Kamran Elahian, a very well known philanthropist, entrepreneur & venture capitalist, recently attended the Berkeley Method of Entrepreneurship Bootcamp to deliver an inspirational talk to students on the importance of social entrepreneurship, failure and philanthropy in the modern world.
As a well reputed entrepreneur, Kamran has worked on ten startups, with six of them producing a total market cap of over $8bn. As a VC, Kamran has co-founded Global Catalyst Partners, with investments in the U.S., Japan, China, India and Israel. Underlying Kamran’s global vision is the conviction that modern Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can be instrumental in dissolving barriers between nations – this philosophy can be seen through the many social ventures and NGOs that Kamran has founded, including Schools-Online and Global Catalyst Foundation.
In his talk with an audience that included many entrepreneurs, mentors and students from various corners of the world, Kamran recapped his journey and reflected on his failures as an entrepreneur, stressing on the need to fail and learn from mistakes. One failure that he chooses to remember most is Momenta Corporation. The license plate of his red Ferrari reads Momenta serves as a caustic reminder of his fallibility that keeps him grounded to reality. His motivational talk was also directed at women entrepreneurs, as he stressed on how today’s business climate focuses on encouraging women entrepreneurs more than ever before. The talk, an unscheduled, last minute ‘surprise’ talk that was thoroughly enjoyed by students, CEOs, faculty and staff, encouraged students to connect with entrepreneurs in the Bay Area & explore ideas that create social change.
Kamran Elahian, along with members of the SCET during this year’s BMoE