FARIBORZ MASEEH
FOUNDER, PRESIDENT
MASSIAH FOUNDATION
WHY: Arrived in the U.S. at age 18, received degrees from Portland State University and MIT, both of which have buildings named after him following donations. In 1991, he founded IntelliSense to build tiny, computer-controlled chips to use in products from cardiac pacemakers to aircraft landing gear. He sold the company for $750M to Corning Inc.
IN THE NEWS: Named to National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional honors for an engineer.
NOTABLE: Founded the Newport Beach-based Massiah Foundation in 2000, leveraging traditional VC financing principles to achieve long-lasting positive and broad impacts.
QUOTABLE: “Fariborz Maseeh is at heart both a scientist and an entrepreneur,” the foundation says.
