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. 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.