Ali Fotowat presentation

Mentoring: A Pillar of Entrepreneurship

September 6, 2014

Ali Fotowat-Ahmady

Associate Prof. of EE, Sharif Univ. of Tech

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High Tech Entrepreneurship in Iran:

Opportunities and Challenges

Advanced IC design Lab (AICDL) faculty and students

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These are the pillars of our culture, the core principles

that we mentor our students in:

• The 2600 year doctrine of Zoroaster pure thought, pure

speech, pure action.

• Our poets and writers of the Islamic period from a

thousand years ago till now have been unified in their

ideas of humanism and moderation which shows up in

our heavy emphasis on moral and ethical issues in our

literature.

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Good is the man of high character

Who is clothed in purity and dignity

With his soul the protector of his body

All life will be easy upon him

In rightfulness he will dwell

And never knock on the door of crookedness

(Ferdowsi 940-1020)

You are what you think, O' beloved brother

The rest of you is skin and bones, O' brother

Think like a flower and a blooming garden you become

Think like a thorn and engulfed in fire you become

(Moulavi 1207-1273)

خنک در جهان مرد برتر منش که پاکی و شرمست پیراهنش

چو جانش تنش را نگهبان بود همه زندگانیش آسان بود

بماند بدو رادی و راستی نکوبد در کّژی و کاستی

فردوسی

ای برادر تو همان اندیشه ای

مابقی تو استخوان و ریشه ای

گلشنی تو گر ُگلست اندیشۀ

ور بود خاری تو هیمۀ گلخنی

مولوی

4



A stage can mankind reach where nothing but God is there;

Imagine how high is mankind's rank here

(Saadi Shirazi 1210-1292)

Aloud I say it, and with heart of glee:

"Love's slave am I, and from both worlds am free."

(Hafez 1325-1390)

Never saw two fir trees who are enemies .

Never saw a willow tree which sells its shadow to the earth.

For free grants the elm tree its branches to the crow.

Wherever there is a leaf, my passion blooms.

(Sohrab Sepehri 1928-1980)

آدمی به جایی که به جز خدا نبیندرسد

بنگر که تا چه حد است مکان آدمیت

سعدی

می گویم و از گفته خود دلشادمفاش

بنده عشقم و از هر دو جهان آزادم

حافظ

.ندیدم دو صنوبر را با هم دشمنمن من ندیدم بیدی، سایه اش را بفروشد به

.زمینرایگان می بخشد، نارون شاخه خود را به

.کالغ می شکفدهر کجا برگی هست، شور من

سهراب سپهری

(Poem translations by professor Ray Akhavan, U of Michigan)

Iran’s academic strengths

• A developing country with a highly educated population.

• With a university system mostly organized like the

American Universities.

• With PhD programs in engineering, Iran is contributing to

the development of new technologies.

• The political disruptions did not fully occur on the

academic side.



5

USA attractions for us

• USA continues to be the Mecca of science, technology

and entrepreneurial innovations.

• USA has been the main contributor of academic openness

and structured thinking in human history.

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• USA and Iran are both losing…

– An Iranian engineer graduating in Europe

• Can benefit from his education producing huge mutual opportunities,

Mobarakeh Steele & Danieli of Italy

Iran Khodro & Peugeot of France

Plus thousands of smaller examples in the private sector.

– An Iranian graduating from US

• 89% do not come back

• Many of them are founders of major IT enterprises

• Better relations result in enormous mutual impact.

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• Some interesting figures that mean a lot,

% of females

• From Stanford EE Web site and Sharif office of education

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@Stanford EE @Sharif EE

Faculty 10% 10%

B.S. EE 19% 20.9%

M.S. EE 21% 18.4%

PhD EE 22% 30.2%

• When I returned home 23 years ago I focused on training

Si valley quality engineers at Sharif and in my consulting

projects.

• Hoping for medium term resolution my personal thought

was that the academic link should not be disrupted.

• Our students’ contributions to the USA industry and

academia is a best kept secret.

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• In return

• My graduate students cannot access IEEE papers

with one click.

• To contribute to knowledge in Integrated Circuits

we must use covers to test our designs.

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• “I have a dream” that one day our students can go to US for

summer internships.

• “I have a dream” that our electronics faculty can use the MOSIS or

other facility for Silicon fabrication like any other developing world

university.

• “I have a dream” that my students can help both Iran and the US as

professionals.

• “I have a dream” that the US & Iran could see the brighter side of

each other.

• My dreams are so easily attainable.

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The eyes should be washed. One should see with new eyes.

The umbrellas should be closed.

One should go under the rain.

One should take one's thoughts and memories under the rain.

With all the people of the town, one should go under the rain.

One must meet a friend under the rain.

One must seek love under the rain.

One must play under the rain.

Under the rain one must write, speak, plant lotus flowers.

Life is in perpetually getting wet,

Life is bathing in the pond of "now".

Let's tear off our clothes:

Water is only a step away.

Let us taste the light.

Sohrab Sepehri (1928-1980) 12 12



• .چشم ها را باید شست ، جور دیگر باید دید

.واژه ها را باید شست .واژه باید خود باد، واژه باید خود باران باشد

.چترها را باید بست .زیر باران باید رفت

.فکر را، خاطره را، زیر باران باید برد .با همه مردم شهر، زیر باران باید رفت

.دوست را زیر باران باید دید .عشق را، زیر باران باید جست

.زیر باران باید بازی کرد زیر باران باید چیز نوشت، حرف زد، نیلوفر کاشت

زندگی تر شدن پی در پی، .است« اکنون»زندگی آب تنی کردن در حوضچه

:رخت ها را بکنیم .آب در یک قدمی است

.روشنی را بچشیم

I end with a poem of Sohrab Sepehri,.

Ali Fotowat presentation

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