Ali Rowghani, a prominent Silicon Valley investor and executive, has launched a new venture capital firm, Maxq, raising $250 million for its debut fund. Rowghani, who previously led Y Combinator's growth-stage investing arm, YC Continuity, is shifting focus to seed-stage investments with this new endeavour.
Rowghani has a notable track record, having served as CFO and COO of Twitter and earlier as CFO of Pixar. His new firm, Maxq, brings together a team of fellow Y Combinator veterans, including Mia Mabanta, Simon Lu, and JJ Fliegelman. Unlike his previous work with YC Continuity, which concentrated on later-stage investments, Maxq will target early-stage opportunities to support startups from the ground up.
This move marks Rowghani's continued influence in Silicon Valley’s venture capital landscape, where he remains one of the most well-known and respected figures.