Sarah Djamshidi is a Managing Director of National Capital Companies and President and Managing Partner of Speedshift Ventures.
Sarah Djamshidi is a proven and trusted business advisor. She has coached high-profile, technology-based startups and early-stage tech companies and led public-private-partnership organizations with great success. She has earned her reputation as a detail-oriented executive leader who can synthesize complex business challenges to uncover solutions and opportunities for entrepreneurs.
As the Managing Director at National Capital Companies, a middle-market investment banking firm, she serves in a key leadership role within the M&A and investment banking group, serving cyber security, technology and defense/government services companies. She manages existing client engagements, and fosters relationships with existing/prospective clients and corporate partners. In addition, she generates new business and closes deals for the firm.
As the President and Managing Partner of Speedshift Ventures, she works in a hands-on way with start-ups and emerging technology companies in the following areas: business planning, product launch, go-to-market strategies & execution, capital formation, and growth.

In addition to managing her own business, she was the President of and also served as the Strategic Advisor to Maryland Business Incubation Association (MBIA). MBIA is an association of more than 20 incubators and
accelerators supporting more than 400 emerging companies throughout the State of Maryland.

She is also a committee member for BASE Business Initiative (BBI), a Fort Meade Regional Growth Management Committee sponsored initiative, and AFCEA DC Cybersecurity steering committee. In addition, she is an Investment Advisory Board Member for District of Columbia’s inaugural Digital DC Technology Fund.

Recruited by the Board of Directors of the Chesapeake Innovation Center (CIC), nation’s first homeland and cyber security accelerator, to serve as the Executive Director, she lead the turnaround of the organization, designing strategy and implementing processes and programs to improve market awareness and positive image for the organization by developing marketing strategies, leading business development and operations of CIC. During her tenure at CIC, she scouted for and identified innovative technologies and coached more than 200 technology companies nationwide “ including: Visual Analytics, Fire Eye, Damballa, Netronome, Appistry, Techno Sciences, Q1 Labs, Tableau Software, SitScape, and Codenomicon.

Sarah is an articulate communicator known for her ability to build relationships, brands, and revenue. In a span of one year, her hands-on work with a portfolio of 12 startup companies (ranging from pre-revenue to $15 million) led to the creation of 45 high-paying jobs; 38 new contracts valued at more than $6.4 million; $5.6 million in new private capital; and 6 patent filings. Her work with her client companies has led to numerous regional awards for those firms. As a result of successful turn-around, the economic impact of CIC and its portfolio companies were highlighted in Anne Arundel County’s reports to credit rating agencies. CIC companies have raised more than $100 million in private capital and more than $300 million in government contracts.

As Director of the University of Maryland’s Technology Advancement Program (TAP), Sarah helped to raise $20 million for portfolio companies as she actively advised them on market research, business and strategic planning, business process reengineering, financial analysis, business development, recruiting, and fundraising. She also was instrumental in the design, development, and implementation of the University’s first technology spin-out program, MTECH VentureAccelerator.

Sarah holds a Bachelors of Science degree in Management Science and Statistics with specialization in Decision Information Systems from the University of Maryland. She also has completed courses in Executive Management and Innovation Management Program from University of Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering and Robert H. Smith School of Business. She holds FINRA Series 79 as an Investment Banking Representative.