Yaz El-Baba Is Rethinking How Investors Judge Startups in the AI Era

Yaz El-Baba brings a mix of discipline and adaptability to venture capital—qualities shaped long before his investing career began. A former competitive athlete and captain of the University of Michigan’s boxing team, he led his squad to three national titles, an experience that continues to influence his approach to decision-making and leadership.

He joined Emergence Capital as an associate in 2019 after working in business operations and corporate development at LinkedIn, and was promoted to partner in 2024. Since then, he has been actively involved in backing companies across the evolving enterprise tech landscape.

His investment portfolio reflects a clear focus on AI-driven enterprise tools, including companies like Bland AI in voice technology, Unify in AI-powered sales, and Maze, a product testing platform. These bets highlight his interest in tools that improve how businesses operate and scale.

But what truly sets El-Baba apart is how he thinks about evaluating startups in today’s fast-moving AI environment. With companies able to scale revenue faster than ever, he believes traditional signals of early success are no longer enough.

According to him, the challenge for investors now is to differentiate between growth that is real and sustainable, and growth that only appears strong on the surface. In a landscape filled with what he calls “head-fake” businesses, the focus must shift to understanding the quality of revenue and long-term durability.

His perspective reflects a broader shift in venture capital, where speed is no longer the only metric that matters—resilience and substance are becoming just as important.

Because in the age of AI, not all growth tells the same story—and knowing the difference is what sets great investors apart.