Safa Rashtchy is a Silicon Valley investor and advisor, and sits on the boards of several start-ups and global organizations. Safa is currently working on Think+ fund concept. Safa’s portfolio of investments includes nearly 30 companies in U.S and abroad. From 1997 to 2007, Safa was a Managing Director and Senior Research Analyst focused on Internet media and marketing, and the Lead China analyst at Piper Jaffray and Company. He led the firm’s expansion efforts in the Internet industry and its expansion to China, as well as active involvements with leading Web 2.0 companies. Currently, Safa is one of the most active Silicon Valley angel investors and is working on formation of a new type of venture capital concept, Think +.
Safa is currently on the boards of Capshare, Investmentyogi.com (India), and Wings Learning Center. He is also on the advisory boards of Snapwire, ChinaVenture (China), and Early Bird Alert.
Safa’s current investment portfolio consists of companies focused on Digital Health, Consumer, Media and Technology innovations, with a deep attention to the value proposition for the users.
Safa has published numerous research and industry reports on consumer trends, online advertising, search, Chinese Internet market, and other segments of Internet Media and Technology. In 2007, Safa and his team published the ground breaking report on media and advertising, entitled, “The User Revolution – The New Advertising Ecosystem and the Rise of The Internet as a Mass Medium.”
Throughout his ten year tenure at Piper Jaffray, Safa enjoyed top ranking and recognition from Wall Street, including three consecutive years of the prestigious Institutional Investor (II) ranking, as well as top rankings for stock picks and earnings estimates. In 2007, Safa was named the Investment Analyst of the Year and received the 2007 New Economy Award from iResearch in China. In 2002, Safa was named to The Wall Street Journal’s ” Best on the Street” analyst survey and was also a winner in Institutional Investor magazine’s “Home Run Hitters of 2001″ top stock pickers list. He has been on the advisory board of Search Engine Marketing Professional Organization (SEMPO) since 2004.
Prior to Piper, Safa held a number of industry positions. From 1992 to 1996, Safa was president of ColorWorks Graphics, the digital imaging company he founded in Boston. Prior to that, Safa worked in various technical and management capacities in computer graphics and engineering companies.
Safa holds a Master’s degree in business administration, summa cum laude, from Boston University and a Bachelor’s degree in engineering from Purdue University. Safa lives in Palo Alto with his wife and son. He likes to bicycle to work when he can and enjoys traveling, cooking and great wines.