Since leaving her career as an investigative journalist in Iran and moving to the U.S., Susan Akbarpour has successfully founded and led startups across advertising, finance, retail, and media. Now the “serial entrepreneur and investor” helps ensure others have the same opportunities to make an impact. She founded the Akbarpour Aalaei Fellowship at the GSB, granting need-based scholarships to Farsi-speaking MBA, MSx, or PhD students. “Stanford GSB was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I am thankful that I am now in a position to help current students fulfill their dreams,” she says. Additionally, Susan serves on nonprofit boards, including those of KQED, How Women Lead, and Moms Against Poverty, and is a member of the Nasdaq Center for Board Excellence.
Susan has made it her mission to develop, invest in, and leverage consumer-centric technologies that have an impact on the economy and humanity. Currently, she is the managing partner at Candou Ventures, an early-stage VC fund that focuses on investing in and supporting startups within the blockchain, AI, SaaS, IoT, and cloud infrastructure industries. Her expertise in the rapidly evolving AI space has led her to serve on the boards of five AI companies within the last few years.
But it was Susan’s founding in 2023 of Democracy 3.0, a nonprofit social network, that allowed her to connect her pre- and post-GSB experiences. The organization aims to strengthen democracy globally and counter astroturfing, the deceptive practice of presenting an organized social media or marketing campaign as grassroots support. “The profound impact of the Women, Life, Freedom movement [in Iran] along with current events… has shed light on the urgent need for a platform like Democracy 3.0 in the face of disinformation,” Susan writes. “…Democracy 3.0 is steadfast in its commitment to safeguard the fundamental principles of freedom, gender equality, and democratic values.” From scholarships to startups to safeguarding democracy, Susan’s work reflects a consistent commitment to expanding opportunity and protecting fundamental freedoms.
