S2E04: Resilience as a Thesis: Tahira Dosani on Building for Underserved Markets and AI in Fintech

First Funders

Some investors are motivated by the thought of multiplying their fund, securing a bigger slice of the cap table, or, of course, successfully filing for a coveted IPO. But for Tahira Dosani, all she has to do is remember the economic instability of her childhood and she’s immediately re-anchored to her why behind it all.

First came the career, starting as a Bain Capital consultant and moving on to launching cellular service and mobile payment solutions in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Then came the first fund, Accion, a non-for-profit where Tahira cut her teeth in early stage impact investing in emerging markets.

After Accion, Tahira didn’t set out to start her own fund, but the immigrant-to-entrepreneur pipeline was just too strong and it pulled in this Pakistani native. She co-founded ResilienceVC, a human-centric, early stage fund focused on creating fintech solutions and solving persistent financial challenges for everyday Americans.

She writes $1 million checks out of ResilienceVC to fintech companies at the seed stage.

Highlights:

• Tahira’s why dates back to when she was a child who immigrated to the U.S. from Pakistan. Her family’s financial challenges stuck with her, and ever since, she’s remained focused on helping others boost their economic status through technology.

• It might be hard to recall a time before cellphone service was ubiquitous, but Tahira was on the ground in Kabul, Afghanistan when the first towers were raised, signalling a new day for citizens’ economic opportunities. She soon after helped launch the first mobile payment solution, bringing even more power to the region.

• Much of investing in the post-2010s is focused on iterating and refining existing products, but Tahira’s backing OS Benefits, a fintech company with a new answer to an old problem: lack of health insurance coverage for restaurant workers.

• We often say that AI is changing the game. And now, it’s changing the way we behave. Tahira is exploring how AI can alter people’s financial habits and ultimately, make better choices on their behalf.

• (00:00) - Resilience as a Thesis- Tahira Dosani on Building for Underserved Markets and AI in Fintech
• (01:21) - Tahira’s path to investing
• (11:52) - How Accion shaped Tahira’s career
• (17:35) - What makes a resilient founder?
• (23:35) - ResilienceVC in the U.S. and beyond
• (28:24) - How Tahira qualifies opportunity markets
• (30:05) - OS Benefits: Solving the under-insurance crisis
• (35:24) - The fintech and AI crossroads
• (43:29) - Common mistakes from fintech founders
• (49:40) - Curiosity as the anchor
• (51:51) - Speed round