▶︎ Babak is the Founder and CEO of Tayen.AI, a San Francisco-based startup developing next-generation AI processors. A seasoned entrepreneur and engineering leader, he has 20 years of experience in Silicon Valley startups and global tech giants.

Babak has founded and led multiple startups, including Haute.AI (an early generative AI company for image synthesis), Drive5 (high-precision localization and V2X for autonomous vehicles), Cepand (mmWave chips for 5G), and IronLeap (multisensor wearables for athletes). He also played a key role at Quantenna, where he built and led the engineering group, delivering cutting-edge silicon products that contributed to its IPO and $1 billion acquisition, as well as in two other startups acquired by major Silicon Valley firms.

Previously, he held senior engineering roles at Qualcomm, Broadcom, and GlobalFoundries, as well as research positions at NEC Labs USA and IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, where he pioneered ultra-low-power SoC designs.

Babak holds a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from Columbia University, with a minor in Technology and Innovation Management from Columbia Business School. He also earned a doctoral degree in Information Technology from Tampere University of Technology in Finland and completed an executive program in Venture Capital at Columbia Business School.

An advisor to startups and entrepreneurs, Babak is also the author of Intuitive Entrepreneurship: How to Turn an Idea into a Successful Business, available in paperback, Kindle, and Audible. He holds 9 US and international patents and has published in prestigious journals and conferences.