# Abdulrahman Tarabzouni

> Abdulrahman Tarabzouni is the Saudi founder and CEO of STV, a technology investment firm focused on MENA. An MIT-trained engineer and former Google executive, he co-founded email software venture Syphir, helped establish a regional venture-capital institution and founded the Saudi mentorship initiative Project1932. His personal essays explore ambition, time and the principles behind his decisions.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at STV
- **Organizations:** STV, Project1932, Google (former), Syphir (co-founder), Saudi Venture Capital and Private Equity Association (founding chairman), Riyad Bank, Jarir, King Fahad National Library, Kauffman Fellows
- **Nationality:** Saudi
- **Education:** BSc in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science; concentration in Economics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Master of Engineering in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
- **Known for:** Co-founded Syphir, winner of the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Business Plan Competition in 2009., Recognized as a TR35 Pan-Arab Innovator in 2012., Founded STV, which began investing in 2018 with a $500 million first fund backed by Saudi Telecom.

## Career timeline

- **2002** — Participated in Saudi Aramco’s innovation program.
- **2004** — As an MIT student, publicly discussed plans for the Saudi Entrepreneurs and Technology Leaders Association.
- **2009** — Joined Google to establish and lead emerging business operations in the Middle East; Syphir won the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Business Plan Competition.
- **2012** — Recognized in the TR35 Pan-Arab innovators program for Syphir.
- **2014-2016** — Held regional and global Google Android and partnerships leadership roles.
- **2016** — Left Google; public career profiles date the beginning of his STV founder role to October 2016.
- **2018** — STV began investing; became founding chairman of the Saudi Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.
- **2020** — Founded Project1932.
- **2022** — Joined the boards of Jarir and Riyad Bank; Saudi Telecom announced plans for an additional $300 million commitment to STV.
- **2025** — STV announced its $100 million NICE Fund I and a separate $100 million Google-backed AI fund.
- **2026** — Published personal essays including The Golden Block, The Shape of a Life and Soul.md; STV’s AI fund attracted further institutional backing.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Syphir, winner of the MIT Enterprise Forum Arab Business Plan Competition in 2009.
- Recognized as a TR35 Pan-Arab Innovator in 2012.
- Founded STV, which began investing in 2018 with a $500 million first fund backed by Saudi Telecom.
- Founding chairman of the Saudi Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.
- Founder of Project1932, a Saudi leadership mentorship initiative.
- Member of Kauffman Fellows Class 22.
- Listed first in Forbes Middle East’s Top Venture Capitalists 2024.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — STV announced Arcapita’s investment in its Emerging Tech & AI Fund, naming Sawt, Clarity, Signit and Stream as portfolio investments.
- **2026-07** — Jordan’s ISSF announced a $5 million commitment to STV’s AI fund; Tarabzouni signed the agreement for STV.
- **2026-04** — Published The Shape of a Life on April 5 and Soul.md on April 11.
- **2026-02** — Published The Golden Block on February 27.

## Links

- Website: https://aitmit.substack.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aitmit/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/aitmit

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/abdulrahman-tarabzouni
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22