Bio
A background bridging engineering, entrepreneurship, and investing.
I'm Ruslan Gafarov, a venture capital and startup professional with a background that bridges engineering, entrepreneurship, and investing. Over the past 5+ years, I've worked closely with early-stage startups and venture capital firms, combining hands-on founder experience with institutional VC exposure.
Current Role
I currently serve as a VC Analyst at Digital Space Ventures, a European venture capital fund focused on Fintech, AI, and business process optimization. My work spans the full investment lifecycle: deal sourcing, due diligence, pitch deck reviews, market and technology analysis, financial modeling, and portfolio support. I work directly with founders to assess venture-scale potential and help investment teams make informed, data-driven decisions.
Founder Experience
Alongside my VC role, I'm actively involved in the startup ecosystem as a co-founder and product manager of multiple startups, including TrueLens (AI) and GreenEra, the first renewable-energy startup in Azerbaijan. This founder perspective allows me to evaluate startups not only as an investor, but as someone who has navigated customer discovery, fundraising, and early product development firsthand.
Community Building
I'm the Founder of the Start-Up Founders Club, Azerbaijan's first startup founders community, where I focus on ecosystem building, education, and collaboration with local and international innovation organizations.
Research
In parallel, I've conducted research on Venture Studios and Startup Studios with Inniches, analyzing global venture builder models, investment efficiency, and startup growth metrics. This research deepened my understanding of alternative venture creation models and how capital, talent, and structure influence startup outcomes.
Today
My work today sits at the intersection of venture capital, startup building, and innovation research, with a focus on identifying and supporting scalable, venture-ready companies.