Bilal Mahmood is an American entrepreneur,philanthropist,and elected official,currently serving as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors representing District 5. Mahmood was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2024,defeating incumbent supervisor Dean Preston.
Prior to elected office,Mahmood was a policy analyst in the Obama administration,[1] as well as co-founder of the Foundation 13 Fund and the software company ClearBrain,where he also served as CEO.[2]Amplitude acquired ClearBrain in March 2020.[3]
Early life
Mahmood was born and raised in Palo Alto,California.[4] Mahmood's parents and grandparents immigrated from Pakistan.[5]
Mahmood finished high school in Lahore,Pakistan,where his family moved after 9/11.[6] He graduated Stanford University in 2009 with a degree in biology and a minor in business. At Stanford,he interned at the Stanford Pediatric Surgery Lab and co-founded a microloan non-profit that has distributed more than $13,000.[4] He was named a Gates Cambridge Scholar in 2009 and attended the University of Cambridge,where he earned a master's degree in bioscience enterprise.[4] Mahmood has described himself as a "neuroscientist" in his public communications.[7] However,this claim was challenged by neuroscientists and later removed from Mahmood's website and social media profiles.[8]
After working in the Obama administration and several technology companies,[8] Mahmood founded ClearBrain,a predictive analytics software company[10] which Mahmood describes as technology for mission-minded organizations and small businesses,helping them compete with Amazon.[11] Mahmood served as ClearBrain's CEO until March 2020,when analytics firm Amplitude announced it had acquired ClearBrain for an undisclosed sum.[12][13]
Mahmood started the Foundation 13 Fund in 2020,investing in nonprofits local to San Francisco on issues including small business relief,anti-Asian violence,and local journalism. Its first grant raised $100,000 to support restaurant workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.[6]
Mahmood based his platform on a number of issues including supporting a San Francisco Board of Education recall,a program to end homelessness in over 80 cities and counties,a guaranteed income program for Californians,expanding the California Earned Income Tax Credit ceiling to $75,000,and a combination of carbon and wealth taxes.[17]
Mahmood finished third,subsequently endorsing Matt Haney.[18] Haney ultimately defeated David Campos in the runoff election and was sworn in on May 3,2022.[19]
San Francisco political advocacy
Mahmood has continued to advocate for reforms in the permitting and approvals process for new construction in San Francisco,identifying excessive bureaucracy as a driver of homelessness and inequality in the city.[20] Soon after Mahmood delineated these issues in the San Francisco Chronicle in March 2023,city Supervisor Ahsha Safai and San Francisco Mayor London Breed put forward separate bills to streamline the city's complex and time-consuming housing approval process.[21]
In May 2023,Mahmood drew attention to the bureaucratic mismanagement and technical missteps which resulted in delayed payments to teachers working for San Francisco's school district.[22]
Mahmood collaborated with San Francisco Assembly Member Matt Haney,his erstwhile political rival in the 2022 California State Assembly election,on legislation which would compel California's Energy Commission to create an emission reduction strategy for buildings and homes with clearly outlined requirements and milestones.[23] The proposed legislation was praised for its potential to bolster investment in local businesses and create jobs in the state.[24]
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