Farzad Dibachi

Farzad Dibachi
Born Iran
Residence Los Angeles, CA
Nationality American
Alma mater San Jose State University
Occupation Co-founder and CEO, Noribachi
Spouse(s) Rhonda Dibachi (1988-present)[1]

Farzad Dibachi is a serial entrepreneur and business executive. He is the chief executive officer and co-founder of Noribachi. Previously, Dibachi founded other Silicon Valley companies including Niku, later acquired by CA, Inc., and Diba, which he sold to Sun Microsystems.[2] He is also the co-author of the book Just Add Management: Seven Steps to Creating a Productive Workplace and Motivating Your Employees In Challenging Times.[3]

Early life and education

Dibachi was born and raised in Iran until his family immigrated to the United States in 1979 after the Islamic revolution. Later, Dibachi attended San Jose State University in California where he received degrees in mechanical engineering and computer science.[1]

Career

Dibachi started his career at General Electric before he joined Oracle Corporation in 1992.[4][5] While there, he served as the senior vice president of new media and worked closely with Larry Ellison developing the company’s business strategy for a network computer.[6][7][8] Dibachi left Oracle in 1995 to establish Diba, Inc., a microelectronics company and early designer of “information appliances” for the Web that he co-founded with his brother Farid.[9][4] The company licensed its software and provided hardware designs to companies to manufacturer devices.[9]

Microsoft reached out for an acquisition 15 months after Dibachi started the company, but Dibachi rejected the offer.[10] He served as the company’s president and chief executive until it was sold in 1997 to Sun Microsystems for $75 million.[11] In 1998, Dibachi co-founded Niku Corporation with his wife Rhonda.[12][13] The technology company, an early player in the Professional Service Applications (PSA), specialized in software for consulting companies, law firms and advertising agencies and was one of the first companies to provide its software as open source. Niku’s web division Iniku, an early cloud-based computing platform, built a marketplace for services to let contractors and large clients come together to negotiate proposals and run projects through the site.[4]

The Dibachi’s took the company public in 2000 on NASDAQ with Goldman Sachs as the lead underwriter. Niku’s value tripled on its first day with its initial price rising 183 percent.[2][14] That same year, it was included on Forbes Magazine’s annual Forbes 500 List.[15] Dibachi served as Niku’s chairman, CEO and president until it was acquired by Computer Associates, now known as CA, Inc., in 2005 for $350 million.[16][17]

In 2006, Dibachi and his wife founded Noribachi, an LED lighting product manufacturer for commercial and industrial applications. They initially opened the company in Albuquerque, and then relocated its headquarters and manufacturing operations to Los Angeles.[17] Dibachi remains very active in the company's day to day operations. In 2015, Noribachi ranked 224 on the Inc. 5000 list.[18]

Personal life

Dibachi met his wife Rhonda while working at General Electric. They married in 1988 and have one son together.[1] Dibachi and his wife are also founding donors of Pacific Community Ventures, a non-profit community-development organization.[19]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kevin Robinson-Avila (April 11, 2010). "Dibachis work to harness the sun". Albuquerque Business First. American City Business Journals. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Nicole Koffey (February 29, 2000). "Niku Up 183% After Initial Offering". Forbes. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Adult supervision wanted at workplace". The Hindu Business Line. May 31, 2004.
  4. 1 2 3 Josh McHugh (December 27, 1999). "he Fat of the Land : Farzad Dibachi ran out of capital and came up short with his first startup. This time around he makes it look easy". Forbes.
  5. ↑ Don Clark (April 26, 1996). "Former Oracle Aide Predicts Simpler Computer Future". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  6. ↑ Daniel Roth (December 21, 2009). "Time Your Attack: Oracle's Lost Revolution". Wired. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  7. ↑ Julie Pitta (October 6, 1995). "Oracle Unveils 3 Inexpensive Net Terminals : Computers: The firm says it is filling a need for consumers who don't want to do much more than simple functions". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  8. ↑ Jean S. Bozman (March 15, 1993). "Oracle GUI Tools Arrive". Computer World. 27 (11). Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  9. 1 2 "Is It Time For The `Info Appliance'?". Bloomberg News. May 5, 1996. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  10. ↑ Forbes staff (March 2015). Bill Gates: Behind Microsoft, Money, Malaria. Forbes.
  11. ↑ Cyrus Afzali (July 31, 1997). "Sun buys info. appliance firm". CNN. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  12. ↑ Nick Patience (March 29, 1999). "Dibachi's Niku Targets Nascent PSA Market". Computer Business Review.
  13. ↑ Lorna Fernandes (October 31, 1999). "`Do-gooder' does better". San Francisco Business Times. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Niku Corp. (NIKU) IPO". NASDAQ. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  15. ↑ "First-Timers On The Forbes 500s". Forbes. April 10, 2000. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  16. ↑ Fahmida Y. Rashid (June 9, 2005). "CA Sticks Its Neck Out For Niku". Forbes. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  17. 1 2 Kevin Robinson-Avila (May 3, 2009). "Noribachi gives solar products an appearance worth envying". Albuquerque Business First. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
  18. ↑ Rockwood, Kate (October 15, 2015). "A $23 Million Company Dreamed Up in a Parking Lot". Inc. 5000. Retrieved October 23, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Pacific Community Ventures Annual Report" (PDF). Pacific Community Ventures. 2007. Retrieved May 8, 2015.
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