Amir Bozorgzadeh
Amir Bozorgzadeh
Amir Bozorgzadeh (born June 27, 1984) is a tech entrepreneur, market researcher, and writer. He has cofounded several startups in the social impact, gaming, and emerging technology space.
Education and early career
Amir received his bachelors of Liberal Studies from York University in Toronto, Canada in 2006 and a management development certificate from Sauder Business School at the University of British Columbia in 2008.
He has been an avid participant of experiential learning programs such as the Co-Active Leadership Program held in Sitges, Spain by the Coaches Institute in 2010 and the Executive Leadership Program held in Amsterdam, Netherlands by THNK - School of Creative Leadership in 2016.
More recently, he graduated from the Silicon Valley tech accelerator, Boost VC, in 2018.
Time Dirham In 2010, Amir cofounded the first time bank in the Middle East with Shymaa Binbrek and Vasileios Klianis. In 2011, the social impact startup received the Certificate of Appreciation from the Dubai Chamber of Commerce & Industry for serving as an organization to contribute to the social capital development of the region.Seven Quests
In 2015, Amir and Hossein Jalali produced a mobile strategy game called Seven Quests, based on Ferdowsi's 1,000-year-old epic poem, the "Shahnameh," or the "epic of the kings."
The title was developed and published by Falafel Games on iOS and Android stores.
Virtuleap
In 2016, Amir Bozorgzadeh and Hossein Jalali launched Virtuleap as an online global hackathon in partnership with Mozilla, Google, Oculus, and Samsung Internet.
The annual event was designed to catalyze content creators in developing virtual reality experiences specifically with the WebVR JavaScript API.
In 2018, the company was incorporated in Portugal as its headquarters and the United Kingdom as its holding company.
In May 2019, Virtuleap pivoted to develop the first VR app to offer a daily cognitive workout of short, intense and fun games scientifically designed to help increase attention and concentration levels.
The company also engages directly with clinical organizations for the application of its tech for cognitive decline and as a potential new source for "digital markers" for indicating the early detection of conditions such as Alzheimer's and Dementia.
Personal Life
Amir was born in Tehran, Iran and raised in Vancouver, Canada from four years of age.
He met his fiancé, Spanish native, Patricia Adrover Gallego, in 2014 during his 8-year residence in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
They currently reside in Lisbon, Portugal.He
has had a lifelong passion for psychological and esoteric literature. He
spent a decade immersed in the psychological writings of P.D. Ouspensky,
Rodney Collin, and G.I. Gurdjieff.
He
is currently a student of the collected works of Carl Gustav Jung and, by extension, the analytical psychology school of psychotherapy that was founded by Jung.
Writings
Between 2009 and 2016, Amir published hundreds of psychological musings on the human condition on his blog, Pandoic Thoughts[1].
He currently writes primarily for the Silicon Valley tech blog, VentureBeat, as a guest contributor on emerging technology and startup ecosystems.
VentureBeat, September 9, 2019 - "VR can help meet the challenges of an aging population"
VentureBeat, July 26, 2019 - "The future of immersive education will be live, social, and personalized"
VentureBeat, June 18, 2019 - "Don’t believe the myths — 5G will bring AR and VR to the masses"
VentureBeat, May 10, 2019 - "Mixed reality and the art world: an unlikely but ideal pairing"
VentureBeat, April 4, 2019 - "Avatars will be our guides in immersive AR worlds — and brands need to be ready"
VentureBeat, February 26, 2019 – "AR and VR creators have an unheralded tool to make their content shine: 3D reconstruction tech”
VentureBeat, January 30, 2019 – “Impact investing is driving the most exciting emerging technologies”
VentureBeat, December 18, 2018, “The AR Cloud will infuse meaning into every object in the real-world”
VentureBeat, November 18, 2018 – “Spatial audio design is key to creating ‘presence’ in VR and AR”
VentureBeat, October 27, 2018 – “While AR plays catch-up in other sectors, it’s taking over the enterprise”
VentureBeat, October 9, 2018 – “In 2018, VR stopped “having potential” and started being real”
VentureBeat, September 5, 2018 – “Mixed reality companies should embrace a ‘yes, and’ strategy to competition”
VentureBeat, August 13, 2018 – “Understanding the power of the avatar will be essential for VR’s future”
VentureBeat, July 5, 2018 – “VR arcades are playing a leading role in the consumer market”
VentureBeat, June 13, 2018 – “4 false narratives confusing our understanding of mixed reality”
VentureBeat May 23, 2018 – “Social VR’s best platform is the open web, not walled gardens”
VentureBeat, May 13, 2018 – “It’s time to embrace China’s mixed reality market”
VentureBeat, May 1, 2018 – “Data visualization in mixed reality can unlock big data’s potential”
VentureBeat, April 18, 2018 – “The UK is becoming a global hotbed for VR and AR”
VentureBeat, March 31, 2018 – “Why London startups are immune to the EU brain drain to the U.S.”
VentureBeat, March 17, 2018 – “Europe needs to halt its startup brain drain to the U.S.”
VentureBeat, March 6, 2018 – “The GIFs of VR” — PanoMoments demonstrates a new appeal for the medium”
VentureBeat, March 3, 2018 – “Virtualitics raises $7 million to bring mixed reality and big data to the sci-fi future”
VentureBeat, February 28, 2018 – “The WebXR API opens the door to a new breed of cross-reality games”
VentureBeat, February 22, 2018 – “Mixed reality analytics are critical for VR/AR startups”
VentureBeat, February 13, 2018 – “VR browsers are key to a more immersive web”
VentureBeat, February 9, 2018 – “Inside one VR company’s iterative path to becoming revenue-positive”
VentureBeat, February 1, 2018 – “WebVR is becoming WebXR to make a simple, unified framework for all devices”
VentureBeat, January 17, 2018 – “The state of WebVR heading into 2018”
VentureBeat, December 28, 2017 – “360 VR advertising is the industry’s first sticky monetization model”
BetaKit, December 21, 2017 – “Views from Web Summit: Founders should see Portugal as a hub for expansion”
VentureBeat, December 5, 2017 – “VR’s marketing conundrum — and how to fix it”
VentureBeat, November 29, 2017 – “European VR companies institute standards for watching you watch ads”
VentureBeat, October 25, 2017 – “The VR industry needs to avoid intrusive ads for as long as possible”
VentureBeat, October 13, 2017 – “New XR Basefund preps €50 million fund for VR and AR early stage startups”
VentureBeat, September 9, 2017 – “Portugal is building a startup mega campus in Lisbon”
TechCrunch, August 29, 2017 – “Europe’s VR landscape continues to grow rapidly despite market slowdown”
VentureBeat, August 22, 2017 – “Social VR is evolving, and AltspaceVR paid the price”
The Next Web, August 19, 2017 – “Why it’s good we’re hearing about sexism in tech more often”
VentureBeat, August 1, 2017 – “Facebook’s botched Messenger rollout isn’t hurting chatbots”
VentureBeat, July 8, 2017 – “What your company can learn from Google’s Area 120 model”
VentureBeat, June 10, 2017 – “Portugal’s scaleup ecosystem is growing twice as fast as the European average”
VentureBeat, June 4, 2017 – “VR startups go into cockroach mode to survive barren consumer market”
VentureBeat, May 28, 2017 – “Why iteration is the key to great WebVR games”
VentureBeat, May 20, 2017 – “VR’s high fidelity obsession is holding it back”
VentureBeat, May 6, 2017 – “WebVR gaming is virtual reality’s sweet spot”
Upload, May 1, 2017 – “WebVR’s magic window is the gateway for pushing VR to billions of people”
VentureBeat, April 9, 2017 – “A primer on the Metaverse: The next iteration of the Internet”
VentureBeat, March 18, 2017 – “WebVR isn't sexy, but it will change the game for VR this year”
VentureBeat, March 12, 2017 – “The curious case of Amazon’s deep plunge into the esports industry”
VentureBeat, March 11, 2017 – “Machine learning will be a game-changer for esports”
VentureBeat, March 4, 2017 – “The VR industry needs better content, turns to accelerators”
VentureBeat, February 13, 2017 – “The growing need to regulate virtual currencies in esports”
TechCrunch, February 12, 2017 – “Leveling the playing field for women in tech is vital for emerging industries”
VentureBeat, January 30, 2017 – “VR broadcasting: Where esports and virtual reality meet”
VentureBeat, January 28, 2017 – “Why the three-way dialogue of livestreaming is the gold dust of esports”
TechCrunch, January 23, 2017 – “VR is gaining ground in the academic world and the 3D industry”
VentureBeat, January 22, 2017 – “How competitive gaming has to quickly evolve into a mature industry”
VentureBeat, January 21, 2017 – “Sexism in esports deserves more than the Band-Aid of segregation”
VentureBeat, January 6, 2017 - “Clash of Clans gets big backer as gamers try to reverse Iran ban”
TechCrunch, December 31, 2016 - “Toymakers are the early adopters pushing AR into the mainstream”
TechCrunch, December 30, 2016 - “Iran has banned Clash of Clans for promoting violence and tribal conflict”
VentureBeat, December 22, 2016 - “VR and AR dev spaces are starting to pop up everywhere”
VentureBeat, December 7, 2016 - “How virtual reality can help you conquer your worst fears”
VentureBeat, December 3, 2016 - “Pilot projects show how VR will revolutionize education”
VentureBeat, November 26, 2016 - “The VR industry’s biggest threat is underwhelming content”
Upload, November 10, 2016 - “ING Bank invites teams to impact finance at Global WebVR Hackathon”
VentureBeat, November 9, 2016 - “Europe’s VR community has doubled over the past year”
VentureBeat, October 29, 2016 - “VR industry hasn’t bothered to do safety research”
VentureBeat, October 22, 2016 - “Why VR content outside of games and entertainment is failing”
Gamesauce, October 12, 2016 - “A peak into the Indie games at this year's INDIGO Showcase”
VentureBeat, September 17, 2016 - “How WebVR will make virtual reality massively available”
The Next Web, September 5, 2016 - “How hackathons can help drive the VR and AR industries to dry land”
StartupJuncture, August 19, 2016 - “Why Singularity University chose Eindhoven for its first international expansion”
VentureBeat, July 30, 2016 - “Why we’ll soon see Pokémon-free zones”
VentureBeat, July 24, 2016 - “You’ll be prepping for your next job interview in VR”
VentureBeat, June 29, 2016 - “A look at Amsterdam’s electric startup scene”
TechCrunch, June 11, 2016 - “Line’s beauty and fashion portal rolls out its Persian carpet”
VentureBeat, May 28, 2016 - “The Netherlands is a serious hotbed for virtual reality content”
VentureBeat, April 24, 2016 – “Supercell stakes a beachhead in the mobile gaming clash in Iran”
TechCrunch, April 3, 2016 – “As sanctions lift, Western companies can meet a thriving Iranian e-commerce industry”
VentureBeat, March 7, 2016 – “Did Apple play favorites to offer more movies/music in the Middle East?”
TechCrunch, February 18, 2016 – “The Fierce, Female Mobile Gamers of Saudi Arabia”
VentureBeat, February 10, 2016 – “IBM’s SoftLayer has quietly blocked users in Iran”
VentureBeat, February 7, 2016 – “Publishing your game in Saudi Arabia is not as hard as you’d think”
VentureBeat, February 6, 2016 – “Big in Tehran: Inside Iran’s $140M console and PC market”
TechCrunch, January 29, 2016 – “The State of Digital in Iran”
TechCrunch, January 17, 2016 – “A First Look at Mobile Gamers in Iran”
TechCrunch, January 12, 2016 – “Telegram’s Troubled Times in the Middle East”
VentureBeat, December 23, 2015 – “Look who is rockin’ social media in Iran”
VentureBeat, November 19, 2015 – “Behind the veil: a glance at Iran’s leading app store”
VentureBeat, November 2, 2015 – “Why Saudi Arabia’s dolphins and whales matter to the gaming industry”
Wamda, October 13, 2015 – “App Annie’s big blind spot: Saudi Arabia”
Vue Magazine (MRIA), March 1, 2008 – “Respondent Fatigue: Online Survey Tactics”