Fundraising Fox
/People
Sign in

Nasir Ali

Investor

Cofounder and CEO at UpVentures Capital · Managing Partner at StartFast Ventures

Rochester, New York

Writes $500K – $1.3M checks · typically $750K

Find your path to Nasir

416 people in our graph can introduce you to Nasir.

Each arrow is one introduction. Sign up to fill in the first one.

Ask Kathryn Cartini to introduce you to Nasir

You →Kathryn · together at Upstate Venture Connect (2016–2020) →Nasir

Ask Jamie Chen to introduce you to Nasir

You →Jamie · together at Upstate Venture Connect →Nasir

Ask Sam Okafor to introduce you to Nasir

You →Sam · 3 people · together at Fitz Gate Ventures →Nasir

Sign up to find every way you can get introduced to Nasir

  • Your email: the people you already email who know Nasir
  • 2nd- and 3rd-degree connections: people you know who worked, studied or invested with Nasir
  • Your LinkedIn: the connections who can make the intro for you

We rank every route by how warm it is, so you raise on warm intros instead of cold emails.

Sign up with GoogleAlready have an account? Log in

About

Managing Partner at StartFast who has spent two decades building Upstate NY's entrepreneurial ecosystem through Upstate Venture Connect and investments in 60 companies. He launched Upstate NY's first angel fund in 2007 and co-founded the StartFast Venture Accelerator in 2011.

Experience

  1. UpVentures HoldingsCofounder and CEOcurrent2024 — presentLittle Falls, New York, United States
  2. StartFastManaging Directorcurrent2011 — presentRochester, New York, United States
  3. SimpleCertifiedMail.comBoard Membercurrent2025 — present
  4. KredosAiBoard Membercurrent2025 — present
  5. Upstate Venture ConnectCo-Founder and Board Chairmancurrent2010 — present
  6. Entrepreneurs Across Borders, Inc.Board Advisorcurrent2024 — present
  7. UpMobility Foundation, Inc.Board Advisorcurrent2024 — presentLittle Falls, New York, United States
  8. Fitz Gate VenturesAdvisorcurrent2017 — presentUnited States
  9. NextGen Venture PartnersPartnercurrent2017 — presentUnited States
  10. NYS Innovation Venture Capital FundInvestment Committee Member2014 — 2023Albany, New York Metropolitan Area
  11. Seed Capital Fund of CNY, LLCMember and Executive Director2007 — 2020
  12. SpinCar®Board Observer2014 — 2018Greater Syracuse-Auburn Area
  13. Paper Battery CompanyAdvisory Board Member2014 — 2018Troy, NY
  14. KipAdvisor2016 — 2017New York, NY
  15. Chequed.comDirector2010 — 2013Saratoga Springs, NY
  16. The Tech GardenPresident2004 — 2010
  17. Booz Allen HamiltonAssociate2002 — 2004
  18. WriterspointCoFounder and President2001 — 2002
  19. New Think, Inc.Founder and CEO1999 — 2001
  20. MGA, Inc.Sr. Associate1996 — 1999
  21. Arthur D. LittleSr. Consultant, Environmental Business & Strategy1991 — 1996

Skills & more

Venture Capital98Start-ups99Entrepreneurship99Mergers & Acquisitions15Corporate Development17Business Strategy17Private Equity37Marketing Strategy11Angel Investing26New Business Development9Business Development23Executive Management5
+12 moreNon-profitsIntegrated MarketingReferralsCleantechRecruitingStrategic PartnershipsProduct DevelopmentManagement ConsultingMentoringLeadershipStrategyStrategic Planning

From Nasir's professional profile.

Investments

Per curated public sources.

Colleagues at UpVentures Capital

Amy Lindner
UpMobility Foundation at UpVentures Capital
Andrea Babinec
UpMobility Foundation at UpVentures Capital
Anthony Thomas
Unite NY Executive Director at UpVentures Capital
Chris Cochran
Entrepreneurs Across Borders at UpVentures Capital
Cindy Sideris
Upstate Venture Connect at UpVentures Capital
Dean Gaylord
UpVentures Hospitality at UpVentures Capital
Frank Herringshaw
UpVentures Hospitality at UpVentures Capital
Hailee Greene
Upstate Venture Connect at UpVentures Capital

Network1

Baris GuzelScout
Partner at BMW i Ventures

Investors connected to Nasir in public investor directories — a warm-intro map.

Frequently asked questions

Who is Nasir Ali?
Managing Partner at StartFast who has spent two decades building Upstate NY's entrepreneurial ecosystem through Upstate Venture Connect and investments in 60 companies. He launched Upstate NY's first angel fund in 2007 and co-founded the StartFast Venture Accelerator in 2011.
Where does Nasir Ali work?
Nasir Ali is Cofounder and CEO at UpVentures Capital.
What check size does Nasir Ali write?
Nasir Ali typically writes checks of $500K – $1.3M.
What companies has Nasir Ali invested in?
Investments tracked here include 3D Usher, Designerinc, Impel, KredosAI, Patient Pattern.
Where did Nasir Ali go to school?
Nasir Ali studied at Princeton University (AB, Physics); Yale School of Management (MPPM (MBA), Finance and Operations Management).

Same school

Shared employers