STORIES ABOUT SAIF
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From:
Avram Miller
Saif Mansour, an amazing man, died suddenly a few days ago. Soon after I left Intel in 1999 and started The Avram Miller Company, I got a letter from Saif (we still got letters in those days). He was just 21 and finishing his last year at Brown. Saif asked me to consider hiring him as an intern. I was not looking for an intern. Having just left Intel, where I was Corporate Vice President of Business Development and co-founder of Intel Capital, I guess I could have had my pick of newly minted MBAs from schools like Harvard and Stanford. But something in Saif’s letter resonated so strongly in me that I was compelled to say yes. A few months later, Saif arrived in San Francisco and started working for me. His role was managing my investments in early-stage companies. He knew nothing about venture capital and early-stage investing, but he learned quickly. I developed a great deal of confidence in his abilities. But what was probably most important was that I trusted him to represent me. He treated everyone with respect and kindness. We grew close. Over time, I began to think of him as a son, and he thought of me as a father. Mentoring Saif was one of the most satisfying experiences of my professional and personal life.
A few years later, I decided to reduce my workload and slow down my investments. I no longer wanted to have an office and a staff. Saif chose to return to Los Angeles, where he grew up, and I helped him find a position. He had several jobs over the following years, and we stayed close. In 2009, when Saif came up with the idea of starting a fund using debt to help finance small businesses, he asked for my help. For several years, I advised him and watched his firm, Breakwater Fund, grow. I was very impressed with both the opportunity, strategy, and execution of his small company. Eventually, I decided to invest in it directly and encourage many of my friends to as well. Ultimately, it became and is still my most significant personal investment. Several years ago, I stopped as a formal advisor. Moving to Israel made it difficult to be involved enough to give regular advice. However, Saif would often ask for my advice informally. Periodically, I would meet with him and his partner Eric Beckman (also a wonderful man). Eric joined Saif in 2014.
Saif was very integrated into my social network and my family. Everyone loved him. He wanted very much to have a family and found a wonderful woman to share his life with. Together they had a son and a daughter. The pain his wife is now feeling must be unbearable. His children will never know the love of their father, but his wife, I, and others will do everything we can to make sure they know how wonderful he was.
Saif will join the others I have lost all too soon in a place in my heart where I feel both joy and sadness, love and grief.
Life is very fragile. So we must give and experience love in the present moment and every possible moment.
May Saif’s memory be a blessing.
From:
Ramy Shoukry
It's impossible to describe everything about Saif in one short story. As all of us know, he made you feel so special. It wasn't limited to when you were with him or when you were talking to him. It was ALL THE TIME. Being friends with Saif meant that you had someone in your life that you could rely on, count on, laugh with and be completely vulnerable with. He never missed an opportunity to tell you that he loved you. He was always genuinely interested in what was going on in your life. If there was a way to help, he would volunteer. If you were killing it, he was your most fervent supporter. Many years ago, I decided to take a gamble. I took a leap in my career that I thought would rocket me to the top of my profession. I invested everything I had. I gave it everything I could. And I failed. Not just a little bit either, I failed MISERABLY. I had never experienced failure like that. On the brink of depression, I shared my failure with my friend Saif. I was so ashamed. But he hugged me and he assured me that I was NOT a failure. And he assured me that I would rise again. He went so far as to tell me that whatever I did next, he wanted to be included. He believed in me when I could not believe in myself. He comforted me and made me believe in me once again. He had the foresight to see what I could not see. He inspired me to rise up and be great. He was a shining example of kindness, humility, leadership and love. I miss him so much. Forevermore, I aspire to be like my friend Saif. #forsaif
Regards,
Ramy
