Omeed Malik

Be aware of the changing means of investment, market trends, and newly burgeoning ways of providing funding for companies of all sizes.

 

After excelling within the financial sector within multiple roles, Omeed Malik has successfully leveraged his previous experiences, unique characteristics, and comprehensive knowledge to become the CEO and Founder of Farvahar Partners. Malik’s boutique merchant bank provides various types of assistance for companies of many sizes, including liquidity, capital raising assistance, and an advisory capacity uncommon within this niche market. Malik’s robust company parlays a strong understanding of garnering growth for initial funding rounds, lateral growth strategies, and expansion projects, while providing the operational support needed to successfully generate systemic change.

Born in New Jersey, young succeeded within his primary education, earning his Bachelor’s Degree in Philosophy and Political Science from Colgate University. Upon completing his undergraduate studies, Malik received his Juris Doctor degree, graduating with honors from the prestigious Emory University School of Law. Post-matriculation, Malik entered the workforce as a spokesperson for former New Jersey Representative Donald Payne, garnering leadership skills, public speaking confidence, and other soft skills that would parlay seamlessly into further positions. From there, Malik worked as a corporate lawyer for New York City’s Weil, Gotshal & Manges, garnering vast experience within the realm of bankruptcy, private equity, and corporate structure.

Malik quickly amassed leadership status within the financial world, and became the Senior Vice President at MF Global. Within this role, Malik was responsible for redeveloping the company’s extensive distribution platform on a national scale, a feat that spearheaded his successful business operation restructuring expertise. After excelling within this role, Malik became the Managing Director and Global Head of the Hedge Fund Advisory Business at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. In this highly regarded leadership position, Malik selected businesses of all sizes for the receipt of funding, and oversaw the implementation of this funding, tracking the success of various forms of garnering private liquidity.

Following his entrepreneurial desire, Malik eventually combined years of pertinent experience into the creation of his own venture, Farvahar Partners. Constantly ahead of the changing market trends, and the newly burgeoning trend of private Pre-IPO trading, Malik successfully garners the funds necessary for growth for his clients. Malik remains vastly involved in the daily operations of Farvahar Partners, and regularly lends his expertise via various on-camera appearances on national news platforms.

Where did the idea for Farvahar Partners come from?

Professionally, the vast majority of my career has been within the financial sector, making me well-versed in structuring, and selling primary, and secondary private securities, raising capital within the private and public sector, and advising businesses of all sizes. Privately, I was also interested in the growing concept of private pre-IPO trading, and researching the trend of private companies waiting to go public, in a manner not previously seen within the market. I became vastly interested in bridging the gap between initial stage venture capital, and late-stage investment capital in the life cycle of a business, and the ways in which my expertise could be leveraged within each stage. From there, Farvahar Partners was formed.

What does your typical day look like and how do you make it productive?

Usually, my days vary vastly, and I find myself responsible for various facets of the business, from interacting with prospective clients, to reviewing laws as Farvahar’s Chief Compliance Officer. Within my previous assignments and roles, I’ve garnered a plethora of skills that don’t seemingly seem to spawn from the same fields, but work together on almost a daily basis. For example, within my initial work in the realm of local politics, I garnered speech writing skills, seemingly vastly different from operating a niche merchant bank upon initial inspection. However, I parlay these skills constantly when communicating with clients, soliciting prospective investors, and creating the narrative for various editorials.

This multifaceted aspect of business can be enthralling, but means that I must be typically open to not following a stringent schedule, and must maintain the flexibility needed to rearrange my schedule at a moment’s notice. With that said, I maintain productivity through my innate interest in the work that I do.

How do you bring ideas to life?

Generally, I tend to delve into research quite heavily when I sense a growing idea, notion, or inkling. From the research that I conduct, I then deduce a reasonable inference, prior to applying that inference into motion. I am a firm believer in the communal power of gaining perspective through conversation with trusted peers, and will often find myself bouncing ideas with team members. However, I am also confident in the means of applying logic to ideas. Within the realm of finance, utilizing research, pertinent examples of precedence, experience, and logic often garners positive results.

What’s one trend that excites you?

Recently, I have begun to see a shift within the world of investments, with many individuals, and companies, aiming to invest in private companies, Pre-IPO. As many companies are waiting longer periods of time before going public, this trend creates newly burgeoning opportunities for trading and investing Pre-IPO. Not only does this method provide private company employees to unload stock options that would have been previously reserved until the company’s IPO, but it also allows for the company to gather liquidity prior to their IPO.

On an international sale, this trend has been witnessed via the happenings at Uber, with the company being sold prior to its IPO. From a macroeconomic standpoint, the current global market contains the capital needed to invest in startup companies, tech hubs, and innovators in the forward moving world of technology. With a recent global rise throughout many developing countries, the growing existence of liquid capital allows for the pre-IPO investment in developing tech-based companies.

In turn, this allows the entrepreneurs to gain seed funding from various sources, including sources outside of traditional funding. For this reason, even fledgling startup companies no longer need an IPO. These changes are vastly enthralling, and proof of an increasingly global market, in terms of investment.

What is one habit of yours that makes you more productive as an entrepreneur?

As we are working within constantly changing markets, and working alongside industries that have not yet been fully developed, there is a learning curve for all parties involved. Thus, I find that I need to maintain flexibility in order to remain productive. In this niche industry, if one becomes too rigid, one will not be able to keep up with the ever-changing nature of the market. Thus, in order to be productive, efficient, and accomplish goals, one must be willing to change trajectories seamlessly. For me, this translates to taking advantage of macroeconomic trends, which can swiftly change without any warning. Thus, it has to be a habit of mine to be ready to move swiftly in any direction, and keep a keen eye on these changes.

What advice would you give your younger self?

Throughout my youth, I was always focused on receiving good grades, then excelling within my initial professional ventures. I remained motivated, focused on success, and generally open to growth. I would, however, remind myself to be more cognizant of the notion that A leads to B, and the result of C can follow you well into the future. As a young professional, it is extremely easy to get caught up in the daily struggles of building a name for oneself, and it can become easy to focus on all of the small details, losing sight of the big picture at hand. Thus, I would remind myself to take a step back every once in a while, and consider ways in which today’s actions may have tertiary results decades later.

Tell us something that’s true that almost nobody agrees with you on.

Though I’m not certain that no one would agree with me in regards to my stance on the effects of globalization on the modern versus developing world, it is certainly under reported. In Asia, and the Middle East, the last eighteen years have witnessed tremendous growth in terms of garnering increasing liquidity, investing in new sectors, and growing wealth. Previously, investments within these countries occurred primarily in blue-chip environments, but this has begun to shift as development has continued to occur. While the global economy as a whole has continued to see an ongoing increase, the developing world has seen an increase at a much higher rate, with the traditionally considered “developed world” somewhat suffering from the emerging intelligence, wealth, and investment power of the Middle East, and Asia.

As an entrepreneur, what is the one thing you do over and over and recommend everyone else do?

As an entrepreneur in a constantly changing field, I dedicate ample amounts of time, energy, and dedication to keeping abreast of the nuanced changes within finance, policy, politics, and other fields that may impact my ability to conduct business. While things like public policy may appear to be wildly different from the realm of finance, they’re actually fairly interconnected, working in tandem. Thus, in order to maintain an aggressive knowledge, and leverage this knowledge for the betterment of my strategies with clients, it is crucial to be aware of the current climate within all secondary fields.

What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business?

From inception, I have structured the business unlike many other startups, allowing for growth and success from the initial launch. With very low production costs, and already existing relationships, the company started in a uniquely positive direction. From there, I have grown Farvahar Partners by remaining vastly involved in every aspect of the process of client development, earning a positive reputation the old fashioned way. Truly, the power of a meaningful positive reputation, combined with an extensive customer base, can really trigger continued growth.

Additionally, because this market is not yet set, I try to grow from every experience, in a manner that will be conducive to the long-term growth and success of the company. At Farvahar Partners, we constantly educate ourselves in terms of market trends, new opportunities, and ways to foster positive growth within various sectors. In the same manner, we try to educate our clients, which sets us apart from many other boutique banks, giving them the skill sets needed for continued growth. At our core, we want to help businesses succeed, and clients can really attest to that, putting their faith in our abilities, mission statement, and dedication to their success. This, in turn, translates to a positive reputation, and potential references.

Finally, at Farvahar Partners, we don’t shy away from relevant commentary, and sharing out expertise, and opinions, within mass media. This aides in shedding light about our business practices, convictions and mission statement, and our general thoughts about the state of the union, and politics that impact our ability to conduct business. In a sense, our media presence is somewhat of a marketing tool, and assists in individuals getting to know us, our core beliefs, and choosing whether or not these beliefs align with their own goals.

What is one business idea that you’re willing to give away to our readers?

Within the continuing trend of Pre-IPO trading in the private sector, there are many opportunities for investment within startup tech-based companies. I see this particular segment of trading as a viable option for all parties involved, and recognize that there is still wide open availability to provide alternative funding for forward-thinking startups that are destined for success. The barrier to entry for entrepreneurs is so much easier with today’s smartphone technology, which begs for continued advancements that will assist in managing a modern lifestyle, finances, entertainment, etc.

What is the best $100 you recently spent? What and why?

I don’t specifically recall a recent purchase, but generally, I maintain integrity in spending, by ensuring that I am purchasing items that I actually need, items that will benefit my professional or personal life, and items that have traceable origins.

What is one piece of software or a web service that helps you be productive?

Though I certainly aim to limit screen time on a daily basis, I am perennial tied to my smartphone, and rely on multiple apps to keep me productive throughout the day. There are countless brilliant apps in existence for those seeking to lead a streamlined existence. From calendars and reminders, to nutrient counting and exercise logs, lifestyle apps can make quite a difference for individuals on the go. On my smartphone, I can maintain live updates related to market changes, and receive political headlines in real-time. This means never being unaware of swiftly changing progressions that could impact my work.

What is the one book that you recommend our community should read and why?

Though the release date isn’t until May of 2021, I will encourage everyone to read Tulsi Gabbard’s memoir, “Is Today The Day?”, upon its’ release. Tulsi, in my opinion, is the only current candidate who is placing vast importance on foreign policy, as a segue into domestic policy. As a former soldier, who has paid her civic duty to this country, she can speak with conviction, experience, and credibility about her stance on foreign war. This unique stance, along her with previous experiences, character, and confidence, makes Tulsi a worthy opponent politically, and someone whom I admire.

What is your favorite quote?

“Good Thoughts, Good Words, Good Deeds”. This quote is near to my heart, and acts as the mission statement for Farvahar Partners. The farvahar stands as one of the most revered symbols of the Persian Empire. It symbolizes the preceding three ideas as the basic tenets and principles of the Persian Empire, and has always resonated with me on a personal level. Through these three simple doctrines, one can live life in a meaningful manner, working toward self-betterment, and betterment for others. That’s exactly what we strive to do for clients at Farvahar Partners, and what I strive to do personally on a daily basis.

Key Learnings:

• Don’t be afraid to integrate ideas, mission statements, doctrines, and insights into your professional sphere. Speaking on various topics of expertise can develop credibility for a company, and broaden its sphere of influence.
• Be aware of the changing means of investment, market trends, and newly burgeoning ways of providing funding for companies of all sizes.
• Globalization of markets has changed the way in which investments are made, and the opportunities that exist for companies to garner funding from non-traditional markets, including continuously growing Asian and Middle Eastern markets.
• As an entrepreneur in a field that is not entirely set, with constant changes, the ability to continuously learn, as well as adapt, creates a positive environment, conducive to ongoing growth.