1Mby1M Virtual Accelerator AI Investor Forum: Amir Kabir, Overlook Ventures (Part 2)

Sramana Mitra: Okay. And what is the investment thesis of Overlook Ventures?

Amir Kabir: Sure. I believe two things are true in this world. One is that technology is always evolving. Today it’s AI, and tomorrow it’s something else.

With that, risk is also constantly emerging and evolving. I’ve spent the last 10 years investing within the broader risk or risk management space—understanding financial services, insurance risk, and related areas. I’ve spent over 25 years building companies or partnering with founders at the earliest stages and helping them grow. I’ve held 18 board or observer seats over my career.

Overlook Ventures’ thesis is to invest at the intersection of risk, data, and tech. On one hand, that means investing in companies developing new risk products, which could be in insurance, financial services, or even newer areas like Web3. On the other hand, it’s about companies with interesting data or infrastructure moats that can help better measure or manage risk.

One recent example is a company that developed a machine learning model to detect deepfakes in voice. The way I think about the world is, what does the future look like and what kind of risks are going to emerge?

How can technology help today to learn about that risk?

For example, I think voice will become a dominant medium in the future—from authentication to communicating with not just humans but also machines. The risk there is imminent. How can startups solve that problem today? How can we invest in that?

Another example is a company that developed a full-stack insurance carrier in Mexico, launching the first digital-native auto insurance product there. I believe the market is ripe to serve the population with new digital products in insurance and financial services.

So that gives you a sense of what I’m looking for and interested in.

Sramana Mitra: What about stage? What are you thinking about?

Amir Kabir: Overlook invests at the seed stage—pre-seed to seed or seed plus. I call it pre–product-market fit. I’m really interested in the founding team first and foremost, and then in what products they’re building and what solutions they have.

Throughout my career, many founders ask what my revenue threshold is. I don’t have one. I don’t believe revenue is the best indicator of success at the early stage.

Sramana Mitra: So, you fund concepts?

Amir Kabir: I do fund concepts, but it has to be a very thoughtful team. There’re three core things I look for when evaluating a startup. First and foremost is the team – Who are you? Why do you wake up every morning to solve this problem?

When I look at the investments I’ve made, every founder basically is solving a problem that they have experienced somehow. With that, they have some sort of unique insights that they bring to the table that not everybody can have.

On top of that from the founding team perspective, I’m really interested in technical teams. At least one of the co-founders, if it’s a solo founder, he or she has to be technical enough to build a product.

So yes, I do invest at concept stage if those qualities are present.

This segment is part 2 in the series : 1Mby1M Virtual Accelerator AI Investor Forum: Amir Kabir, Overlook Ventures
1 2 3 4