Mahdi Shariff
About Mahdi Shariff
Mahdi Shariff is a co-founder of Humble AI and is based in London. He studied BSc Chemistry with Management at the University of Warwick. He began his career in technology, media and telecoms M&A at EY in London, according to his personal site and London Tech Week.
He then spent several years in China. He was Chief Strategy Officer at Biddingx, a programmatic ad-tech business that, by his own account, grew from 15 to more than 150 people while he was there. He later became VP of Digital Transformation and Private Equity Value Creation at Ciklum. He also co-organised Slush China and is a Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 alumnus.
He co-founded Humble AI in 2022 with Niluka Satharasinghe. Humble describes itself as backed by Frontline Ventures, Notion Capital and Kapor Capital, and one profile also names Cur8 Capital. Outside Humble he works as an AI strategy advisor and fractional Chief AI Officer. His site lists Accenture, Wellcome Trust and Molten Ventures among clients, and London Tech Week lists him as Visiting Professor of Applied AI at ISM University in Lithuania. Crunchbase also shows him as a Founders Pledge member since February 2023.
Crunchbase lists 3 investments and 3 portfolio companies for Mahdi Shariff. It shows 0 lead investments and 0 exits, and 2 companies founded. PitchBook classifies him as an active angel investor with 3 investments and gives a different exit count, so exit data differs by source.
The public record is early and thin. His latest investment on PitchBook is Purple, dated January 2015, and Crunchbase lists a Purple Series A in January 2015. Crunchbase also shows an Aire round in June 2014 that included him. A BAE HQ profile describes Pathao, Purple.ai and SilkFred as his earlier angel bets. Pulse API and SilkFred appear on PitchBook. No check sizes, ownership stakes or investment dates for Pathao are public.
No angel investments in AI companies are publicly documented for Mahdi Shariff. His AI work is as an operator. He is co-founder and CEO of Humble AI, and the company has been described in two ways. London Tech Week describes a productivity platform for neurodivergent professionals, coaches and teams. BAE HQ describes an AI assistant for small and mid-sized B2B teams that automates sales workflows such as RFPs, security questionnaires and CRM data work. Founders should treat him as an AI builder and advisor who also invests personally, not as an AI-focused fund.
He has not published a thesis, check size range or preferred stage. The known investments are from 2013 to 2015 and are listed by PitchBook under business and productivity software, financial software and clothing. Pathao is another named holding but without a year. There is no public information on geography preference.
His public writing and talks centre on accessible AI, human-centred tools and helping smaller organisations use automation without custom development. A Luma event he hosted describes his focus as making AI more human-centred and inclusive. That shows his interests but is not a stated investment criterion. PitchBook lists his investor status as actively seeking new investments, and its profile uses a Cambridge, UK address.
- Purple: Listed on PitchBook under business and productivity software. Crunchbase shows a Series A in January 2015 that includes him.
- Aire: Crunchbase shows a funding round in June 2014 that included him and 2 other investors.
- Pathao: Named as an investment in profiles on BAE HQ and Welcome to the Jungle. The year is not public.
- SilkFred: Listed on PitchBook in the clothing industry and named by BAE HQ as an earlier bet. The year is not public.
- Pulse API: Listed on PitchBook under financial software. The year is not public.
- Humble AI (co-founder, not an angel investment): AI assistant company he co-founded in 2022 and leads as CEO.
- crunchbase.com/person/mahdi-shariff
- crunchbase.com/person/mahdi-shariff/person_overview_investor/timeline
- pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/107442-91
- mahdishariff.com
- londontechweek.com/speakers/madhi-shariff
- thebaehq.com/profiles/mahdi-shariff
- thebaehq.com/company/humble-ai
- app.welcometothejungle.com/companies/Humble
Investing activity
Mahdi Shariff has made 3 investments according to Crunchbase across 3 portfolio companies, and has founded 2 companies.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Mahdi Shariff
Is Mahdi Shariff an active angel investor?
PitchBook lists him as an active angel investor who is seeking new investments. His public record shows 3 investments, the most recent in early 2015, so recent activity is not documented.
What is Mahdi Shariff's check size?
No check size is public. Neither he nor the databases that track him state one, so ask directly.
What stage and sectors does Mahdi Shariff invest in?
He has not stated a stage or sector thesis. His documented investments are from 2013 to 2015 and span software, financial software and clothing. No AI angel investments are on record.
What is Mahdi Shariff's background?
He is co-founder and CEO of Humble AI. He previously worked in M&A at EY, was Chief Strategy Officer at Biddingx and VP of Digital Transformation at Ciklum. He studied at the University of Warwick.
How can founders contact Mahdi Shariff?
His public channels are LinkedIn, X and his personal site, mahdishariff.com. He also offers advisory work as a fractional Chief AI Officer, so founders should say clearly whether they are asking for advice or for investment.
Is Mahdi Shariff a good fit for an AI founder to pitch?
He suits founders working on accessible, human-centred AI or automation for smaller organisations, given his own company and public talks. He has no documented AI angel investments and no stated thesis, so keep expectations modest and ask about fit early.
Is Mahdi Shariff an angel investor?
Yes. Mahdi Shariff invests personally as an angel and is Co-Founder at Humble AI. Crunchbase counts 3 investments.
Where is Mahdi Shariff based?
Mahdi Shariff is based in London, England, United Kingdom.
How can founders reach Mahdi Shariff?
Founders on Lounge can see Mahdi Shariff's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Mahdi Shariff to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.