first startup incubator. There he worked closely with early stage entrepreneurs across the Garage portfolio including Pandora, cFares, and TripleHop (ORCL).

In addition to his day job, he co-founded the Film Angels (working with actors and producers like Carlos Santana and Barrie Osborne, producer of Lord of The Rings). He is also an Advisor to Lending Club (peer-to-peer lending platform), SamaSource (micro-work for the next billion), and the Thiel Fellowship’s 20 under 20 program.

“Whenever I’m considering an investment, I ask ‘Do these guys make me want to quit my job and change the world with them?’ If the answer is yes, then I know I’m on the right path.”

He has been a guest lecturer at the Stanford Design School and the UC Berkeley Business School. He is a frequent speaker at the US State Department and can be found supporting the cause of entrepreneurs from Startup Weekend in Egypt to “Silicon Valley Comes to Malaysia”. He has been featured in Forbes (an advisor to Forbes 30 under 30), the Wall Street Journal, and the New York Times.