Arash Ferdowsi
{{Short description|American businessman}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Arash Ferdowsi
| image = Arash ferdowsi 2023 (cropped).jpg
| caption = Ferdowsi in 2023
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1985|10|7}}
| birth_place = Overland Park, Kansas, US
| alma_mater = Massachusetts Institute of Technology (dropped out)
| occupation = Co-Founder, Dropbox
| spouse =
| children =
| website =
| signature =
}}
Arash Ferdowsi ({{langx|fa|آرش فردوسی}}, born October 7, 1985) is an American billionaire entrepreneur. He is the co-founder of Dropbox.
Early life and education
Ferdowsi was born in Overland Park, Kansas, United States on 7 October 1985. He attended Blue Valley Northwest High School, a public high school in Overland Park, graduating first in his class in 2004.{{cite web|title=Meet the richest area native you've probably never heard of|url=http://www.kansascity.com/2013/02/09/4057711/meet-the-richest-area-native-youve.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130308110306/http://www.kansascity.com/2013/02/09/4057711/meet-the-richest-area-native-youve.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=8 March 2013|publisher=The Kansas City Star|accessdate=3 April 2018|date=9 February 2013}} Ferdowsi went on to study electrical engineering and computer science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), dropping out of his program in his last year to focus on his business.
=Family=
Ferdowsi is the son of Iranian immigrants Gholam Ferdowsi (b. 1950) and Tahmineh "Tammy" Faridazar (b. 1959). Ferdowsi's father, a mortgage broker, is a native of Tabriz in northwestern Iran.{{cite web|title=Blue Valley Northwest grad is a billionaire, thanks to the tech company he founded|url=http://www.kansascity.com/news/business/article206994599.html|publisher=The Kansas City Star|accessdate=3 April 2018|date=28 March 2018}} His parents settled in the United States following the 1979 Iranian Revolution, then met and married in 1984 while students at the University of Central Missouri and the University of Missouri–Kansas City, respectively.
Career
Ferdowsi launched Dropbox in June 2007 with his business partner, Drew Houston, at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In September 2007, Ferdowsi moved his company to San Francisco and raised venture capital from Sequoia Capital, Accel, Y Combinator, and a handful of individual investors. In March 2018, Dropbox underwent an initial public offering, valuing the company at around US$9.2 billion.{{cite web|title=Dropbox Priced at $21 a Share in I.P.O., Valuing Company at $9.2 Billion|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/22/business/dealbook/dropbox-ipo.html|work=New York Times|accessdate=6 April 2018|date=22 March 2018}}
From the company's establishment in June 2007 until October 2016, Ferdowsi served as the chief technology officer (CTO) of Dropbox.{{cite web|title=Dropbox appoints new CTO, Aditya Agarwal, takes over for cofounder Arash Ferdowsi|url=https://venturebeat.com/2016/10/13/dropbox-appoints-new-cto-aditya-agarwal-replacing-cofounder-arash-ferdowsi/|website=Venture Beat|accessdate=3 April 2018|date=13 October 2016}} In 2020 he left the company.{{cite web|title=Dropbox's Billionaire Co-Founder Arash Ferdowsi, Ex-MIT Student, Leaves Company|date=31 December 2020 |url=https://kayhanlife.com/news/kayhan/dropboxs-billionaire-co-founder-arash-ferdowsi-ex-mit-student-leaves-company/|url-status=live|accessdate=12 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201231120836/https://kayhanlife.com/news/kayhan/dropboxs-billionaire-co-founder-arash-ferdowsi-ex-mit-student-leaves-company/ |archive-date=2020-12-31 }}
Awards and highlights
- Inc. Magazine named Ferdowsi to its 2011 "30 Under 30" top entrepreneurs list.{{cite web|url=http://www.inc.com/30under30/2011/profile-drew-houston-and-arash-ferdowsi-founders-dropbox.html|title=Inc.com 30under30: Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi, Founders of Dropbox|last=Carter|first=Nicole|date=2011-06-27|work=Inc.com|publisher=Mansueto Ventures|accessdate=5 November 2011}}
- Fortune Magazine named Ferdowsi to its 2011 "40 Under 40" list.{{cite web |url=https://money.cnn.com/galleries/2011/news/companies/1110/gallery.40_under_40.fortune/29.html |title=40 Under 40 - Drew Houston and Arash Ferdowsi |work=money.cnn.com |publisher=Fortune |accessdate=1 January 2012}}
- TechCrunch awarded Ferdowsi a Crunchie for "Founder Of The Year".{{cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2014/02/10/dropboxs-cloud-storage-kings-drew-houston-and-arash-ferdowsi-win-founder-of-the-year-crunchie|title=Dropbox's Cloud Storage Kings Drew Houston And Arash Ferdowsi Win Founder Of The Year Crunchie|last=Constine|first=Josh|date=2014-02-11|work=TechCrunch|accessdate=22 February 2012}}
References
{{Reflist}}
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Category:MIT School of Engineering alumni
Category:American people of Iranian descent
Category:American billionaires
Category:People from Overland Park, Kansas
Category:American technology company founders
Category:American chief technology officers