Fariborz Maseeh


Fariborz Maseeh is an Iranian-born Iranian-American pioneer in the field of micro-electro mechanical systems and philanthropist who founded IntelliSense in 1991 and sold it in 2000. He is the founder and managing principal of Surlamer LLC, an investment management firm which invests in various assets and manages several proprietary traded hedge funds. He is the founder of Kids Institute for Development and Advancement, an Irvine, California, treatment clinic and education facility for autistic children. He is the founder of Orbitron LP, a global macro long-short hedge fund. He is the founder and president of The Massiah Foundation, a charitable organization..

Life and career

Early life and education

Fariborz Maseeh was born in Tehran, Iran, and arrived in Portland, Oregon in his teens. He graduated from Portland State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering with honors in Structural Engineering in three years. He then graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a master's degree. While there, he performed research in the Department of Aeronautics. Maseeh then returned to Portland to assist his family. During that time he returned to PSU where he earned another master's degree in Applied Mathematics. Maseeh remained in the Portland area and taught engineering courses at Clackamas Community College. After his family life was stabilized, he ventured to Boston to earn a doctorate degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. After receiving his doctorate, Maseeh started working as a Senior Research Scientist at a technology start-up firm in Silicon Valley. He resigned after one year to found IntelliSense.

Technology entrepreneur

Maseeh left the small start-up firm and founded IntelliSense in early 90s. Under Maseeh's leadership focusing on customer satisfaction and the quality of products, IntelliSense successfully created the first custom design, development and manufacturing MEMS operation and became one of the world's fastest-growing MEMS companies. It was twice named to the New England Technology "Fast 50" and the Forbes' "Fast 500". Following the transaction, Maseeh joined the Corning management team but resigned after a year. Maseeh founded Picoco LLC as well as the Massiah Foundation in 2001.

Investor

Maseeh manages an investment firm, Picoco, where he manages hedge funds, real estate funds, and educational and entertainment operations.
He has developed and funds a number of new operating businesses for social causes including Kids Institute for Development and Advancement, a school for autistic children in Irvine, California, as well as the Port Theater in Corona del Mar, Newport Beach.
Maseeh looks for social causes where his investment creates material change in a community through his philanthropic efforts, mainly through the Massiah Foundation.

Community service

Maseeh actively looks for unique philanthropic venues with large public benefits. He calls his charitable work "Venture Philanthropy" as he applies management principles to effectiveness in community service. Selected examples of his philanthropy are listed below:

Massachusetts Institute of Technology