Pejman Nozad
Pejman Nozad | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nationality | American, Iranian |
| Occupation | venture capitalist |
| Years active | 1999–present |
Pejman Nozad is an Iranian-American venture capitalist known for co-founding Pear VC and Amidzad Partners.[1] He is also a former radio host and professional soccer player.[2][3] He was ranked in the 15th spot in Forbes' annual Midas List in 2021 and also 2022.[4] He was #1 on the seed investors list in 2024. [5]
Early life and education
[edit]Nozad grew up during the Iranian Revolution.[2][3] He attended a German school in Tehran that eventually shut down because of the ongoing conflict.[2] Nozad wrote for a sports column when he was 16 and created and hosted a sports radio talk show when he was 18.[2][3][6]
Career
[edit]Nozad played soccer professionally in Iran for three years before eventually moving to Germany to play soccer on a scholarship in the 1980s.[2][7] He immigrated to the United States in 1992.[2][8] Before taking up investing, Nozad served as a car washer, yogurt shop employee, and rug salesman at the Medallion Rug Gallery.[7][9]
Nozad founded investment firm Amidzad Partners in 1999 with Rahim and Saeed Amidi, who also own the Medallion Rug Gallery and Plug and Play Tech Center.[7][9] With Amidzad Partners, Nozad invested in companies such as Qwiki.[10]
He also co-founded venture firm Pear VC with Mar Henshenson under the name Pejman Mar in 2013.[11]
For his work with Pear VC, he was also ranked in the 15th spot in Forbes' annual Midas List in 2021.[12] In 2022, he retained the number 15 rank in the Midas List[13] and was ranked number 2 on the Midas Seed List.[14]
References
[edit]- ^ "Silicon Valley's Most Famous Rug Dealer Forms a New Fund". www.strictlyvc.com. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ a b c d e f Life, Kayhan (2021-04-07). "From Rug Dealing to Venture Capital: Meet Silicon Valley Superstar Pejman Nozad". KAYHAN LIFE. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ a b c Gherini, Anne. "Pejman Nozad: From Rugs to Riches". www.affinity.co. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ "Pejman Nozad". forbes.com. 2022-02-01. Archived from the original on 2022-02-01. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ "The Midas Seed List 2024: The Early Venture Capital Backers of Tomorrow's AI Giants". Forbes. Retrieved 2024-07-03.
- ^ "World's Best English Pronunciation App | Elsaspeak". ELSA Speak - Your 24/7 A.I English Speaking Companion. 2016-07-11. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ a b c "Pejman Nozad's Rugs To Riches Story". Forbes India. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ Loizos, Connie (2017-08-28). "Why the rise of Iranian-Americans in tech is no surprise". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ a b Helft, Miguel (2007-09-14). "Rental Building's Good Karma Nurtures Success". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ "Qwiki closes $8M round led by Eduardo Saverin". VatorNews. 2011-01-20. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ Konrad, Alex. "Their Venture Fund Was 'A Sign Of A Bubble.' Then They Turned $1.9 Million In DoorDash Into $440 Million". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ "Pejman Nozad". forbes.com. 2022-02-01. Archived from the original on 2022-02-01. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ "The Midas List 2022". Forbes. 2022-10-15. Archived from the original on 2022-10-15. Retrieved 2022-10-20.
- ^ "Midas Seed 2022". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-10-20.