User:Benperlmutter94/sandbox
Susan Akbarpour | |
|---|---|
| Susan--akbarpour-headshot Susan Akbarpour in 2017 | |
| Born | July 26, 1968 |
| Education | Ferdowsi University (B.S.) Stanford Graduate School of Business (M.S.) |
| Occupation(s) | entrepreneur, journalist, investor, and public speaker |
| Known for | Co-Founder and CEO of Mavatar Technologies |
| Spouse | Faraj Aalaei |
| Children | 3 (1 by birth, 2 adopted) |
Susan Akbarpour (Persian: سوسن اكبرپور ) is an Iranian-American entrepreneur, journalist, investor, and public speaker. She is the co-founder and CEO of Mavatar Technologies, an omnichannel commerce company that developed the mCart platform. mCart platform enables customers to establish cloud-based marketplaces as-a-service that unlock the power of omnichannel content for influence marketing.
She is also a partner at Canduo Ventures, a founding member of IMA Executive Council, and a contributing writer to the Forbes Agency Council.
Early Life and Education
Akbarpour was born and raised in Mashhad, Iran. Both of her parents died when she was a teenager, so she was left to care for her two younger brothers and the family business at a young age.
In 1993, Akbarpour graduated with a B.S. in French language and literature from Ferdowsi University in Iran. Akbarpour later attended the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where she received an M.S. in Management in 2010. During the 2009 - 2010 school year, Akbarpour was the chair of the Sloan Fellows endowment. Akbarpour is a member of the Stanford Business School Alumni Association.
Career
Journalism in Iran
After graduating from university, Akbarpour began working as a journalist at Khorasan, an Iranian daily newspaper where both of her parents had worked. Akbarpour has discussed the many barriers that she had to overcome working as a woman in the society of post-Revolutionary Iran. While working at Khorasan, the International Journalism Festival selected her as the “Interviewer of the Year” from more than 12,000 journalists.
Early Media and Technology Ventures
Akbarpour immigrated to the United States in 1997. She settled in the Bay Area, where she continues to live.
Soon after arriving in the United States, Akbarpour founded Iran Today, a newspaper for Iranian Americans in both Persian and English. Iran Today had a monthly circulation of 25,000 copies a month in 2000.
In December 2000, Akbarpour founded SiliconIran, a quarterly magazine for Iranian-Americans in the technology industry. In 2003, Silicon Iran had a circulation of 7,200 individuals and 400 corporate subscribers. Silicon Iran later rebranded as Teskia, which offered networking and support to other ethnics groups including Japaneses Americans, Indian Americans and Chinese Americans. Teskia continued to publish the SiliconIran quarterly magazine.
In 2004, Akbarpour also founded Linkore, a “venture catalyst firm.” Linkore provided services to businesses, including executive search, event planning, and marketing strategy. Linkore advised more than 50 startups.
Mavatar Technologies
Akbarpour co-founded Mavatar Technologies in 2011 with Brom Mahbod. Mavatar is an enterprise software company and the developer of the mCart commerce product. Akbarpour conceived the platform’s concept while performing graduate research at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. mCart uses the mCart token, an ERC-20 Ethereum-backed cryptocurrency, to pay influencers for the sales that they drive within the mCart platform.
Mavatar raised over $4 million through angel investors and the private sale of an initial coin offering beginning December 2017.
Other Business Activities
Akbarpour is a partner at venture capital firm Candou Ventures. Candou invests in communications, semiconductors, biotech, software, and e-commerce companies.
Akbarpour is an advisor to blockchain transaction company Trustroot. She also sits on the board of directors at the Internet Media Association International Executive Council and VOMax Corporation.
Public Intellectual Work
Speaking
Akbarpour has spoken at more than 50 conferences across the United States about topics such as cryptocurrencies, blockchain technology, and advertising. These conference appearances include a presentation about blockchain in advertising at UCLA, RampUp San Francisco and Chicago 2018, a presentation about blockchain and Hollywood at HITS Fall 2018, and a panel discussion about making investment in cryptocurrencies safer at the 36th Annual Monetary and Trade Conference at Drexel University.
Media
Akbarpour regularly appears television on news programs to discuss blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and advertising. She has appeared on CBS Los Angeles, Fox Business’ Varney & Co., Comedy Central’s The Opposition with Jordan Klepper, Good Morning Lala Land, and other programs.
Akbarpour has been profiled in print media publications. She was featured on the cover of Insight Success magazine’s “30 Most Influential Entrepreneurs to Watch 2018” issue in October 2018. She was also profiled in SFGate and the Silicon Valley Business Journal.
Writing
Akbarpour has written articles about blockchain, cryptocurrencies, and startup innovation. She is a contributing writer to the Forbes Agency Council, where she writes about blockchain and digital commerce.
Akbarpour is also an advocate for changed government policy towards startups and blockchain. She has published an op-ed about the need to reenact net neutrality regulations in Silicon Valley and an academic paper about creating a clearer regulatory environment for cryptocurrencies that will be published in the Drexel Institutional Investor Journals during the first quarter of 2019.
Advocacy for Women in Tech
Akbarpour is an advocate for increasing the representation of women in the technology industry. She is a member of Stanford Women on Boards and is a prestige member of Watermark, a non-profit organization that is a community of executive women. Akbarpour has written and spoken about how blockchain can empower female entrepreneurs in the technology sector.
Mavatar sponsored and hosted a series of workshops in Mavatar’s Redwood city office in 2015 and 2016 for their Silicon Valley community of Women Who Code.
Personal Life
Akbarpour is married to fellow entrepreneur and investor Faraj Aalaei. They have one daughter together and two sons from Faraj’s previous marriage. The family resides in Atherton, CA.
Philanthropy
Akbarpour and Aalaei are also active philanthropists. They are donors to the Persian Center in Berkeley and in the Founders’ Circle of Freedom Sculpture Founders’ Circle. Akbarpour and Aalaei are fundraisers and advocates for the Iranian American Political Action Committee (IAPAC), a bipartisan political action committee that supports Iranian Americans who run for office and advocates for candidates that support Iranian-American interests. Aalaei was a founder of IAPAC. Akbarpour and Aalaei also serve on the board of the Iranian American Contribution Project and the Iranian Scholarship Foundation. The couple has also made significant contributions to Moms Against Poverty and the Pars Equality Center.
