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Zeal Breaks the Mold: How Backing Overlooked Founders Delivers 3–4X on Invested Capital | Nasir Qadree (#082)
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Today's guest is Nasir Qadree, Founder and Managing Partner of Zeal Capital Partners – a venture platform based in Washington, D.C., that’s reimagining how capital flows by focusing on inclusion, economic mobility, and systems change.
Nasir was raised in Atlanta between two very different worlds – one shaped by his hardworking mother and the other by his father’s presence among Atlanta’s elite. He grew up acutely aware of who gets access to opportunity and who doesn’t. That contrast became his driving force.
After earning his degree from Hampton University, Nasir entered the finance world during the 2008 crisis, working at Goldman Sachs and later State Street. But the turning point came when he co-owned a small café that became an informal hub for EdTech founders. He realized he wanted more than just returns – he wanted to drive change.
A fellowship with Education Pioneers led to a data role in Connecticut’s Department of Education, then to Village Capital, where he led global edtech investments. At AT&T, he managed a $400 million impact portfolio.
By 2020, he was ready to build something of his own.
He launched Zeal right in the middle of the pandemic, driven by a clear but radical idea: the way we allocate capital is broken. Too much money ends up in too few places — and in the hands of too few people.
Zeal’s answer is inclusive investing: a five-pronged framework that reimagines how, where, and who we invest in — starting with building diverse fund teams, backing overlooked founders, expanding beyond traditional VC hubs, focusing on sectors that drive economic mobility, and measuring real-world impact.
It focuses on three key areas for driving systems change: fintech, health equity, and the future of learning and work. But this isn’t about feel-good metrics. Zeal targets 3–4x net gross returns and outperformance.
Nasir believes — and the data supports — that diverse teams outperform because they see more. They solve bigger problems. And they go where others don’t. Zeal now has $186 million in AUM, with a growing reputation as one of the boldest emerging managers in the country.
And for Nasir, this is personal. When he sits across from a founder who's been overlooked, he sees himself — someone who’s been on both sides of the tracks and deserves to belong in every room.
And that belief isn’t just his mantra. It’s Zeal’s entire investment thesis.
Tune in to hear how Nasir is rewriting the rules of venture capital — and why inclusion isn’t charity. It’s a profitable strategy.
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Additional Resources:
- Nasir C. Qadree:
- Zeal Capital Partners:
- Kauffman Foundation’s white paper: ‘Access to capital for Entrepreneurs: Removing Barriers’
- ‘Race Influences Professional Investors’ Financial Judgments’
Chapters
1. Intro (00:00:00)
2. Dual upbringing in Atlanta shaped Nasir’s worldview (00:04:19)
3. Nasir’s education journey (00:10:04)
4. A baptism by fire at Goldman Sachs and State Street Bank (00:16:22)
5. Transitioning to education: A gateway to venture capital and impact investing (00:21:14)
6. Joining Village Capital (00:23:57)
7. Moving to AT&T to lead their $400M social investment fund (00:25:41)
8. Founding Zeal Capital Partners at the beginning of the pandemic (00:30:05)
9. Zeal Capital Partners – a high-level overview (00:34:04)
10. 3 key themes: fintech, the future of learning and work, and health equity (00:45:12)
11. Zeal’s five-prong inclusive investing framework explained (00:53:14)
12. Talent is everywhere, but opportunity is not (01:05:39)
13. How Zeal delivers impact without sacrificing returns (01:07:49)
14. Assessing founders: Key traits and red flags (01:13:03)
15. Investment strategy and process (01:15:47)
16. Post-investment support through four principles (01:18:24)
17. Partnerships and future vision (01:21:09)
18. Nasir’s advice to his younger self (01:26:13)
19. Contact info (01:26:46)
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