What I Build
Is What I Believe.
A journey shaped by action, design, and
the idea that good work should do good.
The Spark
(1989)
At age 11, I spent countless hours coding on a Commodore 64, the screen flickered, and a pixelated figure moved—simple, but mine. That small moment of creation unlocked something in me. It wasn’t just about making a character move—it was the thrill of seeing an idea come alive. That’s where it all started.
Design Years
1989 - 2001
Throughout the ’90s, design was more than something I studied—it was how I experienced the world. I formally earned a diploma in Graphic Design from OCR (Oxford, Cambridge, RSA – Tehran Center), and later a B.S. in Graphic Design from Azad University. But the real learning happened outside the classroom, inside studios, shops, and client offices, where I worked daily on real projects.
I designed everything from logos, brochures, and packaging to posters, interior spaces, and even theater stages. And after each project, I didn’t just move on, I stayed curious. I’d track the outcome, measure the impact, and ask the hard question: Did this design actually work? Did it help sell? Did it resonate?
In those years, I moved between mediums—Rapidograph pens, airbrushes, letraset sheets:—before shifting into digital tools. When Photoshop 5, CorelDRAW and 3ds Max 4, arrived, I wasn’t just excited about what I could make with them—I was fascinated by their interfaces, by how the design of a tool itself could shape the way we think and create.
I was honored to be accepted as the youngest member of the Iranian Graphic Designers Society (IGDS, Member #145), a community founded by the most respected designers in the country. Later, I also became the youngest member of the Iranian Advertising Agencies Association—not for prestige, but because I wanted to learn directly from the people shaping the field.
Over time, my attention shifted from form to function. I became more drawn to advertising—because that’s where I could see what worked, and why. I loved the clarity of results. That mindset led me to pursue a Master’s in Creative Advertising from IRIB University, deepening my understanding of the psychology behind persuasion, design, and storytelling.
My First Company
2001
In 2001, I opened my own advertising agency in Tehran. We managed ad sales for ten major newspapers and pioneered a kiosk-based advertising network. At the same time, we offered web design services using MS FrontPage, HTML, Flash, and other tools of that era.
We were believers in the power of the web. Design wasn’t just art, it was systems, interaction, and behavior. Teaching became a natural extension of that belief. I taught UI/UX at the University of Tehran and the Canadian College branch in Tehran. Sharing helped me grow.
How We Taught Ourselves to Build
2002
As I ran my advertising agency, I noticed a pattern—business owners around me were struggling to keep up with the digital shift. Instead of just watching, my wife and I decided to act. Together, we launched one of Iran’s first training institutes focused on modern business. We hosted workshops and seminars on digital strategy, e-commerce, and business model innovation—often in collaboration with Canadian institutions and professors from Tehran and Sharif Universities.
These sessions weren’t just for others—they became a catalyst for me. Preparing material from Canada sparked deeper questions, and I found myself diving into new concepts long after the events ended. Every seminar lit a fire. I wasn’t just teaching—I was learning too. I followed my curiosity wherever it led: product thinking, business modeling, UX architecture, system design, go-to-market strategies, and eventually AI in automation.
Not all of these happened at once. This was a long arc—years of self-study, iteration, and applying what I learned in real-world products. But that season taught me something lasting: When something doesn’t work—when people are stuck or systems fall behind—I don’t wait around for permission. I roll up my sleeves. I learn what I need to learn. I teach what I know. And then I build something better. Not once, but again and again.
Building Beyond Seminars
2003 - 2013
Seminars and Workshops were a great start—but I needed to go further. We didn’t want to just teach knowdadge and ideas. We wanted to bring them to life.
Over the next decade, we focused on building real digital products for real problems. Guided by a simple belief—“see something, do something”—we set out to solve pressing challenges in everyday life and business.
We launched platforms across multiple industries and countries:
- Loyalty Tech in Iran, Dubai, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan
- PetTech in Iran and Germany
- EdTech in Iran and Canada
- AgriTech in Iran
- Smart city solutions, marketplaces, social networks, and more
Almost all of them weren’t just prototypes, they were live, growing products. But not all growth was welcome in Islamic regime in Iran.
Because many of these tools supported human rights, education, or animal welfare, we faced constant pushback from the Islamic regime of Iran. While we successfully sold three of our startups, two were forcibly shut down—not by market failure, but by political pressure.
Why We Left Iran
I want to be clear: We love Iran. We left the regime.
What we built, products for openness, transparency, and empowerment, was incompatible with the restrictions of the Islamic government in Iran. Projects supporting animal rights, free access to information, and civic engagement were blocked. When our startups began to scale, the system moved in—not to help, but to control.
By 2013, it became clear: we had to choose between freedom and silence. We chose freedom.
The American Dream
We came to the United States carrying more than just hope.
We came with a quiet belief—that here, we could build freely. That we could speak openly. That we could live without fear.
Over the past decade, we’ve rebuilt our lives, piece by piece.
We raised two children. We lived and worked in Houston, Silicon Valley, Seattle, and now Minneapolis—growing through every challenge, and learning through every season.
We didn’t just start over—we started forward.
We studied, taught ourselves new skills, and turned bold ideas into real products—serving industries like transportation, hospitality, and M&A. We learned how the startup world works in America—especially in Silicon Valley—and we found our place in it.
Step by step, we built not just companies, but community.
And along the way, we’ve been honored to receive support and recognition from:
- Techstars
- Google for Startups
- Microsoft for Startups
- AWS Activate
- NVIDIA Inception
- WTIA
- And 1871 AI Innovation Lab
But no moment brought it all home more clearly than CES 2025. Eleven years after arriving in the U.S., we were selected by the Department of Commerce as one of twelve startups to represent the country at the official USA Pavilion.
When we shared this with one of the Department’s staff members, he paused, tears in his eyes, and said:
“This is the American dream.”
And it truly was.
President Reagan once said:
“The American miracle is in a people who dare to dream, to take risks, and to build.”
That line lives in our hearts. Because the American dream isn’t a slogan to us, it’s real. We’ve lived it. This country gave us the freedom to turn ideas into action, to raise our children in dignity, to work and speak and build without fear.
We love this nation because it didn’t just welcome us, it believed in what we could become. It gave us a path paved with freedom, dignity, and opportunity, and invited us to make it our own.
This is our home now. And we carry the dream forward, with deep gratitude, open eyes, and sleeves rolled up.
What Drives Me
I live by a simple rhythm:
- See what needs care.
- Think with purpose.
- Act with intent.
This rhythm didn’t appear all at once—it revealed itself with every real-world challenge I chose to face. From designing packaging that had to sell, not just look good…
To building platforms that served real people, not just polished screens…
To walking away from comfort when freedom to build no longer existed…
What I’ve learned is simple: when something’s broken, I don’t scroll past. I don’t wait for permission.
I build. I speak. I teach. I fix.
Because progress doesn’t come from outrage. It comes from clarity—and choosing to act.
What’s Next
Today, I work with teams who care about what they build, especially in AI, product design, and early-stage innovation.
If you’re building something meaningful, or need someone who’s walked both sides, product and people, I’d love to connect.
My Think Lab
Insights from building and leading digital products across startups, industries, and geographies.