We always appreciate the opportunity to see our alums in Chicago, and we got a special treat in May when MSL ’22 graduate Amir Kabir visited us. Though he was an active student and has been an active alum of the MSL program, Kabir had never actually stepped foot on campus, having studied with us through the COVID days when on-campus opportunities were limited. When he told us he’d be visiting the school, we were thrilled to welcome him to campus for the first time, and even more thrilled for the opportunity to have him meet with current MSL students in the midst of their Power Week study.

Over the course of an engaging and inspiring conversation, Kabir shared his incredible journey: from growing up in Germany, building businesses from scratch, moving to the U.S. with no safety net, breaking into venture capital, and eventually launching his own fund—his path has been anything but linear. Kabir offered a candid look at the entrepreneurial mindset—and how the MSL program helped shape his unique path.

“Since I can remember, I’ve loved to build things. I built my own computer when I was 14, and that transitioned into a love for building businesses,” said Kabir. “I started an e-commerce business in my twenties importing goods from the U.S. that weren’t available in Germany and selling them at a markup. I found an arbitrage there. That was my first foray into business.”

Describing himself as someone who “can’t sit still,” Kabir’s story reflects that restless energy. After early experiences working with tech startups in Germany and attending business school in D.C., Kabir set his sights on Silicon Valley—and he hasn’t looked back. Even as he built an impressive career in venture capital, Kabir kept pushing for more. He recently stepped away from a high-profile venture capital role to launch his own fund.

Kabir enrolled in the MSL program to fill a very specific gap. As a business leader working closely with startups and legal teams, he wanted to better understand the U.S. legal system, which was vastly different from what he had experienced in Europe. Through the MSL curriculum, he gained the language and confidence to navigate complex deals, funding documents, and high-stakes conversations with legal professionals. That legal fluency has become a critical part of his toolkit.

“I wanted to understand the legal system better, but my goal wasn’t to be a lawyer—it was to be in business and speak the language of law. When a lawyer tells me ‘X’, I now know what ‘X’ means,” said Kabir. “I use that knowledge every day in conversations with startups and lawyers. It helps me operate eye-to-eye with legal professionals and founders alike.”

Kabir also spoke about what he calls the “entrepreneurial gene”—that internal drive to build, create, and push forward even when the outcome isn’t certain. “I don’t think about it not working out because I’m so confident it will,” said Kabir. “You have to believe in yourself more than anybody else—maybe be a little delusional.” He described going all in—cashing out his IRA, selling his assets, and starting from scratch to build something meaningful.

Even when the path wasn’t clear—or when the visa was late, or the job fell through, or the answer was “no”—Kabir always kept going. “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no,” he said. “Every no is just a redirection to a yes.”

Today, Kabir is raising capital for his own venture fund, one focused on the intersection of risk, data and technology. It’s an endeavor informed by his years in financial services and his desire to invest in solutions that help people and businesses manage uncertainty in a rapidly changing world.

“Technology keeps evolving—AI today, quantum computing tomorrow—and new risks emerge alongside that evolution,” said Kabir.