Nima Ronaghi moved from lab science into venture investing after studying biochemistry and chemistry and earning a PhD covering organic chemistry and chemical engineering, with research on turning biomass into fuels and chemicals, and years before becoming a senior investor he worked as a campus ambassador and startup scout for Breakout Labs, later becoming known for helping put together investor syndicates and for focusing on how lab discoveries scale up into real production. Outside of investing, he holds U.S. Soccer coaching licenses and describes investing itself as a team sport, and he has also become a visible figure among a newer generation of Iranian-American venture leaders in Silicon Valley.