A brief and incomplete introduction

Hi, I'm Rayouf. I'm an investor and designer based in New York, focused on AI, developer tools, and creative technology at Bessemer Venture Partners. I grew up between Saudi Arabia, Austria, and Germany.

I'm building Margins, a platform and media project documenting streetwear and style subcultures around the world.

Before that, I worked in design research and product roles at Netflix and adidas, and startups. I studied at Stanford University's design school for my undergrad and went on to complete a Master's in Mechanical Engineering with a focus on design manufacturing.

At 16, I created the headscarf emoji, now part of the global digital lexicon and was acquired by institutions like the Cooper Hewitt and Smithsonian.

I like thinking about how AI shifts creative work and culture and sometimes I get lucky enough to talk about these ideas on stages, from Harvard to MIT to Alif and the Computer History Museum — wherever there's a crowd curious about creation and change.