What's Next in the Next 12 Months?

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1. 

   E43 · 4 Jun 2026 · 1 hr 7 min

   Ali Kashani, Serve Robotics

   Ali Kashani is the co-founder and CEO of Serve Robotics, and he has done what almost no one in Robotics has: put robots on real streets in dozens of cities and made people love them. He is the youngest Iranian-born CEO on the Nasdaq, the youngest CEO of any robotics company on the exchange, growing revenue around 600 percent year over year and scaling from 100 robots to thousands in a single year. We also get into the part most founders never put on a slide. Between spinning out of Uber and ringing the Nasdaq bell, Serve hit its last payroll ten times. Two of those times Ali made payroll out…

2. 

   E42 · 27 Apr 2026 · 1 hr 31 min

   $3.2B in 10 Years | Martin Basiri

   Martin Basiri built ApplyBoard into a $3.2B company in 10 years, helping over 2 million students study abroad. He is among the very few Iranian immigrants to build a multibillion dollar company in North America, and ApplyBoard alone now contributes 0.6% of Canada's GDP. In this first time Martin shares his full playbook, before his first $3M raise, his vision for the future of immigration, and what he is building next with Passage, a new financial aid platform reimagining how students fund their education. Martin Basiri Linkedin : https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinbasiri/ More about Passage…

3. 

   E41 · 31 Mar 2026 · 1 hr 18 min

   Two Kings, One Board | Anthropic vs OpenAI

   We sat down in March 2026 to break down the two most important companies in AI. This episode is a full deep dive into Anthropic and OpenAI, comparing everything from corporate structure and revenue models to business strategy, research philosophy, and the politics shaping both companies. We cover the founding stories, the safety vs scale debate, enterprise adoption, fundraising dynamics, the Pentagon ban, and where both companies are headed next. Whether you're a builder, investor, or just following the AI race closely, this is the episode. ur Newsletter :…

4. 

   E40 · 6 Jan 2026 · 1 hr 2 min

   Second Prize Awards 2025, Celebrating the Best Iranian AI Scientists

   Why will Google & NVIDIA struggle next year? We're celebrating the best Iranian AI scientists, roboticists, VCs & startups while revealing what's coming in 2026. Newsletter : https://secondnewsletter.substack.com/ Ardalan Javadi : https://www.linkedin.com/in/ardalanjam1369/ Farzam Hejazi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/farzam-hejazi-5b608081/ 0:00 Introduction 3:04 Best AI Scientist of the Year 10:03 Best Roboticist of the Year 13:46 Best Robotic Startup of the year 16:25 Best Venture Capitalist of the year 33:08 Best none AI Business 38:19 Best CEO of the Year 42:06 Best AI Model or Product…

5. 

   E39 · 27 Aug 2025 · 1 hr 31 min

   $8.5M in 10 Days with VERIS AI Founders

   در این قسمت میزبان دو هم‌بنیان‌گذار Veris، اندی پرتوی و مهدی جامعی هستیم؛ یکی از سریع‌ترین استارتاپ‌های رو‌به‌رشد در حوزه هوش مصنوعی. Veris در حال ساخت سندباکس ایجنت‌هاست: محیط‌های ایمن و مقیاس‌پذیر که در آن ایجنت‌های هوش مصنوعی می‌توانند قبل از ورود به دنیای واقعی، آموزش ببینند، تست شوند و کارایی واقعی خود را ثابت کنند.در این گفت‌وگو، اندی و مهدی درباره محصول، داستان شکل‌گیری، کاربردهای واقعی، و این‌که چطور فقط در ۱۰ روز ۸.۵ میلیون دلار از سرمایه‌گذاران طراز اول جذب کردند صحبت می‌کنند—از تاکتیک‌ها و اشتباهات تا نکاتی که واقعاً برای سرمایه‌گذاران جذاب بود. در این قسمت، امیرعلی مهاجر…

6. 

   E37 · 8 Oct 2024 · 59 min

   Reframing Entrepreneurship With Narges Baniasadi

   In this special episode, we have a fascinating conversation with Narges Baniasadi, a prominent figure in the biotech ecosystem and founder of Bina Technologies, which was successfully acquired by Roche in a deal worth over $100 million. Narges holds a bachelor's degree in computer science from the University of Tehran and a PhD in electrical engineering from Stanford. Following the acquisition, she embarked on what she calls her "second journey"—a shift towards meaningful entrepreneurship, or what she refers to as "impact entrepreneurship." She also launched the Emergence program at…

7. 

   E36 · 13 Sep 2024 · 1 hr 18 min

   هوش مصنوعی در مهندسی پزشکی با سام کاوسی

   In this episode, we dive deep into an inspiring conversation with Sam Kavusi, a leader in the field of hardware and imaging technology. Sam holds a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Sharif University and is currently the Head of Retina Imaging & Services at Verli, where he spearheads cutting-edge advancements in medical imaging solutions. With a background at Bosch and an education from Stanford, Sam has been at the forefront of impactful decision-making in the tech world. We explore his journey from hardware engineering to becoming an industry thought leader, his reflections…

8. 

   E35 · 2 Sep 2024 · 1 hr 10 min

   ‫مینی سریال فاندرهای ایرانی در سیلیکون ولی - متینه عیب پوش

   In this mini-series, created in collaboration with the Pear Persian Founder Circle (PFC) from Pear VC, we engage with Persian entrepreneurs to gain insights into their domains and their experiences in Cohort 1 of the PFC. In Episode III, we had a conversation with Matineh Eybpoosh. Matineh completed her Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon University and began her journey in the CleanTech/energy sector as the Director of Data Science at Kwantera in 2017. She co-founded her first startup, WattLearn, and later moved to the Bay Area. WattLearn was acquired in 2021. Matineeh is now the Co-Founder and CEO of…

9. 

   E34 · 5 Jul 2024 · 1 hr 16 min

   In Conversation with Siri Pioneer, Siamak Hodjat

   In this episode, we have an incredible conversation with Siamak Hodjat, a pioneer in the AI assistance ecosystem. Siamak graduated from Sharif University in computer science and earned a master’s from Amir Kabir University. He joined Dejima in 1999, co-founded by his brother Babak Hodjat, and was part of the team that created Siri with Adam Cheyer. Siri was later acquired by Apple during the Steve Jobs era. Siamak also contributed to Viv Labs, the AI assistant for Samsung, and co-founded Game Planner, which was acquired by Airbnb. Now, he is the Director of AI Experience at Airbnb. We…

10. 

    E33 · 26 Jun 2024 · 1 hr 18 min

    Mastering the Startup Exit with Touraj Parang, COO of Serve Robotics

    In this episode, we had a fascinating conversation with Touraj Parang. Touraj graduated from Stanford in economics and philosophy, earned his JD from Yale Law School, and started his career at a top Silicon Valley law firm. He then moved into venture capital with Early Bird Firm and Amidzad. Touraj's entrepreneurial journey included founding Jaxtr and Webs, which was later acquired. He joined GoDaddy as VP of Corporate Development, staying until 2014. Currently, he is the President, COO, and Board Member of Serve Robotics, an autonomous delivery company that recently went public. Touraj is…