Shahzad Pirvani

Shahzad Pirvani is a private equity investor who has spent roughly a decade and a half deploying capital in both generalist and specialist mandates across the capital structure. He earned his bachelor's degree in accounting and finance in a joint program between the University of Warwick (Warwick Business School, U.K.) and the University of Georgia (U.S.), graduating with honors. He began his career in valuation advisory, working at FMV Opinions and Stout Risius Ross in New York, before moving into investment banking in the M&A and equity division of Robert W. Baird & Co., where he focused on middle-market industrial-technology transactions.

From banking he moved to the buy side, holding roles across a series of private equity platforms — Blackford Capital (as a Senior Associate originating and executing North American middle-market deals), Battery Ventures (private equity, Industrial & Life Science Technologies), and Arctaris Impact Investors. In 2019 he joined ZS Fund L.P., the New York private equity firm founded by Ned Sherwood that has invested in successful middle-market companies since 1985, structuring deals that give owners liquidity while letting them keep a meaningful stake and operating independence.

Pirvani is also a Partner at Old Georgian Ventures, a private investment firm with offices in New York, Amsterdam, and Northern Europe (his relative Jahanzeb Pirvani is also a partner there). OGV describes itself as generalist-and-specialist investors who back founders and management teams building "category-defining" small and medium-sized businesses across the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe, with a stated emphasis on long-termism and sustainability. In connection with ZS Fund's transportation holdings, Pirvani has served as a board observer at Transervice Logistics Inc. and Transervice Integrated Solutions (TIS) since January 2019, and is associated with Lily Transportation Corp.

Note: A few third-party databases label him variously as an "Associate," a "Partner," or (in the source stub) an "angel/seed" investor. The consistent primary-source picture is that of a control-oriented private equity professional operating between ZS Fund L.P. and Old Georgian Ventures, not a seed-stage angel.

• Invests as a private equity principal in established, profitable middle-market and SME companies, not early-stage startups — the ZS Fund model provides liquidity to owners "while allowing existing management teams to lead their companies."
• Deal types span buyouts, roll-ups/industry consolidations, PIPEs, minority investments, and take-private transactions.
• Sector strength in industrial technology and transportation & logistics, plus life-science technologies (a legacy of his Battery Ventures work); OGV pursues a broader generalist mandate.
• Situational focus (per ZS Fund) on estate planning and management transitions, industry consolidation, and divergent shareholder objectives — i.e., complex ownership situations where a flexible capital partner adds value.
• Favors long-term appreciation over quick flips, partnering constructively with incumbent management rather than replacing it.
• Geographically active across the U.S., Canada, and Western Europe (OGV maintains U.S. and European offices).