21+ Companies
THE ADF PORTFOLIO
Backing exceptional international founders at inception — often as the first check before top-tier firms join.
The ADF Method
A NETWORK THAT COMPOUNDS
Every founder we back strengthens the network for every other founder. This isn't passive support — it's a deliberate system that turns connections into revenue, capital, talent, and momentum.
✦ = Current ADF portfolio founder
ADF's methodology activates targeted introductions to US enterprise buyers, strategic partners, and revenue catalysts — precision matchmaking, not networking.
One intro alone led to a multi-million-dollar deal. ADF is an incredibly high-value-add VC!
Zain Jaffer
Blazel, Vungle ($780M Exit)
Every time I speak with ADF, I have 5 meaningful intros the next morning. 10/10.
Rox Codes
Flightcast with Stephen Bartlett, Past Exit
An early believer before Andreessen led our seed — dozens of intros to potential customers and partners followed.
Ali Moiz
Stonks, Streamlabs ($200M in Exits)
An intro to a unicorn founder led to my very first paying client!
Imran Syed
Hatchproof, Instapage ($80M Exit)
Opened instant access to unicorn CEOs and CFOs, one of which has now moved past our pipeline.
Arpit Goel
Root, Gamma (Exit to NASDAQ: PANW)
One intro alone led to a multi-million-dollar deal. ADF is an incredibly high-value-add VC!
Zain Jaffer
Blazel, Vungle ($780M Exit)
An early believer before Andreessen led our seed — dozens of intros to potential customers and partners followed.
Ali Moiz
Stonks, Streamlabs ($200M in Exits)
An intro to a unicorn founder led to my very first paying client!
Imran Syed
Hatchproof, Instapage ($80M Exit)
Opened instant access to unicorn CEOs and CFOs, one of which has now moved past our pipeline.
Arpit Goel
Root, Gamma (Exit to NASDAQ: PANW)
Every time I speak with ADF, I have 5 meaningful intros the next morning. 10/10.
Rox Codes
Flightcast with Stephen Bartlett, Past Exit
In the News
ADF STORIES
CrewAI Raises Series A Led by Insight Partners
The leading AI agent framework secures major backing to scale globally.
Stuut Raises $29.5M Led by a16z
Andreessen Horowitz leads major round for the AR automation startup.
Consensus Raises $11.5M Led by USV
AI-powered academic search engine backed by Union Square Ventures.
Deasy Labs Acquired by Collibra
ADF portfolio company joins Collibra to extend governance into unstructured data.
Consensus Raises $30M Series B
AI research engine scales on the back of explosive user and revenue growth.
A leading multi-agent platform raises a big Series B
An emerging enterprise orchestration player scales aggressively on the back of breakout adoption.
Sourcing & Community
THE UNIVERSITY Edge
International founders pre-vetted by the world's most demanding institutions. Standing relationships across the top US university ecosystems surface unicorn-breed talent months before a deck exists.
More than a pipeline — a community. Alumni networks, founder dinners, and standing peer circles turn a one-time check into a lifelong relationship between dreamers, mentors, and capital.
Jensen Huang
NVIDIA — Stanford (Taiwan → US)
Patrick Collison
Stripe — MIT (Ireland → US)
Vinod Khosla
Sun Microsystems — Carnegie Mellon (India → US)
Andy Grove
Intel — UC Berkeley (Hungary → US)
Reid Hoffman
LinkedIn — Oxford (Rhodes Scholar)
Michael Bloomberg
Bloomberg — Johns Hopkins
The international founder who arrived for a US university — finishing or not — has authored some of the largest outcomes in American tech history.
The Podcast
DREAMCAST.
Unicorn founders. Real exits. Raw stories.
Leadership
Shane Sabine is the Managing Partner of the American Dream Fund and architect of its network-driven investment methodology — a deliberate system that turns strategic relationships into measurable founder outcomes.
A Brown University alumnus based between the US and Europe, Shane's own experience navigating life as an American abroad shapes the fund's focus on immigrant founders building in the US. As solo GP, he's built a track record of backing CrewAI and Consensus before their institutional rounds, alongside an earlier angel portfolio including Replit (from $5M to nearly $500M ARR) and Customer.io (from $20M to past $100M ARR). He drives deals, hires, and follow-on capital for portfolio founders through a network spanning operators, VCs, and enterprise decision-makers.
The next chapter of the strategy writes larger checks, selectively leads rounds, and operates as a super-connector — bridging international founders to US enterprise customers, capital, and the relationships that compound into category-defining outcomes.
One intro — first paying enterprise client.
One intro — multi-million dollar deal.
One intro — VC-led seed round.
Former Techstars All-Star Mentor (top 5%) · Alumni Ventures Senior Fellow · Brown University Student Venture Fund Advisory Board · Host of Dreamcast
Our Founders Are