Operators. Investors. Entrepreneurs. Technical Experts.
Rooted in the Imperial ecosystem, we are building a community-driven venture firm powered by the global Imperial alumni community, bringing together founders, operators, investors, commercial and technical experts to support the next generation of category-defining companies.
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Founder and General Partner
Shahryar is the Founder and Managing Partner of Project Ventures. A founder, operator and venture capital investor, he has built and scaled startups, led investments in more than 50 early-stage companies, and was instrumental in establishing the UK's first automated high-volume venture capital fund. His experience across entrepreneurship, venture capital and global financial institutions enables him to support founders with both strategic and operational expertise. Shahryar holds a BEng in Biomedical Engineering, an MSc in Metals & Energy Finance, and an MBA from Imperial College London.
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Venture Partner
Lisa is a startup growth specialist and ecosystem builder with a PhD in Entrepreneurship from Imperial College London. She has extensive experience designing and leading accelerator programmes, mentoring founders and building entrepreneurial communities, while working closely with multiple departments across the Imperial ecosystem. Lisa supports Project Ventures through founder development, strategic connections, community building and access to talent and the wider innovation ecosystem.
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Venture Partner
Max is an entrepreneur, founder and operator with a deep understanding of early-stage Deep Tech and AI ventures. He holds both an MEng and a PhD from Imperial College London and was recognised in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. Deeply embedded within the Imperial founder ecosystem, Max leads the Imperial Founder Roundtable community and mentors early-stage founders. He supports Project Ventures through investment sourcing, commercial due diligence and helping portfolio companies navigate growth and commercial strategy.
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Riccardo is a deep tech operator working at the intersection of AI and frontier science, with a PhD in Physics and an Imperial College MBA. A former research leader at Stanford, he co-founded the Center for Coatings Research and worked on optical coatings for LIGO, contributing to the Nobel Prize-winning detection of gravitational waves. He supports Project Ventures through technical due diligence, technology assessment and strategic guidance for founders building science-led companies.
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Venture Partner
Martin is a Bay Area–based entrepreneur, operator and technology executive with over two decades of experience building, scaling and commercialising Deep Tech and AI companies. Having founded and exited multiple ventures, raised over $100 million in venture funding and led businesses from startup to enterprise scale, he brings deep expertise in growth strategy, commercialisation and global market expansion. Martin supports Project Ventures through strategic partnerships, US market access and helping portfolio companies scale internationally.
Supported by Our Expert Network.
Beyond our Founder and Venture Partners, Project Ventures is supported by a curated Expert Network spanning founders, operators, investors, technical specialists, commercial leaders and domain experts, providing portfolio companies with access to domain expertise, commercial guidance and strategic connections.