Karim Zia

Karim Zia is a managing partner and co-founder of DC Community Ventures. Karim worked for nearly ten years as an equity research analyst in the media and communications areas at Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette, Credit Suisse First Boston and Deutsche Bank in New York City. Most recently, he served as a Managing Director at Deutsche Bank and advised on a number of high-profile financings and M&A deals for media and communications companies, including Time Warner, EchoStar and AT&T Broadband. Overall he worked on over one hundred equity, corporate debt, and M&A transactions totaling over $100 billion. While at DLJ, Karim also worked closely with the firm’s venture capital and merchant banking operations, gaining experience in investing and advising start-up companies. Since leaving New York and moving to Washington DC, he has worked with various education-related organizations and served on several non-profit boards, including EL Haynes Public Charter School, St. John’s Episcopal Preschool and the SEED Foundation. Karim graduated cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor of Science in Economics with a concentration in Finance. He and his family reside in the District of Columbia.