Semil Shah (born January 27, 1977) is a technology investor, startup adviser, and media personality. He is the founder of Haystack, a tech investment firm notable for being an early investor in such companies as Instacart and Doordash. He is a venture adviser to GGV Capital and Bullpen Capital, and also serves on the advisory boards for StrictlyVC and The Alpha Network. The series, In the Studio, featured interviews with leaders in the fields of technology, startups, and investment. Past notable guests on the show include David Sze, Peter Fenton, and AngelList co-founder Naval Ravikant. From 2009 to 2010, Shah was also a regular contributor to Harvard Business Review.
Shah was listed as one of the 55 Unknown Rock Stars In Tech by tech venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, and has served as a commentator on Bloomberg TV.
Life and career
Entrepreneur
Shah graduated from Harvard University with a Masters in Economic Development and Strategy in 2008. In 2009, Shah began his entrepreneurial career when he helped found MegaCell Therapeutics, a life sciences company in Boston. Shah additionally served as an adviser to the company, and helped guide it in its acquisition by Live Nation in July 2012.
In 2013, Shah was one of the first employees at Swell Radio, a mobile radio streaming app that learned user preferences based on listening behavior. Shah was involved in mobile product development, marketing, and distribution. In July 2014, the app was acquired by Apple for $30 million.
Venture capitalist
After working as an operations executive for several years, Shah began consulting for venture capital firms including General Catalyst Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. As a consultant, Shah provided input on deal evaluation, due diligence, and marketing.
Additionally, Shah is a venture advisor to GGV Capital and Bullpen Capital, As of July 2015, Shah continues to write about the tech industry on his personal blog, Haywire.
In January 2015, Shah was invited as a guest on Bloomberg TV to provide his thoughts on the sharing economy and Instacart's growth.<ref name="bloomberg.com"/>
Shah was listed as one of the 55 Unknown Rock Stars In Tech by tech venture capitalist Marc Andreessen, and has served as a commentator on Bloomberg TV.
Life and career
Entrepreneur
Shah graduated from Harvard University with a Masters in Economic Development and Strategy in 2008. In 2009, Shah began his entrepreneurial career when he helped found MegaCell Therapeutics, a life sciences company in Boston. Shah additionally served as an adviser to the company, and helped guide it in its acquisition by Live Nation in July 2012.
In 2013, Shah was one of the first employees at Swell Radio, a mobile radio streaming app that learned user preferences based on listening behavior. Shah was involved in mobile product development, marketing, and distribution. In July 2014, the app was acquired by Apple for $30 million.
Venture capitalist
After working as an operations executive for several years, Shah began consulting for venture capital firms including General Catalyst Partners, Draper Fisher Jurvetson, and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. As a consultant, Shah provided input on deal evaluation, due diligence, and marketing.
Additionally, Shah is a venture advisor to GGV Capital and Bullpen Capital, As of July 2015, Shah continues to write about the tech industry on his personal blog, Haywire.
In January 2015, Shah was invited as a guest on Bloomberg TV to provide his thoughts on the sharing economy and Instacart's growth.<ref name="bloomberg.com"/>
Joey Primiani (born Joseph Charles Primiani on October 27, 1988) is an American Internet entrepreneur and designer best known as the founder of Backplane and Cortex. In 2011, Primiani and Lady Gaga co-founded the technology startup, Backplane, which raised $18.9 million led by prominent Silicon Valley veterans and venture capital firms including Eric Schmidt, Sequoia Capital, Google Ventures, and Peter Thiel. He created Lady Gaga's official fan community website, littlemonsters.com, where fans share their artwork and stories as inspired by Gaga.
Life and career
Primiani started his first freelance web development and design company at the age of 8. He designed products at Google, and Revision3 as an intern by the age of 19. He studied Computer Science and Digital Media Design at the University of Central Florida. During college he traveled to Silicon Valley every summer to "work with the smartest people he could find."
Primiani interned at Google where he helped design the touch interfaces for search on mobile and tablet devices used by half a billion people around the world working with influential tech leaders.
Primiani says the number one feature of any product should be its speed. He focuses on building beautiful products that people use on a daily basis. His work is said to be heavily influenced by the work of the 1960s German designer legend Dieter Rams.
Awards
* Forbes 2016's 30 Under 30
* Business Insider's 25 Under 25 Silicon Valley Tech Founders
Life and career
Primiani started his first freelance web development and design company at the age of 8. He designed products at Google, and Revision3 as an intern by the age of 19. He studied Computer Science and Digital Media Design at the University of Central Florida. During college he traveled to Silicon Valley every summer to "work with the smartest people he could find."
Primiani interned at Google where he helped design the touch interfaces for search on mobile and tablet devices used by half a billion people around the world working with influential tech leaders.
Primiani says the number one feature of any product should be its speed. He focuses on building beautiful products that people use on a daily basis. His work is said to be heavily influenced by the work of the 1960s German designer legend Dieter Rams.
Awards
* Forbes 2016's 30 Under 30
* Business Insider's 25 Under 25 Silicon Valley Tech Founders
Toople.com is a business broadband, telephone, mobile phone and IT support provider in the United Kingdom. The company services small and medium-sized enterprises, typically those employing fewer than 50 members of staff with digital and automated capabilities.
History
Toople.com was launched in 2016. The company began trading as a business broadband solution and floated on the stock market from May 2016. Shares increased 21% to 9.69p in 24 hours. The company is quoted daily on the stockmarket. Toople.com also launched a mobile service, following £100,000 worth of funding from Henry Howard Financing plc.
Services
Business broadband, business fibre, business mobiles, hosted PBX.
Location
Toople.com is based in the UK and its head office in Burnham, Buckinghamshire. Its primary call centre is located in Kingston upon Hull.
History
Toople.com was launched in 2016. The company began trading as a business broadband solution and floated on the stock market from May 2016. Shares increased 21% to 9.69p in 24 hours. The company is quoted daily on the stockmarket. Toople.com also launched a mobile service, following £100,000 worth of funding from Henry Howard Financing plc.
Services
Business broadband, business fibre, business mobiles, hosted PBX.
Location
Toople.com is based in the UK and its head office in Burnham, Buckinghamshire. Its primary call centre is located in Kingston upon Hull.
Hany Rambod (born January 4, 1975), nicknamed “The Pro Creator,” is an American strength and conditioning coach and nutritionist. He is best known for his work with professional bodybuilding’s major names and as one of the foremost authorities in bodybuilding.
Early life and education
Rambod was born in Kuwait to Persian parents, his parents, who are originally from Rasht, a northern province of Iran, were working abroad. They then emigrated to the United States of America when he was just 1 year old and settled down in San Jose, California.
He competed in bodybuilding as a teenager and throughout college. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and an emphasis in Neurophysiology.
Career
Rambod has consulted with athletes in bodybuilding, fitness, figure, bikini, pro football, and Olympic track & field. He is known as a contest prep advisor in bodybuilding with his clients winning 13 Olympia titles.
His FST-7 training program of fascial stretch training is known for targeting the fascial layer directly beneath the skin and above the muscles with seven sets performed for a final exercise. It is popular among his bodybuilding clients and has been featured in various bodybuilding publications.
He founded Evogen fitness and bodybuilding supplements in 2013.
Hany writes for popular bodybuilding and fitness magazines including Muscle & Fitness, Flex Magazine, and Muscular Development. His “Pro Creator” column is published by Muscular Development Magazine as well as Flex Magazine.
Olympia victories
2015 Mr. Olympia Champion Phil Heath
2015 Men’s Physique Olympia Champion Jeremy Buendia
2014 Mr. Olympia Champion Phil Heath
2014 Ms. Figure Olympia Champion Nicole Wilkins
2014 Men’s Physique Olympia Champion Jeremy Buendia
2013 Mr. Olympia Champion Phil Heath
2013 Ms. Figure Olympia Champion Nicole Wilkins
2012 Mr. Olympia Champion Phil Heath
2011 Mr. Olympia Champion Phil Heath
2010 Mr. Olympia Champion Jay Cutler
2010 Men’s 202 Olympia Champion Kevin English
2009 Mr. Olympia Champion Jay Cutler
2009 Men’s 202 Olympia Champion Kevin English
2007 Ms. Figure Olympia Champion Jenny Lynn
2006 Ms. Figure Olympia Champion Jenny Lynn
Movies
Hany Rambod has been featured in several major films on bodybuilding. He was first featured in Generation Iron, a 2013 documentary about the top bodybuilders in the world, where he was introduced as the trainer for reigning Mr. Olympia Phil Heath.
He was also featured in the top Bodybuilding documentary film of 2015, The Perfect Physique, as the "Pro Creator", with footage showing him training 2x Men’s Physique Mr. Olympia Champion Jeremy Buendia.
Hany is featured in the documentary "Gifted"about the career of Phil Heath as Hany trains Phil to win the Olympia Bodybuilding Contest.
He is also known for being the strength and conditioning coach for The Rock, Dwayne Johnson.
* Generation Iron
* The Perfect Physique
* Gifted
* FST-7 Refined (with Jay Cutler, Phil Heath, Tamer El Guindy)
* FST-7 Defined (Jay Cutler, Phil Heath, Steve Kuclo, Seth Feroce)
Early life and education
Rambod was born in Kuwait to Persian parents, his parents, who are originally from Rasht, a northern province of Iran, were working abroad. They then emigrated to the United States of America when he was just 1 year old and settled down in San Jose, California.
He competed in bodybuilding as a teenager and throughout college. He graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) with a bachelor’s degree in Biology and an emphasis in Neurophysiology.
Career
Rambod has consulted with athletes in bodybuilding, fitness, figure, bikini, pro football, and Olympic track & field. He is known as a contest prep advisor in bodybuilding with his clients winning 13 Olympia titles.
His FST-7 training program of fascial stretch training is known for targeting the fascial layer directly beneath the skin and above the muscles with seven sets performed for a final exercise. It is popular among his bodybuilding clients and has been featured in various bodybuilding publications.
He founded Evogen fitness and bodybuilding supplements in 2013.
Hany writes for popular bodybuilding and fitness magazines including Muscle & Fitness, Flex Magazine, and Muscular Development. His “Pro Creator” column is published by Muscular Development Magazine as well as Flex Magazine.
Olympia victories
2015 Mr. Olympia Champion Phil Heath
2015 Men’s Physique Olympia Champion Jeremy Buendia
2014 Mr. Olympia Champion Phil Heath
2014 Ms. Figure Olympia Champion Nicole Wilkins
2014 Men’s Physique Olympia Champion Jeremy Buendia
2013 Mr. Olympia Champion Phil Heath
2013 Ms. Figure Olympia Champion Nicole Wilkins
2012 Mr. Olympia Champion Phil Heath
2011 Mr. Olympia Champion Phil Heath
2010 Mr. Olympia Champion Jay Cutler
2010 Men’s 202 Olympia Champion Kevin English
2009 Mr. Olympia Champion Jay Cutler
2009 Men’s 202 Olympia Champion Kevin English
2007 Ms. Figure Olympia Champion Jenny Lynn
2006 Ms. Figure Olympia Champion Jenny Lynn
Movies
Hany Rambod has been featured in several major films on bodybuilding. He was first featured in Generation Iron, a 2013 documentary about the top bodybuilders in the world, where he was introduced as the trainer for reigning Mr. Olympia Phil Heath.
He was also featured in the top Bodybuilding documentary film of 2015, The Perfect Physique, as the "Pro Creator", with footage showing him training 2x Men’s Physique Mr. Olympia Champion Jeremy Buendia.
Hany is featured in the documentary "Gifted"about the career of Phil Heath as Hany trains Phil to win the Olympia Bodybuilding Contest.
He is also known for being the strength and conditioning coach for The Rock, Dwayne Johnson.
* Generation Iron
* The Perfect Physique
* Gifted
* FST-7 Refined (with Jay Cutler, Phil Heath, Tamer El Guindy)
* FST-7 Defined (Jay Cutler, Phil Heath, Steve Kuclo, Seth Feroce)