Ali Vahabzadeh

This story’s wild, let me tell you about Ali Vahabzadeh, this dude is straight-up the real deal in tech and startups. He’s the kind of guy who jumps into stuff, crushes it, and then keeps pushing forward. Started out with a solid background in finance, was VP of Equity Derivatives and M&A at Banc of America Securities in NYC and London. Dude knows how to analyze deals and move money, no bullshit. Then he switched gears into real estate tech with NeighborCity, where he was President & COO. They built some sick agent-ranking algo, basically making real estate smarter.

But Ali’s true story kicks off with Chariot, a microtransit startup he co-founded. Think Uber but on a smaller scale, solving city transit messes. That thing got noticed quick, was part of Y Combinator W15, and in 2016, Ford scooped it up as their first mobility acquisition. That’s no small feat; it shows he’s got that founder hustle and vision. The guy’s not just building apps, he’s changing how people get around.

After that, Ali kept riding that wave, jumping into new stuff. Now he’s CEO of Safari AI, a company using computer vision to automate physical operations with cameras you already have. Basically, making enterprise logistics way smarter and cheaper, no need for fancy new hardware. It’s the kind of modern tech that’s gonna be everywhere soon. This shows he’s still hungry to innovate, and he’s got that knack for turning complex tech into something practical and expandable.

What’s dope about Ali is he’s not just a founder, he’s an investor and advisor too. He’s active with First Round Capital, helping other startups, especially in mobility and tech. You can tell he’s all about that system, giving back, and staying plugged into what’s next.

He’s well-educated, too, Vanderbilt undergrad, cum laude in Econ, and he even hit up LSE for some econ courses. But honestly, what stands out is his drive. He’s jumped from finance, to real estate, to mobility, and now AI, always pushing boundaries, always looking for the future trend. Based in New York and San Francisco, dude’s got that dual coast hustle.

Long story short, Ali’s the kind of founder who’s built real-world companies that actually make a difference. He’s got that mix of finance smarts, tech genius, and startup grit. If you ask me, he’s gonna keep crushing it because he’s wired for innovation and driven by making stuff better, not just for the sake of it, but because he genuinely cares about changing lives through tech. No cap.