Luben Pampoulov: From professional athlete to global investor
“Discipline, hard work, practice, that’s what you learn as a professional athlete... the same elements apply to investing.”
This week on Venturing Abroad, we sit down with Luben Pampoulov, a former professional tennis player who swapped the court for Silicon Valley’s world of venture capital.
From Bulgaria to Austria, UCLA to Silicon Valley, and eventually Paris, Luben’s story is one of reinvention, grit, and global perspective. After leading early investments in Spotify, Dropbox, Lyft, and Coursera, he’s now helping shape the future of EdTech through GSV Ventures.
In this episode, Luben shares:
- How lessons from elite sport translate into entrepreneurial success.
- What moving between continents taught him about cross-cultural investing.
- Why he believes education technology is one of the most powerful tools to drive societal change, especially in the age of AI.
If you love tennis or are passionate about education, this episode is for you.
Thank you for joining us, Luben!
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