Clear Ventures

Somnath leads AI capabilities of Clear's engineering platform, generating insights for sourcing, customers, talent, and capital. He previously built Pinterest's shopping discovery, spent over seven years at Walmart Labs, and was a founding member of Google's WebP team.

Zach Poley builds Clear's software, data, and AI-driven venture capital operating system. He joined in 2020 after co-founding and serving as CTO of Paysa and leading engineering/product teams at Walmart Labs.

Rajeev Madhavan built EDA companies from scratch to IPO/exit (Ambit Design, Magma Design Automation) and proactively uses AI to recruit domain experts inside big companies to found startups he seeds.

Khalig is a core investment team member leading founder sourcing, deal origination, and due diligence, and runs Clear's Portfolio Services and ecosystem/marketing programs. He previously worked at Ignite XL Ventures and on the UK government's Foreign Direct Investment team.

Information Security veteran with 20+ years of experience, currently serving as Deputy CISO at Stripe. Holds PhD in information security.

Data and analytics executive with 25+ years of experience, currently Senior Vice President and Chief Data Officer at Experian. Built customer data hubs and analytics platforms at Verizon for millions of users.

Academic hospitalist and physician leader with board certification in informatics. Assistant CMIO at UW Medicine and expert in quality improvement, patient safety, and medical communication.

Co-term master's student in Computer Science at Stanford researching cryptographic defenses using zero-knowledge proofs and blockchain verification. Varsity track athlete with publications in cryptography and biosecurity.

UC Berkeley senior pursuing six majors across computer science, data science, economics, and applied mathematics. Strategic AI Advisory Board Member at USF and experienced in machine learning, quantitative research, and startup work.

BS+MS student in Computer Science at Stanford and Co-Founder of Mayflower, researching AI robustness and mathematical reasoning. Published work on reasoning benchmarks and LLM evaluation at ICML and ICLR.

Data scientist and AI consultant with background in machine learning, enterprise analytics, and cybersecurity. Senior Data and AI Solutions Consultant at Connor Group, previously built ML systems for email threat detection at Proofpoint.

Accomplished cybersecurity leader with 21+ years managing information technology and security at Fortune 500 companies. Built technology and security functions from the ground up at Oracle, Symantec, and BMO Financial.

Cybersecurity executive serving as VP and CISO at Paychex with extensive background in security roles at financial and technology companies. Holds MBA, JD, and LLM in information technology and privacy law.

Christopher Rust pairs engineering leadership—as co‑founder and lead architect of Roadrunner (scaled to 14M subscribers and tied to Charter’s $56.7B acquisition)—with 14–16 years at Sequoia/USVP and first 24 exits >$32B.

Graduate student in Electrical and Computer Engineering at UCLA researching adaptive cancer classification systems. Predoctoral researcher at Google DeepMind with publications in top venues including ICML and EACL.

Senior technical leader and Technical Fellow at Microsoft Azure Hardware Systems, responsible for designing and deploying hardware architectures for cloud and edge computing systems.

Computer Science graduate from Stanford currently working as Software Engineer at NVIDIA on AI Developer Tools. Founder of Technoladies Turkey promoting diversity in STEM with mentorship and workshops.

IT security professional with 25+ years of experience implementing frameworks like NIST DFARS and CMMC. Established entire security departments, significantly reducing organizational cybersecurity risks.

Dual-degree major in UC Berkeley's M.E.T. program specializing in Bioengineering and Business. Technical background in biotech and AI/ML with experience at biotech startups and NASA, co-author of Nature Communications Medicine paper.

Engineering and security leader with 20+ years managing global cross-functional teams at VMWare, Workday, Samsara, and Oracle. Currently Global Head of Security at SPAN.

Technology and security leader with 25+ years building high-performing global teams and leading large-scale transformations across diverse industries including media, consumer electronics, and manufacturing.

Senior IT leader with expertise in technology strategy, policy design, and organizational development. Last served as CIO and CISO at Columbia Business School.

Global Head of Information Security and Compliance at AppLovin with 20+ years leading cybersecurity and data privacy programs for multinational organizations and Fortune 500 companies.

PhD student in Management Science and Engineering at Stanford focused on economic systems, technology, and entrepreneurship. Founder of Product Catalyst consulting and co-founder of Loopify, supporting African small businesses.

PhD student in Computer Science at Princeton researching mathematical reasoning in machine learning and language model alignment. NSF Graduate Research Fellow with publications at ICML and research spanning medical AI and healthcare applications.

Physics PhD candidate at Stanford researching quantum transducers for distributed quantum networks. Diverse background spanning accelerator physics, quantum computing, and superconducting circuits.

Executive with Fortune 500 and pre-IPO startup experience, currently Vice President of Corporate Marketing at Cadence. Strong background in product growth, business development, and international team leadership.

PhD candidate in Quantum and Semiconductor Physics at Cambridge researching magnetic topological materials and gallium nitride. Qualified lawyer with venture fellowship experience at semiconductor and quantum technology startups.

PhD candidate in Electrical Engineering at Stanford researching bioelectronics and wearable health technology. Works on diagnostic devices for gastric function and women's health applications.

Linda manages operations and executive support at Clear. She previously spent over a decade at venture consultancy Mach49 in Redwood City, rising from Executive Assistant to Chief of Staff, and earlier worked as an event manager at San Francisco hospitality venues.

PhD candidate in Materials Science and Engineering at Stanford working on AI models for materials discovery and battery development. Previously a cell engineer and materials engineer at Tesla.

Physician and healthcare innovation leader serving as President of Healthcare Innovation and Chief Medical Officer at Community Health Systems. Neurologist with extensive medical leadership experience.

PhD candidate in Aeronautics and Astronautics at Stanford and U.S. Army experimental test pilot. Holds 850+ flight hours, expertise in multi-agent systems, and military innovation with 40+ patents.

Matt is a software engineer at Clear who began repairing electronics as a teen and studied Mechanical Engineering at UC Berkeley. He co-founded a digital agency, trained at BloomTech, and previously built software for real estate investors.

Physician executive and academic hospitalist with dual board certification in Internal Medicine and Clinical Informatics. Associate Chief Medical Information Officer at Tufts Medicine and member of Launchpad Venture Group investing in digital health.

Technology leader with 20+ years delivering SaaS offerings and managing technical teams. Recently served as CIO at Signify Health with senior-level roles at Fortune 1000 companies.

Harvard graduate in History with secondary in Economics, Cambridge master's graduate researching quantum-secure communications and geopolitics. Resident athlete with USA Men's National Rugby Sevens Team.

PhD candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton researching photonics and quantum device engineering. Prior industry experience as Junior Member of Technical Staff at Flux Photonics and roles at SpaceX and Stanford's nanophotonics laboratory.

Chemical engineer with experience in data-driven decision making, startup evaluation, and product strategy. Previously worked as analyst at Axtria and Eximius Ventures evaluating early-stage companies.

Executive with 20+ years of IT industry experience, including 15 years in automation. Previously CIO at MobileIron and Automation Anywhere, leading digital transformations.

Tina is part of Clear's Investments & Portfolio Services team, identifying opportunities and supporting founders, and drives ecosystem/marketing initiatives. She previously held product and growth roles at startups ROOM and Kustomer, worked at Meta, and began investing at Origin Ventures.