Amir Ansari is an inventor and serial entrepreneur with a passion for designing and building innovative technologies in the areas of telecommunications, artificial intelligence, edge computing, personalized healthcare, and multimedia services. He has been shaping these industries by fostering collaboration between regulatory entities, public-private partnerships, universities, and non-profit organizations in applying technologies to complex business, environmental, and social problems.

He is the Founder and General Partner of VaticX, a global hybrid-accelerator that optimizes value creation for growth stage technology-based companies by providing them market access, mentorship, monetization expertise, and access to capital. Amir serves on the board of several leading-edge companies in the areas of Artificial Intelligence, Web 3.0, and Crypto Technologies.

Amir started his career in the telecommunications arena as the Co-Founder and CTO of telecom technologies inc, the pioneering developer of Voice Over IP technologies that dramatically reduced the cost of telephone calls and became the key technology innovation for telecom operators in the late 1990s. After the acquisition of telecom technologies by Sonus Networks in 2001, Amir Co-Founded and was the CTO of Prodea Systems, a groundbreaking developer of Internet of Things services and technologies.

As an inventor, Amir holds over 60 US and foreign patents in the areas of multimedia distribution, data privacy, edge computing, and Voice Over IP. Many of his patents have been used in popular consumer products such as media streaming devices, smart homes solutions, smart speakers, elder care systems, smart buildings, and connected cars. His patents also help define how users can maintain control over the privacy and safety of their data, while benefiting from the capabilities of smart devices.

Amir is actively involved with several non-profit organizations that strive for social development and a more sustainable environmental. He serves on the Board of Directors of the X PPRIZE foundation and is a member of the X PRIZE Foundation's Vision Circle and its Board of Trustees. Together with his family, he was a title sponsor for the Ansari X PRIZE, a $10 million cash award for the first non-governmental organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks.

Anousheh Ansari is a CEO of the XPRIZE Foundation, the world’s leader in designing and operating incentive competitions to solve humanity’s grand challenges. Ansari, along with her family, sponsored the organization’s first competition, the Ansari XPRIZE, a $10 million competition that ignited a new era for commercial spaceflight. Since then, she has served on XPRIZE’s Board of Directors.

Prior to being named CEO of XPRIZE, Ansari served as the CEO of Prodea Systems, a leading Internet of Things (IoT) technology firm she co-founded in 2006, and continues to serve as the executive chairwoman. She captured headlines around the world when she embarked upon an 11-day space expedition, accomplishing her childhood dream of becoming the first female private space explorer, first astronaut of Iranian descent, first Muslim woman in space, and fourth private explorer to visit space.

Ansari serves on the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Future Council and has received numerous honors, including the WEF Young Global Leader, Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and STEM Leadership Hall of Fame, among others. She is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and serves on the board of Jabil and Peace First, as well as several other not-for-profit organizations focused on STEM education and youth empowerment.

Ansari also co-founded The Billion Dollar Fund for Women, announced in October 2018 at the Tri Hita Karana (THK) Forum on Sustainable Development in Bali, with a goal of investing $1 billion in women-founded companies by 2020.

She published her memoir, My Dream of Stars, to share her life story as inspiration for young women around the world.

Ansari holds a bachelor’s degree in electronics and computer engineering from George Mason University, a master’s degree in electrical engineering from George Washington University; and honorary doctorates from George Mason University, Utah Valley University, and International Space University.

Hamid Ansari is Founder and General Manager of Ansari Management, LLC, a strategic advisory firm based out of Dallas, Texas. He is a serial entrepreneur and a leader in technology innovation in building and deploying disruptive technology products and services worldwide. His expertise in strategic positioning and mergers & acquisitions has resulted in several successful business transactions with values ranging from tens of millions to more than a billion dollars. Previously, he was the co-founder of Prodea Systems Inc, an Internet of Things Services company and the co-founder of telecom technologies, inc., where he served as the company’s President until its successful merger with Sonus Networks (Nasdaq: SONS) in 2001.

Hamid’s passion of innovation and disruptive change led him, along with his family to sponsor the $10M Ansari XPRIZE in 2004, a $10 million cash award for the first non-governmental organization to launch a reusable manned spacecraft into space twice within two weeks. Hamid is a recipient of the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor and is a member of the XPRIZE Vision Circle.

He earned a B.S. and M.S. degree in computer science and telecommunications from George Washington University.