Viqar Shariff is one of the early investors in Loop AI Group. After acting as a Board Member and Advisor to the company since 2013, he assumed the role of Chief Strategy Officer in July 2017. He oversees the company's strategic direction, with a primary focus on finance, merger and acquisition, and investor relations.

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Before joining Loop AI Group, Viqar co-founded and served as managing partner of SAFA Partners and was a managing partner at Rizvi Traverse, an opportunistic investment fund and  during his tenure (August 2007 – June 2014), he led the firm's emerging growth technology strategy and spearheaded investments in prominent technology companies, including X (formerly Twitter) with over $1 billion invested, acquiring a 15.6% stake valued at $3.8 billion at IPO in November 2013, Square ($200 million investment), Flipboard ($100 million invested), Facebook ($100 million invested), and Pinterest (minority stake acquired).

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Through SAFA Partners, Viqar also led investments in Lyft and Boxed Wholesale.

 

Prior to becoming an investor, Viqar had over 11 years of mergers and acquisition experience, including being a partner at Clifford Chance. He began his career at the Department of Justice, Antitrust Division, before moving into the private sector.
 

Viqar's deal experience includes working on all facets of growth tech investing from deal origination, structuring, due diligence, deal execution, and operational oversight. During his legal tenure, he navigated complex domestic and cross-border transactions, skillfully negotiating key terms for acquisitions and financings.

A graduate of The Johns Hopkins University, Viqar earned his JD, magna cum laude, from Tulane Law School.