Susan Akbarpour

Susan is an accomplished entrepreneur and investor with extensive experience in product design and development. She has successfully founded and led start-ups in the advertising, finance, retail, and media industries, driving digital transformation and fostering innovation. Susan holds a Master of Science in Management from Stanford GSB, where she remains actively engaged. She is also the founder of the Akbarpour Aalaei Fellowship, which grants scholarships to Farsi-speaking students at Stanford GSB.

Susan’s expertise in the rapidly evolving AI space has led her to serve on the boards of AI companies such as OII.AI, Facenote, Cluster, CIMA Fundmaster and Entropy. Her contributions in these roles have been valuable in advancing the field. Additionally, Susan is deeply committed to advocating for public media and women’s empowerment and sits on the boards of non-profit organizations like KQED, How Women Lead/Invest, and Moms Against Poverty.

Currently, Susan holds the position of managing partner at Candou Ventures, an early stage VC fund that focuses on investing in and supporting start-ups within the blockchain, AI, SAAS, IoT, and cloud infrastructure industries. She is also a limited partner in funds like How Women Invest, Practical Venture Capital, Venture University Venture Partners, Griffin Capital and . As a candidate in the NYSE Board Advisory Network/Diversity Initiative, Susan actively seeks to address diversity on corporate boards, contributing to the promotion of inclusivity and equal representation.

Furthermore, Susan has founded Democracy 3.0, a non-profit technology platform dedicated to combating the spread of misinformation and disinformation that led to the polarization of societies. Through innovative approaches and collaborations, Susan and her team aim to create a more informed, engaged, and resilient society. Their efforts primarily focus on tackling issues like disinformation, astroturfing, polarization and promoting decentralized leadership.

Susan has received multiple media, community and business awards and spoken at various conferences. She is also a contributor writer to Forbes, IPR Journal, Disruptor daily and is frequently featured in mainstream media and is widely recognized as an influential figure in the business and technology communities, owing to her extensive experience, diverse expertise, and genuine commitment to empowering others.

Having spoken at over 100 esteemed global conferences and featured in major media outlets such as CBS, BBC, and Fox Business, Susan is a recognized thought leader and an active mentor at Stanford, Berkeley, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) among others. She is also a visiting faculty and lectures on two courses who developed; Product Design for Impact and Financing Products for impact. Susan is dedicated to shaping the future leaders of technology and business and developing and investing in the products that are making an impact and shaking teh status quo.

Having spoken at over 100 esteemed global conferences and been featured in major media outlets such as CBS, BBC, and Fox Business, Susan is a recognized thought leader and an active mentor at institutions like Stanford, Berkeley, and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), among others. In addition to mentoring, she is a visiting faculty member who has developed and lectures on two courses: Product Design for Impact and Financing Products for Impact. Susan is dedicated to shaping the future leaders of technology and business while developing and investing in products that make an impact and challenge the status