Zaahir Syed
Founder of The Detroit Foundation, currently a Class of 2011 MBA Candidate at the Walter A. Haas School of Business
| Headline: | Startup Member |
| Work status: | Full-Time Student |
| Website: | http://www.detroitfoundation.org |
| Skills: | Business, Entrepreneurship, Languages, Leadership, Management |
| Location: | Berkeley, CA |
| Interested in: | Brainstorming, Finding business partners, Finding cofounders, Finding team mates, Getting press, Meeting new people, Professional opportunities, Promoting my startups, Providing services to startups, Raising money, Recruiting for my startup |
| Tags: | detroit, housing, nonprofit venture capital, social venture capital, web 2.0 |
| Schools: | University of California System - Berkeley, Vanderbilt University |
WORK EXPERIENCE
| Employer: | TAPROOT FOUNDATION |
| Position: | Project Manager |
| Description: | Managed rebranding initiative for SAYA, a South Asian nonprofit aimed at providing youth leadership training and academic preparation. |
| Employer: | DETROIT FOUNDATION |
| Position: | Founder |
| Time period: | January 2008 - December 2009 |
| Description: | Detroit Foundation is a newly founded non-profit venture fund that identifies and supports creative-focused entrepreneurs in the Detroit Metropolitan Area.
Utilizing both philanthropic and public capital, the Foundation seeks to rejuvenate the Detroit Metropolitan economy in the wake of the housing and unemployment crises. |
| Employer: | Morgan Stanley |
| Position: | Manager of Strategy |
| Time period: | July 2007 - July 2009 |
| Description: | Developed and managed corporate strategy initiatives for Residential Mortgage Business.
Business Plan Development: Performed comprehensive market study to assess the evolving competitive marketplace in the domestic mortgage industry. Identified best practices and potential strategic near-term opportunities for Morgan Stanley. Developed three-year plan incorporating strategic initiatives and revenue projections, presented to Morgan Stanley Board. Transaction Management: Served as liaison between trading desk and potential buyers and sellers of mortgage loans. Reviewed trade agreements with contract finance to maintain Morgan Stanley’s interests as top priority. Expense Management: Developed metrics and tools to monitor expense deficiencies in the current U.S. Residential Business. Collaborated with Global Chief Administrative Officer to identify, quantify and implement initiatives for a potential 20% annual expense reduction. |
| Employer: | Microsoft |
| Position: | Analyst |
| Time period: | September 2005 - July 2007 |
| Description: | Managed strategy and analytics for all MSN Search auto clients.
Workload Performance Measurement: Conducted performance analysis to assess effectiveness of employee time allocation. Presented scalable and dynamic organizational model forecasting revenue, employee workload, accounts acquired and team size over a three-year period to senior management. Competitive Intelligence Analysis: Managed the analysis of client advertising effectiveness against direct competitors both within MSN and other engines. Collaborated with management, sales and product teams to determine the service level required to produce insightful client recommendations in a timely manner. |
| Employer: | Accenture |
| Position: | Consultant |
| Time period: | July 2003 - July 2005 |
| Description: | Served as an integral part of case teams working with major U.S. and international companies.
Strategic Platform Design: Developed unique technology for leading prime brokerage to consolidate trade data for hedge fund customers. Facilitated discussions with client’s senior management and salesforce to determine customer preferences and effective product release strategy. Market Data Outsourcing: Conducted cost-benefit analysis of Accenture outsourcing relationship with leading investment bank. Designed benchmarking methodology to assess attractiveness of outsourcing agreement and created implementation/communication plan for senior management. |
EDUCATION
| University: | University of California System - Berkeley |
| Time period: | 2009 - 2011 |
| Degree: | MBA |
| University: | Vanderbilt University |
| Time period: | 1999 - 2003 |
| Degree: | Mathematics & Economics, BSc |
INFORMATION
| Sports: | basketball, tennis, golf, squash |
| Hobbies: | Record collecting, politics |
Zaahir's Startups (1)
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Detroit Foundation
Detroit Foundation is a newly founded nonprofit venture fund that identifies and supports creative-focused entrepreneurs in the Detroit Metropolitan Area.
Zaahir is Following (2)
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Event Homes
Online community to connect renters who want to rent homes for popular sporting/business events.
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Drop Magazine
Drop Magazine is an online magazine that provides a comprehensive range of content geared towards hip hop consumers
