Shiva Amiri

Shiva Amiri was most recently Partner and Chief Data Science Officer at Pivotal Life Sciences, a San Francisco–based venture capital fund, where she built an AI platform for life science investments. She previously led data technology at 23andMe, directed data science at Zymergen, and served as CEO of BioSymetrics, a biomedical machine learning startup. Earlier in her career, she developed big data systems for the Ontario Brain Institute. Her work has centered around the intersection of biology and computer science, and she holds a DPhil in Computational Biochemistry from the University of Oxford and an HBSc in Computer Science and Human Biology from the University of Toronto.

At Oxford, Shiva also found time to captain the Wolfson-St. Antony’s football club, and participated in the Oxford University Dance Sport Club.

What advantages give Oxonian founders an edge?

Oxonian founders benefit from having had a multi-disciplinary experience at Oxford, with exposure to some of the best scientists from around the world who are accessible through departments or as visiting scholars or speakers. The level of expertise and the resources available at Oxford enable not only cutting edge research, with the latest methodology and instrumentation, but also the expectation that what is done is world-class and leading in the space. Being a student at Oxford inspires a global perspective, which I believe develops a deeper level of curiosity, openness to ideas, and critique which are important characteristics of successful entrepreneurs.

What drew you to Oxonian Ventures?

Joining Oxonian Ventures was an opportunity to learn in an environment that I felt was very supportive of LPs, associates, and the companies that were being funded. The GPs made it easy to feel part of the team and have always opened up ways to contribute. They took away the mystery and formality of traditional investing and also make it fun.

My last role happened to be a venture capital investment company so this gave me an opportunity to learn about investment from both a more traditional VC organization, and Oxonian Ventures that is a more bespoke fund centered around a specific community. Another component, of course, with Oxonian Ventures and the companies we consider for investment, is that there's an important filter in that everyone has studied at Oxford. Everyone in the Oxonian Ventures community has had a rigorous training in their field and for those in the sciences, exposure to the scientific and technical excellence that Oxford demands and offers.

How did your experience at Oxford contribute to your decision to invest?

Having exposure to the best people in the world opens your horizons, forces growth, drives you to think beyond your immediate world, and allows you to dream big.  In this way the invaluable experience of studying at Oxford did contribute to my decision to invest, to support the dreamers, to give back in some ways given the privileges I've had. Becoming an Oxonian Ventures LP has also allowed me a way of extending the experience by being a part of a group of people that share the same experiences and values.

What has been the most rewarding part of your experience with Oxonian Ventures?

There are several rewarding parts to being an investor with Oxonian Ventures. Of course, first the community, an impressive (and fun) group of people with varied experiences. The group organizes events for LPs to meet in person, including events in partnership with Oxford Entrepreneurs Network (OxEN), as well as the annual ski trip, which I've attended three times so far.

Also rewarding is hearing the great ideas coming through from the company founders and learning from them, learning from the other LPs' insights during pitch sessions, and learning from the entrepreneurs and their experiences and the reasons behind the problems they're trying to solve. 

Advice for Oxonians considering joining Oxonian Ventures as an investor?

It's a great opportunity to keep that Oxford curiosity alive, to be part of a community that has access to the best companies and ideas coming out of Oxford, and the opportunity to get to know and learn from other Oxonian investors.