THE FUSE

Nasir Qadree did not take the conventional path into venture capital. He began his career in the public markets at Goldman Sachs and State Street Corporation, then spent years inside AT&T's $400 million Aspire Social Investment Fund overseeing direct investments in education and employment technology before launching his own firm. That grounding explains the discipline running through his portfolio: a preference for early-stage companies solving structural economic problems rather than chasing valuations for their own sake.