CartaHead of Data Insights
Until Present
Hamza Shad leads data insights at Carta, where he turns Carta's private-market data into public research on venture funds, startup fundraising and equity compensation. His work includes Carta's State of Pre-Seed and VC Fund Performance reports, the Fund Economics Report, written with Kevin Dowd, and the Round Benchmarking Tool, a public dashboard of round sizes, valuations and dilution across about 20,000 U.S. equity rounds. An economist by training, he previously researched entrepreneurship in emerging markets at Endeavor. He studied at the University of Chicago and the University of Oxford.
Hamza Shad leads data insights at Carta, where he turns Carta's private-market data into public research on venture funds, startup fundraising and equity compensation. His work includes Carta's State of Pre-Seed and VC Fund Performance reports, the Fund Economics Report, written with Kevin Dowd, and the Round Benchmarking Tool, a public dashboard of round sizes, valuations and dilution across about 20,000 U.S. equity rounds. An economist by training, he previously researched entrepreneurship in emerging markets at Endeavor. He studied at the University of Chicago and the University of Oxford.
Career
EndeavorSenior Research Manager, Endeavor Insight
Dec 2023 — Apr 2024
EndeavorResearch Manager, Endeavor Insight
Oct 2021 — Dec 2023
Oxford Poverty & Human Development Initiative (OPHI), University of OxfordResearch Assistant
Nov 2018 — Mar 2020
The Stimson CenterResearch Assistant, South Asia Program
Aug 2017 — Aug 2018
Chicago Project on Security and ThreatsResearch Associate
Jun 2015 — Jun 2017
Cosigns Received
Featured Media
carta.com
Interact with Carta data using the Round Benchmarking Tool
A public dashboard of VC round sizes, valuations and dilution, built on about 20,000 U.S. startup equity rounds since 2021.
carta.com
Fund Economics Report 2025
How VC and PE funds are run, from data on about 2,000 private funds that use Carta for fund administration. Written with Kevin Dowd.
carta.com
VC Fund Performance: Q2 2026
Late-2010s fund vintages keep creating value for their LPs, but turning it into cash returns is another matter.
carta.com
State of Pre-Seed: Q2 2026
Carta's quarterly read on pre-seed fundraising, valuation caps and deal terms.