Who I am
I’m Saif Shah, a London-based ex-KPMG consultant who’s gradually shifting into a systems builder. I’ve always been drawn to how things fit together – history, law, finance, technology – and over time that curiosity has pulled me towards the space economy and frontier risk.
From KPMG to space, AI, and risk
I spent the last few years in a structured, corporate environment, working with global mobility and immigration at KPMG. It was a good training ground for process, detail, and risk management – but I found myself more interested in the underlying systems than in the day-to-day operations.
So I’m in the middle of a deliberate transition: away from pure consulting and towards building tools and models for the space economy, AI, and emerging risk systems.
What I’m building and learning now
My main experiment is A.I.O.N. – an early space risk engine for satellites and launches. It’s very much a work-in-progress, but it gives me a concrete way to learn how insurers, investors, and operators might think about space risk.
Alongside that, I’m studying:
Space economics, insurance, and capital flows
Mathematics and quantitative modelling
Classics, philosophy, and systems thinking
Languages and astronomy as part of a broader “School of Thought” practice
The point isn’t to become an expert overnight but to steadily stack skills that make me useful in deep-tech and risk-driven environments.
What lives on this site
This site is my public notebook, not a polished personal brand.
Here you’ll find:
Build Logs – progress notes on Astraeus and other experiments in space/AI/risk
Reading Notes – reflections from books and papers that shape how I think
Weekly Connections – short summaries of what I learnt each week and how it connects across disciplines
Conference Notes – takeaways from events in space, finance, and technology
I share decisions, dead ends, and incomplete ideas on purpose. It’s a trail of proof-of-work rather than a highlight reel.
“An unexamined life is not worth living.”
