Welcome back to the Alt Goes Mainstream podcast.

Startup stories are often stuff of dreams — and today’s podcast is a story about one of tech’s most unlikely venture capitalists.

Journalist and professional soccer player turned immigrant turned self-proclaimed "best carwasher in San Jose" turned Persian rug salesman turned top Silicon Valley seed investor Pejman Nozad, the Co-Founder & Founding Managing Partner of Pear VC comes on the show to chronicle his journey that has crossed continents to back many of tech’s top companies. 

While his story has taken him many places, one thing has stayed constant — his ability to build relationships and connect with people. And that talent has enabled him to succeed in building a top seed fund in Pear with his partner and serial entrepreneur Mar Hershenson, where they have backed the likes of DoorDash, Gusto, Guardant Health, Aurora, and many more.

Pejman shares everything from how to build relationships to how to build a seed fund.

We discussed so many fascinating topics:

• What he looks for in founders.
• Why family is so important.
• How and why building relationships is so critical in early-stage investing.
• How Pear has built out a multitude of products and services for founders across pre-seed and seed.
• How companies can go from zero to product-market fit.
• Why some of the largest institutional LPs are interested in a dedicated pre-seed and seed strategy. 
• I also learned that he makes some really good Persian tea, which is apparently even better than Sadaf.

It was a pleasure to have you on the show, Pejman, to share a story for the ages and one that is still being written.