Masha Khusid's immigrant background and Midwestern upbringing shape her deliberate focus on investing in the Midwest, where she draws parallels between immigrant families' thoughtful risk-taking and the mindset of founders she backs. Her career progression across the entire capital stack—from investment banking to private equity to venture-backed startups before joining Drive Capital—gives her an unusually complete view of company-building that helps her coach founders on financing strategy and tradeoffs over time.