Safi Qureshey
{{short description|Pakistani-American entrepreneur (born 1951)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Safi U. Qureshey
| image = Safi_Qureshey.JPG
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = February 15, 1951{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WwwY_eJnodgC&q=Safi+Qureshey+karachi&pg=PA299|title=Making It In America: A Sourcebook on Eminent Ethnic Americans|last1=Leonard|first1=Karen|year=2001|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=9781576070987|accessdate=2016-08-05}}
| birth_place = Karachi, Pakistan
| nationality = Pakistani-American
| alma_mater = University of Karachi, B.Sc Physics
University of Texas, Arlington, Elec. Eng.
| occupation = Computer engineer, entrepreneur, philanthropist
| known_for = Co-founder of AST Research, Regents Professor at University of California, Irvine
| website =
}}
Safi Urrehman Qureshey is a Pakistani-American entrepreneur. He was the co-founder and CEO of AST Research, Inc., a personal computer manufacturer acquired by Samsung Electronics in 1997. Qureshey is involved with several start-up technology companies as an advisor, board member and seed investor. Qureshey currently serves as regent's professor at the University of California, Irvine's (UCI's) Graduate School of Management, and also actively supports U.C. Irvine's Bonney Center for Neurobiology of Learning and Memory. Qureshey graduated from The University of Texas at Arlington in 1975 as a Computer Science Major. In 2000, he created the eponymous "Safi Qureshey Foundation" to provide "a conduit of support for socially and economically underserved children and adults to build better and more secure futures".[http://www.sqfoundation.org/Background.htm The Safi Qureshey Foundation webpage - Background] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928082712/http://www.sqfoundation.org/Background.htm |date=2007-09-28 }}
Qureshey was named by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to his transition team, to help him put together his new administration.[http://www.schwarzenegger.com/news.asp?id=1315 "Arnold Announces Members Of Transition Committee"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060502183656/http://www.schwarzenegger.com/news.asp?id=1315 |date=2006-05-02 }} Qureshey is also a former member of President Clinton's Export Council.
Early life and education
Qureshey was born in Karachi, Pakistan, on February 15, 1951. He attended the University of Karachi and received a Bachelor's of Science in Physics. He later came to the United States and attended the University of Texas, Arlington, where he graduated with a BS in electrical engineering after transferring from the physics department.{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/01/31/business/sound-bytes-meeting-challenges-with-inward-looking-focus.html |title=Sound Bytes - Meeting Challenges With Inward-Looking Focus |work=The New York Times |date=1993-01-31 |accessdate=2016-08-05}}
Career
= AST Research =
{{main|AST Research}}
In 1980, he and two colleagues, Albert Wong and Tom Yuen formed AST Research, in Irvine, California. Qureshey served as the company's CEO. The name AST came from the first letters of their first names. The company originally provided consulting services, moved to building motherboards for IBM computers and eventually started building their own PCs. They shipped their first computer in 1986, and shipped the first sub-$1,000 computer in 1990. Samsung acquired the company in 1997{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/31/business/samsung-electronics-plans-to-buy-the-rest-of-ast-research.html|title=Samsung Electronics Plans to Buy the Rest of AST Research |work=The New York Times |date=1997-01-31 |accessdate=2016-08-05}} and Qureshey stepped down as CEO.{{cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/research/stocks/private/person.asp?personId=714335&privcapId=2814779 |title=Safi U. Qureshey |publisher=bloomberg.com |date= |accessdate=2016-08-05}}
= Quartics =
After leaving AST, Qureshey founded Quartics, an Irvine, California–based semiconductor startup developing systems-on-a-chip (SoC) for wireless video transmission. The company's products were chips that allowed PCs to transmit content to televisions, and HD video codecs.{{cite web|url=http://www.socaltech.com/interview_with_safi_qureshey_ceo_of_quartics/s-0008178.html |title=Interview with Safi Qureshey, CEO of Quartics |publisher=socaltech.com |date=2007-03-22 |accessdate=2016-08-05}} Qureshey served as the company's CEO until November 2008.{{cite web|url=http://www.socaltech.com/quartics_snags_amd_exec_as_ceo/s-0018408.html |title=Quartics Snags AMD Exec As CEO|publisher=socaltech.com |date=2008-11-10 |accessdate=2016-08-05}}
= Irvine Ventures =
In 2000, Qureshey launched the Irvine Ventures incubator with a $50 million investment. The group works with UCI and other local research institutions to launch new companies.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-jul-03-fi-47294-story.html |title=South Asian Entrepreneurs and Mentors Form a Tie That Binds|work=Los Angeles Times |date=2000-07-03 |access-date=2016-08-05}}
= Government service =
In 2003, Qureshey was named by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to his transition team, to help him put together his new administration.{{cite web|url=http://legacy.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/politics/recall/20031009-1828-ca-governor-transitionlist.html |title=Gov.-elect Schwarzenegger's transition committee |publisher=sandiegotribune.com |date=2003-10-10 |accessdate=2016-08-05}} Qureshey was also a member of President Clinton's Export Council, where he traveled to emerging countries with successive Secretaries of Commerce to promote international business.
= Teaching =
Qureshey is a Regent's Professor with the Paul Merage School of Business at UCI.{{cite web|url=http://www.skycapmgmt.com/view/safi-qureshey.aspx|title=Safi Kureshey: Principal|publisher=skycapmgmt.com|date=|access-date=2016-08-05|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160602154617/http://skycapmgmt.com/view/safi-qureshey.aspx|archive-date=2016-06-02}}
= Patents =
Qureshey holds a number of patents related to web audio broadcasts and playback onto connected devices.{{cite web|url=https://www.google.com/search?tbm=pts&hl=en&q=ininventor:%22Safi+Qureshey%22|title=ininventor:"Safi Qureshey"|date=|accessdate=2016-08-13}}
Philanthropy
In 2004, the LA Times called Qureshey "one of Southern California's leading Muslim philanthropists".{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-nov-06-me-beliefs6-story.html |title=U.S. Muslims Temper Ramadan Giving With Caution |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2004-11-06 |access-date=2016-08-05}} He has worked to use new media and television to fight illiteracy. He founded the Active Learning Initiative Facility (ALIF) in Pakistan, which brought Sesame Street characters to that country to facilitate learning. He also provided funding for the Silicon Valley–based Koshish Foundation, a non-profit corporation focusing on education-related projects, to translate over 1,700 math and basic science videos to Urdu for e-learning company Khan Academy.{{citation needed|date=December 2022}}
He founded the Safi Qureshey Foundation, which supports socially and economically underserved children and adults, and he is a trustee with Give2Asia, a group dedicated to developing a social responsibility and philanthropy presence in Asia.{{cite web|url=http://www.give2asia.org/safi-qureshey/ |title=Safi Qureshey |publisher=give2asia.org |date= |accessdate=2016-08-05}} The Qureshey Research Laboratory (QRL) at University of California, Irvine UCI, completed in 1997, was named for his daughter after a large donation from Qureshey.{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1995-10-11-me-55709-story.html |title=UC Irvine Breaks Ground on Neurobiology Building : Education: Work will begin next week on another facility for research of brain aging and disorders. |work=Los Angeles Times |date=1995-10-11 |access-date=2016-08-05}}
Qureshey also founded and served as the first President of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) Southern California chapter. The group consists of South Asian entrepreneurs and mentors.
Awards and recognition
In 1995, UCI awarded Qureshey its highest honor, the UCI medal, for his contributions to the school.{{cite web|url=http://give.uci.edu/events/medal/past-medalists.php|title=Previous UCI Medal Recipients|publisher=uci.edu|date=|access-date=2016-08-05|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160820065928/http://give.uci.edu/events/medal/past-medalists.php|archive-date=2016-08-20}}
In 1998, Qureshey received the American Muslim Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to work community and humankind, from the Los Angeles–based Muslim Public Affairs Council.{{cite web|url= http://www.icsconline.org/AMAA2015.pdf|title=2015: American Muslim Achievement Award |publisher=icsonline.com |date= |accessdate=2016-08-05}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Qureshey, Safi}}
Category:American technology chief executives
Category:People from Irvine, California
Category:Muslims from California
Category:University of Texas at Arlington alumni
Category:American chief executives of manufacturing companies