今日大瓜

Former U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic Talks Career Journey

罢丑别听Ambassador Series听was moderated by Winston Ambassador C.J. Deslongchamps '27 and featured Bijan Sabet '91, a former U.S. Ambassador to the Czech Republic, who reflected on his journey from an uncertain undergraduate to a tech executive, venture capitalist, and ultimately a diplomat.

鈥淔ind places where you can be useful, find places where you can take a risk,鈥� Sabet said.

The conversation centered on Sabet鈥檚 experience building Spark Capital, the venture capital firm he co-founded in 2005.听At BC, Sabet studied accounting and computer science鈥攆ields he wasn鈥檛 sure would help him in the job market after graduation. But amid the 1991 recession, those skills proved essential as he navigated an emerging tech industry on the verge of rapid growth.

鈥淚鈥檓 a bit of an accidental venture capitalist鈥攊t was not part of my career path,鈥� Sabet said. 鈥淲hen I graduated from BC in 鈥�91, the economy was tough. It was hard to find positions.鈥�

The weak job market prompted him to pursue early-stage tech roles across the country. While traditional hiring lagged, the startup landscape was beginning to surge, and Sabet quickly found himself at its center. Over the next decade, he held senior executive roles at companies such as WebTV Networks, witnessing the early internet boom firsthand.

鈥淚 was really blown away by all the companies, by all the innovation,鈥� he recounted.

That experience eventually led Sabet back to Boston, where he became an entrepreneur-in-residence at Charles River Ventures and met Santo Politi. Together, they founded Spark Capital with a vision of challenging the traditional venture capital norms.

鈥淭he idea of Spark was to really do things differently,鈥� Sabet said. For him, that meant prioritizing the people behind the companies over their spreadsheets. Sabet said he looked for founders he respected and leaders he could see himself working for.

鈥淚 want to back founders who are the kind of people I want to work for,鈥� said Sabet. 鈥淚f an investment doesn鈥檛 work out, it鈥檚 not the math, it鈥檚 the people.鈥�

One of Spark鈥檚 signature successes became its early investment in Twitter, with Sabet working on the company鈥檚 board from 2008 to 2011. According to Sabet, this particular investment was at the core of both his and Spark鈥檚 investment strategy.听

鈥淚t was the first time I had seen something that combined utility and fun,鈥� he said.听

Another tenet of his philosophy at Spark was to back leaders motivated by building, not disrupting for its own sake. 鈥淭he founders we backed with the most powerful ideas were the ones who wanted to create something, not disrupt things,鈥� Sabet said.

This vision is one that Sabet would carry into his subsequent career in public service. After supporting Joe Biden during the 2020 election cycle, Sabet was approached by the Biden administration about serving as an
Ambassador in Europe and was confirmed in December 2022 as Ambassador to the Czech Republic.

鈥淓ven though it was relatively short compared to my work in the private sector, it changed my life substantially,鈥� Sabet said.

His time as an ambassador coincided with the start of the Russia-Ukraine War, which spurred major refugee and humanitarian efforts across Eastern Europe. He described the Czech Republic鈥檚 response as extraordinary.

"The Czechs did inspiring work,鈥� Sabet said, noting that the country welcomed roughly 650,000 Ukrainian refugees鈥攎ostly women and children鈥攄espite having a population of under 11 million.

Although diplomacy was a shift from venture capital work, Sabet said the similarities surprised him as both demanded relentless work and a focus on people. 鈥淭he work is endless at an embassy,鈥� Sabet said.

Reflecting on his varied career, Sabet acknowledged that he felt the same uncertainty about career prospects that many students do now.鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of pressure to figure that out early,鈥� Sabet said.

Still, Sabet credits BC with giving him a solid foundation. He remains deeply engaged with his alma mater, having served on the Board of Trustees from 2021 to 2022.听鈥淲hat I love is how much is changing here for the better,鈥� Sabet said.

Adapted from听听article by Patrick Dunne '26

Presented with the Boston College Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.

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