He Arrived in the U.S. With $75 and Started a $1.2B Business

Payam Zamani grew up in Iran as a member of the persecuted Baha’i Faith and fled the country at age 16. He arrived in the U.S. with little money and eventually co-founded AutoWeb, the first company to provide invoice prices of cars to consumers. Despite facing challenges in fundraising, AutoWeb went public in 1999, reaching a $1.2 billion valuation. At just 28 years old, after the company he founded went public for $1.2 billion, Zamani felt the pressure to do something bigger, leading him to step down as CEO and start a private equity firm focused on impactful investments. He sought to bridge the gap between profit-driven businesses and nonprofit organizations by emphasizing unity and human essence in his work, culminating in the acquisition of AutoWeb in 2022. Zamani advises aspiring entrepreneurs to find a truthful mentor and ground themselves in values that fulfill personal needs while elevating their business to benefit others, ensuring a fulfilling journey regardless of financial outcomes.

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