About Me

(Rice Magazine article, November 2015)

I’m the founder of SnapStream where we make software used to create short video clips. Organizations like the Daily Show, the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, the Wall Street Journal, and Politico use us for their clips. If you are curious, here are some examples of SnapStream’s use in the wild.

And here’s an interview I did on CNBC in June 2014 talking about SnapStream.

I’m also an investor in 60+ early stage companies and a limited partner in a bunch of venture capital funds. I have been attending Y Combinator Demo Days and investing in YC companies since 2012 (a few companies I’ve invested in: Cruise, Flock Safety, Remix Software).  I’ve also invested in a bunch more ocmpanies through AngelList. I love investing in Houston companies when the opportunities are right — a few of my Houston investments: Braincheck, CloudCalc, Fannin Partners, Procyrion, Liongard, Graylog, Biotex Medical.

I’m a generalist who knows a little bit about a lot of different things, but if there’s a lane where I have greater depth, it’s product. So as an investor, I like to try products before I invest, it’s how I get a feel for the makers behind a company… and this lead me to driving my Tesla for Lyft when they first launched in Houston (through one fund I’m an investor, I was a small early stage investor in Uber).

I was born in Houston, TX and when I was 11, my family picked up and moved to New Delhi, India for 5 years where I attended the American Embassy School. I returned to Houston and finished up high school at St. John’s School followed by my undergrad in Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering at Rice University. Yes, a very technical background, but I was also intentional about indulging my broad interests: I took a drawing class, a class on the history of the Palestinians and a year of Art History, and I was photo editor of the Rice Thresher for a little while.

My wife and I spend a lot of our time raising our lovely children, though, surprise, surprise, the children keep growing up and aging out of our. We live next door to my Mom and Dad in a sort-of extended family setup. And I have three sisters and two brother-in-laws — all of whom are brilliant and accomplished and inspire me to want to do great things.

Someone I knew at Rice had the tagline “aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada” in his emails– this applies to me. I’m passionate and interested in a lot of different things including entrepreneurship, photography (though recent work has been limited to, well, my children), India (I love traveling there — see pics from a past trip to Sikkim), running, art, and Montessori education (I used to be on the board of a great Montessori School in Houston, the Post Oak School). Best I can tell, my life’s mission is to fuck around and find out. ?

Updated: August 2023