Zemfira Khisaeva
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Hey Zemfira — we both ended up in PE from pretty different directions (McKinsey for you, banking at CS/Greenhill for me). been thinking a lot about proprietary origination in tech-enabled B2B lately. would be good to connect.
Hey Zemfira, we both ended up in PE from different directions — I came through IB at CS & Greenhill in London rather than McKinsey and enterprise tech like you. origination was always the same story for me — clear thesis, decent relationships, but no proprietary system of record tying anything together. every deal virtually sourced from scratch, nothing compounding over time. curious if that's still how most funds operate or if I'm behind the times? — Russ
Hey Zemfira, we both landed in PE though from different angles — I came through banking at CS & Greenhill in London into growth equity, not through McKinsey and enterprise strategy like you. different paths but similar destination. the pattern I keep seeing with most funds is weirdly consistent — strong thesis, solid network, but no proprietary system of record. the people, tools and ideas are never really connected, so every deal is virtually sourced from scratch. nothing compounds on itself. curious if that resonates or if you and Jake have built something different at ZJ Partners? — Russ
hey Zemfira — no worries if the timing's off. most funds I talk to have tried some version of building origination in-house — analyst pulling from Pitchbook or Grata, maybe using ChatGPT to help qualify, dumping it into a spreadsheet. each piece kind of works, but there's no system of record tying it together. tonnes of wasted energy and everything ends up out of sync. been helping a few funds like Mentmore work through that. curious if you've hit the same thing at ZJ Partners? — Russ
totally get it if origination infrastructure isn't top of mind right now — especially with a new fund there's always 10 things ahead of it. the funds I've seen crack it early just tend to compound deal flow in a way that's hard to replicate later. if it ever moves up the list, I'm easy to find. — Russ
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Zemfira — hope you had a good weekend. wanted to reach out — congrats on launching ZJ Partners, always impressed by those who've taken the leap. though we share a PE background, I hope to one day do the same. in the meantime I've been working on the origination side with funds like Mentmore and Backer Group — curious how you're thinking about origination at ZJ Partners. mostly proprietary or still seeing a lot through brokers? very best, Russell linkedin.com/in/russellt23
Prospect Research
## PROSPECT INFORMATION: Name: Zemfira Khisaeva Title: Co-Founder Fund: ZJ Partners Background: PROSPECT SUMMARY: Zemfira Khisaeva CURRENT FOCUS Zemfira is a high-level operator and entrepreneur currently serving as a Co-Founder and Board Member at Earthlings Group (as of January 2026) and a Partner at ZJ Capital Partners. She is a recognized leader in the Web3 and Fintech sectors, previously co-founding FinRamp, a regulated tokenization and custody infrastructure platform, and serving as President of yWhales. She actively seeks opportunities to help businesses at turning points scale, evolve, or rebuild. BACKGROUND She has a distinguished career at the intersection of finance and deep tech. Her background includes serving as Global Head of Technology and Enterprise Strategy at Scotiabank, where she reported to the CTO and led digital transformation. Prior to that, she was a Management Consultant at McKinsey & Company, advising Fortune 500 companies on M&A and turnarounds. She began her career in engineering at Bombardier and MDA Space and Robotics. She holds a PhD from McGill University (completed in under three years) focused on materials science and stochastic analysis. KEY SKILLS Strategy & Digital Transformation, Web3 & Blockchain Infrastructure, Financial Technology (Finovate speaker), M&A/Due Diligence, Operational Turnarounds, and Enterprise Technology Modernization. RELEVANT POSTS & DIRECT QUOTES * November 18, 2025: Shared a milestone for Kulture Rebellion regarding AI-designed fermentation, noting, "achieving in weeks what normally takes years of cellar trials... one grape, multiple styles." * November 18, 2025: Reshared a hiring post for a Banking and Capital markets team, stating, "Dubie is an amazing person to work for. Let me know if you know someone who could be a fit." * February 24, 2025: Reflected on the YPO Global Leadership Conference in Barcelona: "The wealthiest person in the room might be silently battling depression, while the struggling entrepreneur who just filed for bankruptcy could be on the brink of shaping the future globally." * November 9, 2023: Discussed participation in the CNBC Technology Executive Council and an AI summit: "A key insight from this discussion was the collective concern regarding the rise of deep fakes and their potential impact across industries." * June 23, 2023: Shared thoughts on communication: "Incredible wisdom. Every word we say can change someone’s life and especially our children’s." * June 7, 2023: Commented on the EU’s MiCA regulation: "This move provides legal certainty for market participants and positions Europe as a leader in the digital asset landscape... the US lacks a comprehensive federal law like MiCA, resulting in fragmented crypto asset regulation." * June 2, 2023: At a McKinsey 55th anniversary event, she quoted, "One can take the person out of McKinsey but not McKinsey out of the person," and praised long-time staff for their "integrity and dedication." * May 26, 2023: Summarized a panel at Finovate Spring: "The distinction between DeFi (Decentralized Finance) and traditional finance will blur... It'll be more about the services themselves, and how they are adding value to the users." * May 20, 2022: Announced her departure from Scotiabank: "I left a comfortable 'risk-free' role at one of the most prestigious institutions in Canada to follow the call to adventure of my own Hero’s Journey." AWARDS & RECOGNITION Recognized as one of the Top 50 Women in FinTech in Canada and one of the Top 50 Women Leaders in Toronto (2022). Member of the CNBC Technology Executive Council and YPO. Fund details: - Description: ZJ Partners is an entrepreneur-led investment fund focused on tech-enabled B2B companies in the lower middle market. - Website: https://zj.partners - Location: St Louis, Missouri, United States - Lead qualification: Research: - Query: =ZJ Partners Zemfira Khisaeva recent investments fund thesis - Answer: Zemfira Khisaeva is a partner at ZJ Capital Partners, focusing on tech-enabled B2B companies. Her recent investments include DCloud and Shequ in China. ZJ Capital Partners is based in St. Louis, Missouri.