Type a description of this image

Nasir Qadree

Founder and Managing Partner

Prior Experience

  • Associate Director of Social Investments at AT&T
  • Head of Education at Village Capital
  • US Economic Opportunity lead at Village Capital
  • Special Assistant to the Commissioner of Education - Connecticut State Department of Education
  • Senior Associate - State Street Corporation
  • Analyst -  Goldman Sachs

Education & Community

  • Kauffman Fellows Class 26
  • Hampton University, BS in Marketing
  • General Assembly Front End Web Development, Python Programming
Type a description of this image
About Nasir

WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO LAUNCH ZEAL CAPITAL PARTNERS?

I’ve dedicated my career to sourcing, investing, and scaling high growth early stage  businesses led by exceptional founders across the country, many of whom do not fit the traditional tech founder mold. Not enough founders are getting a fair shot – they’re not receiving the best resources, mentorship, and capital. Far too much innovation and genius are going untapped. Small businesses are getting left behind, which is critical to the infrastructure of our US and global economy.
Zeal is on a path towards democratizing venture capital and entrepreneurship with our Inclusive Investing™ strategy. Together with our team and dedicated limited partners, we are rethinking how we support entrepreneurs today and long term so that they too can leverage opportunities to scale.

WHAT DO YOU LOOK FOR IN FOUNDERS? WHAT GETS YOU EXCITED?

I’m interested in founders who are humble and have “zeal” (pun intended) – a fire and relentlessness to go the distance. If a founder is not madly in love with their business, I won’t be either. I’m also interested in founders who have deep insight into their market and are solving a “painkiller” problem(s) without compromising their integrity.

WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO EXPAND OUR LENS TO NON-TRADITIONAL STARTUP HOTBEDS?

I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing first hand, through my previous investments, that there are exceptional founders and businesses everywhere and I believe there’s power in leveraging local assets in all geographies. Over the past decade , founders from secondary markets have become more and more sophisticated, building profitable and sustainable business models with the same rigor as in primary markets. We are beginning to see more cities known for sector-specific innovations, and many are partnering with universities and large corporations to develop transformational ideas that have economic and social returns. Investing in companies in lower cost cities allows dollars to go much further than investments in traditional financial and tech ecosystems such as SF, Boston, and NYC.

YOU OFTEN SAY 'WEALTH, HEALTH, AND SKILLS" ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE IN THE PATH TOWARD ECONOMIC MOBILITY. CAN YOU EXPLAIN THIS?

Given the fast-changing demands of the labor market, individuals need more than just one lever to thrive—they need a combination of education, financial empowerment, and well-being. Some form of postsecondary education, credentialing, or the ability to re/up-skill is essential to unlocking higher earning potential in today’s economy. At the same time, economic mobility is deeply connected to financial literacy and access to fair, affordable financial services. And without health, mental, physical, and emotional, none of this is sustainable.
That’s why we’re excited to partner with founders building transformative solutions across the Future of Learning & Work, Financial Technology, and Healthcare sectors. These bold entrepreneurs are developing tools that empower people and small businesses to reach their full potential. Because in our view, wealth, skills, and health go hand-in-hand.

WHAT MAKES THE ZEAL CAPITAL PARTNERS TEAM UNIQUE?

Our team hustles like the entrepreneurs we seek to back, bringing a rare mix of high IQ, low ego, and relentless execution. We’re deeply motivated to help founders and companies maximize their potential. Our diverse backgrounds and operating expertise make our collective advice thoughtful, grounded, and actionable.
We also bring more than just capital. Through our Zeal Venture Program, a curated bench of operators, executives, and advisors, and our extensive network of co-investors up and down the capital stack, we provide strategic firepower that helps our portfolio scale faster and smarter.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE QUOTE TO LIVE BY?

“I know there is strength in the differences between us. I know there is comfort where we overlap.” - Ani DiFranco

OUTSIDE OF WORK, WHAT ENERGIZES YOU?

I find so much joy collecting and playing 100% vinyl records. It's 10000% therapeutic to me. There’s something special about pulling out an album from your shelves that a group of artists worked tirelessly on to make. To sit down with the album in a big physical format, to read the liner notes and lyrics, the beautiful art on the album, watch it spin beautifully around and around. Sometimes the sound, the crackle, is better but overall it’s just the fun of the ritual when spinning an album.  My genres of music fall within eclectic jazz, soulful house, boogie, and disco tunes.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST LIVE CONCERT YOU ATTENDED?

Incognito - 1995 Atlanta Tabernacle