Raza Zaidi

Stanford University, Class of 2029 | Economics and Computer Science

About

My interest in investing started at age 10, when my dad drove me past the Chicago Stock Exchange and explained that I could own part of companies like Disney and Coca-Cola. Today I focus on technology investing, especially how software, automation, and AI change the economics of a business.

Experience

  1. BayLink Capital

    Private Equity Summer Analyst | San Francisco, CA

    May 2026 - Aug 2026

    • Built LBO model sections and a 21-slide supplemental deck for a live behavioral health investment
    • Screened 50+ CIMs across healthcare software, behavioral health, and data center infrastructure

  2. Bregal Sagemount

    Private Equity Analyst | Palo Alto, CA

    Jan 2026 - Mar 2026

    • Sourced 9 software companies with $20M-50M ARR for an $8B AUM growth equity fund
    • Ran 8 customer interviews on two companies, both of which advanced in the investment process

  3. Hoover Institution, Emerging Markets Returns Group

    Researcher | Palo Alto, CA

    Nov 2025 - Present

    • Wrote an Uzbekistan infrastructure risk report and investment memos for institutional clients
    • Built a Kaspi.kz case study comparing it to MercadoLibre and Nubank

  4. Nexa Labs (Y Combinator S25)

    Operations Intern | San Francisco, CA

    Jun 2025 - Oct 2025

    • Conducted 100+ discovery and sales calls with farmers, co-ops, and ag-industry operators
    • Built TAM analyses for U.S., LatAm, and MENA ag-tech markets

  5. Stanford Pre-Business Association

    Director of Finance

    Sep 2025 - Present

    • Selected a 25-person cohort from 200+ applicants
    • Taught a quarter-long curriculum on investment banking and private equity

  6. Charles Blyth Fund

    Analyst

    Sep 2025 - Present

    • Pitched Zebra Technologies, BioLife Solutions, and Grocery Outlet (all long) for a $250,000+ student portfolio

What I'm Learning

Industrial Automation

Why factory adoption of robots lags behind robot capability

AI Roll-Ups

Whether AI-driven margin gains in services businesses hold up under competition

Chinese Lithography

China's domestic chip equipment buildout under U.S. export controls

Cell and Gene Therapies

Manufacturing cost as the main limit on patient access

Why Recalc

I am looking for instruction from people who have actually done this work, and for honest pressure on the parts of my technical foundation that still need it. My experience covers both sides of a deal: evaluating investments at BayLink Capital and Bregal Sagemount, and selling to customers at Nexa Labs. At Stanford I built and taught a finance training program, and I would like to contribute to the Recalc community in the same way.

Reads

Finance

  • The Outsiders William Thorndike
  • Poor Charlie's Almanack Charles Munger
  • Chip War Chris Miller
  • The Innovator's Dilemma Clayton Christensen
  • Barbarians at the Gate Bryan Burrough and John Helyar

Classics

  • Meditations Marcus Aurelius
  • Parallel Lives Plutarch
  • The Gallic War Julius Caesar
  • The Aeneid Virgil

Listening

Invest Like the Best

Patrick O'Shaughnessy

All-In

Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, David Sacks, David Friedberg

Freakonomics Radio

Stephen Dubner

Beyond Finance

Latin and classical history.

Contact