Hooman Radfar
Entrepreneur, Investor, and Tech Leader
Hooman Radfar is an accomplished entrepreneur and computer scientist, born on July 14, 1980, in London, England. He is best known as the co-founder and CEO of Collective, a platform designed to support self-employed individuals by handling back-office operations such as accounting and tax services. Collective aims to empower what Radfar refers to as "businesses-of-one," a growing segment of the workforce in the United States.123
Education and Early Career
Radfar graduated magna cum laude from the University of Pennsylvania with degrees in computer science and economics in 2002, followed by a Master of Science from Carnegie Mellon University in 2004. His early career included co-founding AddThis, a content engagement platform that became the largest of its kind and was acquired by Oracle in 2016 for approximately $200 million.14
Professional Achievements
In addition to his role at Collective, Radfar is a Venture Partner at Expa, a startup studio and venture firm, where he has been involved in launching and supporting numerous startups, including Uber and Sweetgreen. He also founded 10e9, an investment platform through which he has invested in over 40 companies, including notable names like SpaceX and Onfido.124
Vision and Impact
Radfar's mission centers around aiding other founders and entrepreneurs. He emphasizes the importance of providing tools and resources to help them focus on their core business activities rather than administrative tasks. His work at Collective reflects this vision, aiming to streamline processes for freelancers and solo entrepreneurs, thereby enhancing their efficiency and success in the marketplace.234
Recognition
Throughout his career, Radfar has received several accolades, including being named one of Tech's Best Entrepreneurs by BusinessWeek and recognized as one of iMedia's top marketing leaders. He has also been featured in major media outlets such as Forbes and the Wall Street Journal, and has served as a guest lecturer at prestigious institutions.14
In summary, Hooman Radfar is a significant figure in the tech and entrepreneurial landscape, dedicated to facilitating the success of self-employed individuals through innovative solutions and support systems.
Highlights
If you can do a great small thing, you can do a great big thing. It just takes patience and persistence.
One of the most critical classes of web services in the age of AI will be verification services. Calls, texts, photos, videos, and so much more need to be tied directly in a trusted manner to entities like people and businesses. We are about to enter a veritable Cambrian-like explosion in AI fraud attacks.