about.
hi, i'm shahed.
i build companies and communities where tech, business, policy, and social impact meet. i'm best known for founding zabihah in 1998, the world's first halal restaurant guide. today it spans 55,000+ restaurants and mosques in 170 countries, backed by 130,000+ reviews and 800,000+ app downloads. fin.com acquired zabihah in 2025, and i continue to run it while on its leadership team.
these days i'm helping to build kinship, a community for muslim founders, investors, and mentors. mentoring founders is the through-line of my work — if you're building something, see office hours. i also invest as managing director of san antonio-based elian capital, formed by former colleagues of mine from frost & sullivan.
before that: senior tech advisor at the us state department (2011–2014), where i designed entrepreneurship initiatives under secretary clinton and briefed president obama on the work. i was svp for digital products & interim vp of marketing at frost & sullivan through 2023, reporting directly to the owners. after business school i was a project manager at the world bank in dc. i started out as a civil engineer in california, and i still keep the license. walk the streets of the san francisco waterfront and you'll see (& ride) my work.
along the way i co-founded affinis labs, a global venture studio for muslim founders (acquired 2019); founded the online newsmagazine altmuslim in 2001 and ran it for a decade (acquired 2011); co-founded zakatify with the paypal giving fund to make charitable giving social (shut down but relaunching); and co-founded the mobile tech company relatia (acquired 2001). four exits so far.
i've been named one of the 500 most influential muslims in the world three times and among the 500 most influential entrepreneurs in the global islamic economy five times, and i received the sxsw community service award. i'm a 2016 truman national security fellow, and i serve on the boards of the muslim public affairs council, the islamic scholarship fund, the muslim public service network, and the religion news association.
bs in civil engineering from uc berkeley, where i was student body vice-president. mba from georgetown. i split my time between vienna, virginia and berkeley, california. fuelled by the desire to make the most of what time i have left on earth and losing my tolerance for drama as i get older.
press kit.
short bio
Shahed Amanullah is an entrepreneur, investor, and mentor for startups around the world, with three decades of experience where technology, business, policy, and social impact meet. He founded Zabihah, the world's first halal restaurant guide — today spanning 55,000+ restaurants and mosques in 170 countries, backed by 130,000+ reviews and 800,000+ app downloads — which was acquired by Fin.com in 2025; he continues to run it as part of its leadership team. He is Managing Director of San Antonio-based Elian Capital and helps build Kinship, a community for Muslim founders, investors, and mentors. He co-founded Affinis Labs, AltMuslim, Zabihah, and Relatia — four exits so far — and previously served as Senior Advisor for Technology at the U.S. Department of State under President Obama and as SVP for Digital Products & interim VP of Marketing at Frost & Sullivan. He splits his time between Vienna & Berkeley.
long bio
Shahed Amanullah is an entrepreneur, investor, and digital strategist with more than three decades of experience at the intersection of technology, business, policy, and social impact. He is best known as the founder of Zabihah, the world's first halal restaurant guide, which he created in 1998 and grew to 55,000+ restaurants and mosques in 170 countries, backed by 130,000+ reviews and 800,000+ app downloads. Fin.com acquired Zabihah in 2025, and Shahed continues to run it as part of its leadership team.
These days, Shahed helps build Kinship, a community for Muslim founders, investors, and mentors — mentoring founders is the through-line of his work. He also invests as Managing Director of San Antonio-based Elian Capital, a private equity fund manager formed by former colleagues of his from Frost & Sullivan.
A prolific founder, Shahed co-founded Affinis Labs, a global venture studio for Muslim founders (acquired 2019); founded the online newsmagazine AltMuslim in 2001 and ran it for a decade (acquired 2011); co-founded Zakatify with the PayPal Giving Fund to make charitable giving social — shut down, and now relaunching; and co-founded the mobile technology company Relatia (acquired 2001). Four exits so far.
From 2011 to 2014, Shahed served in President Barack Obama's administration as Senior Advisor for Technology at the U.S. Department of State, where, under Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, he designed entrepreneurship initiatives and briefed President Obama on the work. He was SVP for Digital Products & interim VP of Marketing at Frost & Sullivan through 2023, reporting directly to the owners. After business school he was a project manager at the World Bank in Washington, DC. He started out as a civil engineer in California, and still keeps his license — walk the streets of the San Francisco waterfront and you'll see, and ride, his work.
A sought-after speaker at venues including SXSW, the United Nations, the Council on Foreign Relations, Harvard, and Georgetown, Shahed's commentary has appeared in The New York Times, CNN, Fox News, and Forbes, and he has published essays in the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune. He has been named one of the 500 Most Influential Muslims in the world three times and among the 500 most influential entrepreneurs in the global Islamic economy five times, and he received the SXSW Community Service Award.
Shahed is a 2016 Truman National Security Fellow, and serves on the boards of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, the Islamic Scholarship Fund, the Muslim Public Service Network, and the Religion News Association. He holds a BS in Civil Engineering from UC Berkeley, where he was Student Body Vice-President, and an MBA from Georgetown University. He splits his time between Vienna, Virginia and Berkeley, California.
headshots
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