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 On
December 13, 2000, over a hundred presidents, vice presidents and
CEOs of more than 30 corporations met at The Palo Alto Rickys Hyatt,
California to discuss the framework for building "A New Bridge"
under the auspices of the New California Media. Sandy
Close, the President of NCM was gracious enough to give the audience
a brief history of NCM, which supports and encourages ethnic news
media in California to flourish and serve their communities.
She also unveiled the new magazine, Silicon Iran, which will be published
in early 2001.The
audience was tantalized by Kamran Elahian, Iranian venture capitalist,
who reminded his listeners that they should be positive thinkers.
"Set your sights high," he encouraged. “You can achieve
anything you set your mind to it,” he advised his listeners.Mr.
Elahian has helped launch several new technical companies in the silicon
valley.
Briefly, in 1981 he co-founded CAE Systems and within three years
sold it for $75 million to Tektronix. Then, in 1984 he founded Cirrus
Logic, which grew to $1 billion within a decade. Mr. Elahian is a
legend in the silicon valley.
The conference, has been sponsored by Arzoon
Co and Sprint
Telecommunication.
Arzoon was founded in September, 1999, by Silicon Valley entrepreneur
Farid Dibachi who previously
started Diba, a company that pioneered the concept of the Information
Appliance and wasacquired by Sun Microsystems. Within 10 months Arzoon
employed over 100 transportation and technology experts, and raised
$34 million from individual, corporate and leading institutional investors.
These include J. W. Seligman Company, Inc., Venrock Associates, Tailwinds
Capital Partners 2000 - a venture capital fund of Thomas Weisel Partners
LLC, and Garnett Capital.The
entire conference was organized and supervised by Iran Today and highlighted
by the presence of several silicon valley top executives representing
the following companies:
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Arzoon
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Kangaroo.net
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Adexa
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KLA
Tencor
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Actelis
Networks
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Maxim
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Atheros
Communications
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Misco
Inc
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Cahoots.com
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Nova
Cal
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California
Pacific Lab
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Parallele
Genomics
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CA
Pacific Lab Lasers
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Pyrosequencing
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CBYON,
Inc
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Savvion
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Centillium
Communications, Inc
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Schools
on line
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Easy
Panel
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Technology
for Communications International
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E-Services
Platform Oracle
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Transoptics
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Face
Time Communications
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Velio
communications
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Global
Catalyst Partners
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IQ
Labs
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And
more than 20 other companies.
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Susan Akbarpour, founder of Iran Today , after welcoming the attendants,
said a few words about her purpose for this gathering:
I'm glad to see so many friendly faces here. I welcome all of you
and wish that this evening together we can firmly establish a new
bridge between many of the entrepreneurs of Iranian heritage in the
silicon valley and the New California Media.
It was only yesterday (back in 1999 when I started Iran Today, I was
lucky enough to meet Jimmi Motarjemi who ventured into the media in
the United States, the birth of Iranian Radio forty years ago.
He was gracious enough to introduce me to New California Media where
I was Doubly fortunate to meet Sandy Close who Pioneered my way into
the ethnic Media in Bay area. From then on, it has been some what
very gratifying , although sometimes difficult and disappointing,
but with the unwavering support of the many well wishers such as writers,
contributors and consultants and advisors.
 No
matter what, no matter where and no matter how, any person, any group,
any company or any venture, one can not do it by himself or herself.
It was always the dedicated mission of supporters like you that make
a venture successful. I
do want to thank all past supporters, current well wishers and the
next potential investors for a cause that is dedicated to advancement
of community understanding and sharing of cultural values.In
my frequent attendance at the NCM exhibitions and press conferences,
I am somewhat disappointed to find myself the only Iranian at such
occasions.
I should not be the only Iranian member of NCM. The doors of opportunity
are wide open to all of you . Come, Join us.
Last but not least I would like to ask you to extend your help and
assistance to Sandy, Founder and President of NCM, Who has the "Mission
Impossible", for bringing harmony and cooperation among the many
ethnic communities within the entire state of California.
Before saying a few words about her purpose at this gathering and
the aim of Silicon Iran, I would now like to thank the family of Iran
Today, who have supported and encouraged me all this time.As
you all know, almost 63% of Iranians today are less than 23 years
old. In other words, about forty million people. As a result of the
destructive fruits of revolution ,war and sanctions , there is defiantly
a great need for distribution and sharing of information . It is our
earnest desire to make the efforts of Iranian entrepreneurs in the
Silicon Valley available to all Iranian youth in the entire world
through the pages of Silicon Iran .This magazine's objective is to
unify all who will be involved with it , be they contributors or merely
readers.
Above all it will objectively analyze and distribute new ideas within
the Iranian community throughout the world. |
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