Awais Sufi

Awais Sufi is an entrepreneur, attorney and executive coach that regularly provides strategic counsel and leadership in the design and execution of complex public, private and nonprofit ventures. Through his consulting firm Yield Creative, Awais works as a close partner to executive leaders, boards and investors as they build new approaches designed to drive growth and greater impact.

Awais has catalyzed new enterprises and efforts supported by over $250M in investments from individuals, companies, foundations, and governments. Prior to starting Yield Creative, Awais served as Entrepreneur in Residence at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, where he raised capital, built the strategy and led the team at SchoolSmartKC, a $100M collaborative fund to drive partnerships and innovation in support of school improvement. Previously, Awais served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at the International Youth Foundation (IYF) where he led strategy across teams working in 50 countries through 10 worldwide offices. Prior to his work with IYF, Awais was the founding Managing Director of the Education for Employment Foundation, a startup venture that now continues two decades later working closely with business leaders to provide exceptional training and jobs for youth in the Middle East.

Awais started his career as a lawyer, working as a corporate and securities attorney at the Washington, D.C. law firm Arnold & Porter, and as Law Clerk to the Honorable Judge John Sprizzo of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He’s a graduate of the University of Texas School of Law, where he was an editor of the Texas Law Review, and the University of Chicago where he was a member of the Maroon Key Society.