Through his ventures, Awais has catalyzed new enterprises and efforts supported by over $200M in investments from individuals, companies, foundations, and governments. His consulting firm, Yield Creative, provides strategy consulting. CFO Fractional services and executive coaching to a wide variety of corporate and social leaders. Prior to forming 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 philanthropic fund to support innovation and provide resources and expertise to educational institutions and business partners advancing career readiness and workforce development models.
Previously, Awais served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President at the International Youth Foundation (IYF) where he drove 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 is a lawyer, starting his career 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.
Awais also serves on a variety of Board and Advisory Committees related to corporate and philanthropic ventures, and recently concluded his term as member of the Community Development Advisory Committee for the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.