Sam Nazarian

Persian-American businessman, investor, and philanthropist

Sam Nazarian: Visionary Entrepreneur and Hospitality Pioneer

Sam Nazarian: is an Iranian-American businessman, investor and philanthropist who founded SBE Entertainment Group in 2002. Under his leadership, SBE has grown into a global hospitality and entertainment company with a portfolio of acclaimed restaurants, lounges, nightclubs and hotels.

Early Life and Career

Born in Tehran in 1975 to a Persian Jewish family, Nazarian immigrated to the U.S. with his family following the Iranian Revolution. He was raised in Beverly Hills, California.
Nazarian founded Platinum Wireless, a telecommunications company, in 1998 and sold it three years later. He then began investing in real estate with his father.
In 2002, Nazarian founded SBE Entertainment Group with a focus on building restaurant, nightlife and hotel brands. 1 2

Building SBE's Hospitality Empire

SBE's first nightclub opened in 2003 in Los Angeles, followed by the launch of restaurant brand Katsuya in 2006.
The SLS hotel brand debuted in 2008, pioneering Nazarian's vision of blending food, beverage and nightlife into a luxury lifestyle experience. 4
Under Nazarian's leadership, SBE grew to include iconic properties like the Delano and Mondrian hotels. In 2020, he sold SBE's hotel platform to Accor Hotels while retaining the food and beverage business. 1 2

Expanding into Food Tech

In 2020, Nazarian launched C3 (Creating Culinary Communities), a food tech platform centered on digital kitchens and intellectual property. C3 partners include Accor, Simon Property Group, Brookfield Asset Management and Silver Lake Partners. 2
In 2024, Nazarian unveiled Project HQ, a new lifestyle hospitality brand developed in partnership with Wyndham Hotels & Resorts and supported by a strategic investment from Marc Anthony. The first HQ hotels are planned for Montreux, Switzerland and Detroit, Michigan. 3

Honors and Philanthropy

Nazarian was named to Fortune's 40 Under 40 list in 2014.
He has served on the board of trustees of the Southern California Institute of Architecture and the Los Angeles Board of Airport Commissioners.
Nazarian donated $200,000 to rename the Beverly Hills High School basketball court after himself. 1

Through his innovative approach and entrepreneurial spirit, Sam Nazarian has transformed SBE into a global hospitality powerhouse and pioneered the lifestyle hotel category. His latest ventures in food tech and lifestyle hospitality continue to push the boundaries of the industry.