Sam Kazemian
{{short description|Iranian-American software programmer (born 1993)}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Sam Kazemian
| image = SamFrax392024.jpg
| caption = Sam Kazemian in 2024
| birth_name = Sam Hamidi-Kazemian
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1993|2|12}}
| education = University of California, Los Angeles
| occupation = Founder of Frax Finance
| website =
| known_for = Founding Frax Finance & Co-founding Everipedia {{Cite web|url=https://fortune.com/2019/10/21/stephen-moore-trump-fed-nomination-cryptocurrency-stablecoin-frax/|title=Trump's Fed Pick Stephen Moore Announces New Cryptocurrency|website=Fortune|language=en|access-date=2019-11-04}}
}}
Sam Hamidi-Kazemian ({{langx|fa|سام حمیدیکاظمیان}}; born February 12, 1993) is an Iranian-American software programmer. He is the founder of Frax Finance, a decentralized stablecoin cryptocurrency protocol. Previously, he co-founded Everipedia,{{cite news|url=https://www.usnews.com/news/technology/articles/2018-02-08/novogratzs-new-fund-others-invest-30-million-in-online-encyclopedia|title=Novogratz's New Fund, Others Invest $30 Million in Online Encyclopedia|last=Chavez-Dreyfuss|first=Gertrude|work=U.S. News & World Report|date=8 February 2018}} a for-profit, wiki-based online encyclopedia. He founded Everipedia with Theodor Forselius in December 2014 and later served as its President. In 2019, he began development of Frax, a fractional stablecoin cryptocurrency.{{Cite news|last=John Roberts|first=Jeff|date=October 21, 2019|title=Trump's Former Fed Pick Stephen Moore Announces Cryptocurrency to Compete With Central Banks|work=Fortune|url=https://fortune.com/2019/10/21/stephen-moore-trump-fed-nomination-cryptocurrency-stablecoin-frax/|url-status=live|access-date=December 28, 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200114185802/https://fortune.com/2019/10/21/stephen-moore-trump-fed-nomination-cryptocurrency-stablecoin-frax/|archive-date=January 14, 2020}} As of January 2022, Frax is ranked the 5th largest stablecoin by market capitalization according to cryptocurrency ranking website Defipulse.com.{{Cite web|title=DeFi Pulse {{!}} The DeFi Leaderboard {{!}} Stats, Charts and Guides|url=https://defipulse.com/|access-date=2021-07-12|website=defipulse.com|language=en}}
Biography
= Education =
Kazemian attended Westlake High School, where he participated in athletics.{{cite web|url=https://www.athletic.net/CrossCountry/Athlete.aspx?AID=2625241|title=Sam Kazemian|publisher=Athletic.net|year=2018}} He was a member of the UCLA Powerlifting team from 2012 until 2015.{{cite web|url=http://www.uclaclubsports.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=1023|title=Sam Kazemian - 2013-14 Powerlifting Roster - UCLA Club Sports|publisher=UCLA Club Sports|year=2018}} He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2015.{{cite news|url=https://znews.vn/everipedia-ban-sao-xau-xi-va-toi-loi-cua-wikipedia-post785351.html|title=Everipedia: Bản sao xấu xí và tội lỗi của Wikipedia|trans-title=Everipedia: ugly copy and sin of Wikipedia|publisher=VNG Corporation|date=10 August 2017}}
= Career =
Starting as a small project in Kazemian's dormitory room at UCLA, Sam Kazemian founded Everipedia with Theodor Forselius in December 2014.{{cite news|url=http://www.finsmes.com/2018/02/everipedia-raises-30m-in-series-a-funding.html|title=Everipedia Raises $30m in Series A Funding|publisher=FinSMEs|date=10 February 2018}}
In 2017, Kazemian told Boing Boing that "Wikia, like Wikipedia, uses really old software that was built in 2001. Meanwhile there are all these new, modern crowd-knowledge sites like Rap Genius, Quora and StackOverflow, but nobody ever tried to attack the original beast —a wiki of everything— with the new, modern tools. That is what Everipedia aims to do."{{cite web|url=https://boingboing.net/2017/06/12/can-everipedia-remake-collabor.html|title=Can Everipedia remake collaborative encyclopedias to be inclusive and enjoyable?|last=James|first=Andrea|work=Boing Boing|date=12 June 2017}}
In 2019, Kazemian founded Frax, a stablecoin cryptocurrency protocol. In 2023, Forbes listed Kazemian in their 30 Under 30 in finance for founding Frax, citing the project's notable growth and $86 million of revenue in its first year of operation with only 8 employees.{{Cite web |title=Forbes 30 Under 30 2023: Finance |url=https://www.forbes.com/30-under-30/2023/finance/ |access-date=2022-12-03 |website=Forbes |language=en}} In 2022, Kazemian and Balaji Srinivasan were credited for inventing a new category of cryptocurrency, known as 'flatcoins,' that are pegged to the Consumer Price Index rather than a national currency such as USD.{{Cite web |last=Ehrlich |first=Steven |title=Beware Of Flatcoins, Crypto’s Inflation Busting Fad |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2023/05/07/beware-of-flatcoins-cryptos-inflation-busting-fad/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20230508172154/https://www.forbes.com/sites/digital-assets/2023/05/07/beware-of-flatcoins-cryptos-inflation-busting-fad/ |archive-date=2023-05-08 |access-date=2024-07-13 |website=Forbes |language=en}} Frax issued the first known flatcoin cryptocurrency in 2022 named the Frax Price Index.
Personal life
Kazemian is a first generation immigrant from an Iranian family. {{Cite news|last=Geroulis|first=Tasha|date=October 15, 2018|title=Second Brain Tumor Inspires Mahbod Moghadam to Change Corporate Philosophy|work=Jewish Journal|url=https://jewishjournal.com/culture/health/240270/how-a-second-brain-tumor-inspired-mahbod-moghadam-to-change-his-corporate-philosophy/|url-status=live|access-date=December 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103002441/https://jewishjournal.com/culture/health/240270/how-a-second-brain-tumor-inspired-mahbod-moghadam-to-change-his-corporate-philosophy/|archive-date=November 3, 2020}}