Anousheh Ansari, CEO of XPRIZE

Today, my guest is Anousheh Ansari, CEO of XPRIZE, the world’s leader in driving innovation to solve humanities grand challenges founded by Peter Diamandis. Prior to XPRIZE, Anousheh served as the CEO and Chairwoman of Prodea Systems, a leading Internet of Things (IoT) technology firm she co-founded in 2006. While under her leadership, the company earned recognition as one of Inc. Magazine’s 500 fastest-growing companies and Deloitte & Touche’s Fast 500 technology companies.

In 2006, Anousheh became the first female private space explorer and fourth private explorer to visit space. Beyond XPRIZE, Anousheh serves as chair of the cyber community of Jabil, on the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Future Council, co-chair of the quantum track of GESDA, and is an advisor of the Open Quantum Institute.

She is a UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador and serves on the board, a life member of the Association of Space Explorers, and is a Fellow of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. As part of her life-long support for women in industry, Anousheh co-founded The Billion Dollar Fund for Women, which successfully invested $1B in women-founded companies by 2020.

Anousheh holds a BS in Electronics and Computer Engineering from George Mason University, a Master’s Degree in Electrical Engineering from George Washington University, and honorary Doctorates from George Mason University, Utah Valley University, and International Space University.