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| Kamran Elahian کامران الهیان | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1954 Tehran |
| Nationality | Iranian American |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Spouse | Zohre Elahian |
Kamran Elahian (Template:Lang-fa) is an Iranian-American is an innovation catalyst, philanthropist, an entrepreneur without borders, and a global venture capitalist.
Early life and education
Kamran was born in Tehran in 1954. He immigrated to the United States before the Iranian Revolution. He received a B.Sc. in Computer Science, a B.Sc. in Mathematics (at the age of twenty) and a Master of Engineering degree in Computer Graphics from the University of Utah.
Career
Kamran is Founder and Chairman of Global Innovation Catalyst, LLC. As an innovation catalyst, Kamran advises various governments on the needed transition from fossil-based economies to sustainable innovation economies. In the past, as a global high-tech entrepreneur, he co-founded ten companies, had 6 exits, 3 of them were Unicorn IPOs with a total market cap of over $8B. For 15 years, he was Chairman of Global Catalyst Partners, a global VC firm ($350M under management) with investments in the U.S., Japan, China, India, Israel and Singapore.
Underlying his vision for global philanthropy is the conviction that modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can be instrumental in dissolving barriers between nations and bridging the social and political differences among people. This vision was reflected in Schools-Online, a nonprofit he co-founded in 1996 to connect the world, one school at a time (6400 schools in 36 countries were provided with computers and access to the Internet) and merged with Relief International in 2003; Global Catalyst Foundation, co-founded in 2000 to improve lives through effective education and empowerment of the youth (with special emphasis on young women) using the leverage of ICT, and UN-GAID, a United Nations global forum that promotes ICT in developing countries where he served as Co-Chairman (2009-2011).
Recognition
In December 2006, The Dr. Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership Award which recognizes individuals for their exceptional contributions to drive the development, innovation, growth and long-term opportunities for the fabless semiconductor industry was presented to Kamran.