About
Built for the founders nobody introduced.
Talent is everywhere. Access isn't. Project Underdogs exists to take out the wall between the two.
Why underdogs
Because that's who wins when the field is fair.
Most programs pick founders who already have the network. We pick founders who have the work ethic and the idea — then supply the network ourselves. Open doors, plain language, warm introductions. It's all online: the support and the network come to you, wherever you are.
Who's leading it
Founders who weren't introduced either.
Shaq Baydoun
Founder, SB Ventures
Shaq Baydoun is the founder of SB Ventures, a capital advisory and deal-structuring firm that helps entrepreneurs, developers, and growth-stage companies get the funding they need to scale. He has more than 20 years in finance and business. Over that time he has built a career on taking hard, unconventional transactions and making them financeable.
He started in mortgage brokerage and expanded into commercial lending, real estate investment, and alternative finance. He has been licensed in more than 15 states and also has a background in licensed insurance. Today SB Ventures arranges capital in a wide range of sectors, including commercial and industrial real estate, construction and redevelopment, film and entertainment, hospitality and recreation, natural resources, and early-stage ventures. He works with lenders, private investors, and institutional partners to build structures that fit each deal, from bridge and transactional financing to sale-leasebacks, SAFEs, and multi-tranche capital stacks.
Along with his advisory work, Shaq is an active real estate investor across several states and a serial entrepreneur who has co-founded ventures in fintech, trade finance, and youth mentorship. He brings that operator’s view to every founder he works with. His focus is on practical structure, honest positioning, and getting deals to the closing table. Shaq is based in South Florida.
Nader Abadi
Founder, 313 Capital
Nader Abadi is the founder of 313 Capital. His 25-year career in sales and finance spans mortgage banking leadership at Rocket and JPMorgan Chase, credit analysis at S&P Global Ratings, private credit origination at Monroe Capital, and M&A and capital-raising advisory at Peakstone.
He holds FINRA Series 79 and 63 licenses. A Dearborn native, he earned his BA in economics from the University of Michigan-Dearborn and his MBA from Georgetown University.
Already running: the Chamber's founder network and the Pitch MENA competition. Next: university partner programs and campus founder pipelines.
Roadmap
From a roundtable to 24 companies in two years.
Now
Online program live
Year 1 · Q1
Setup: hub, staff, fund
Spring & fall
Classes and pitch days
Year 3+
Returns fund new classes