# Adrian Aoun

> Adrian Aoun is a Lebanese-American entrepreneur, engineer and investor based in San Francisco, with Los Angeles also listed on his personal site. He founded Wavii, acquired by Google in 2013, worked on Google’s AI efforts and Larry Page’s special projects, helped found Sidewalk Labs, and co-founded and led Forward until its 2024 closure. His newer work includes Foundational Industries and a founding-partner role at Seneca.

- **Role:** Co-founder at Foundational Industries; founding partner at Seneca
- **Organizations:** Foundational Industries, Seneca, Forward (former co-founder and CEO), Wavii (founder; acquired by Google), Google / Alphabet (former), Sidewalk Labs (founding involvement), Microsoft (former), Fox Interactive Media (former)
- **From:** Paris, France
- **Nationality:** Lebanese-American
- **Education:** B.A.; B.S.; M.S. (public biography lists study in Computer Science and Psychology), University of Southern California
- **Known for:** Founded Wavii and sold it to Google in 2013., Worked on Google’s AI organization and special projects for Larry Page., Helped found Sidewalk Labs.

## Career timeline

- **Teenage years** — Says he began a website business at 13 and sold it at 22, after expanding into software and hosting.
- **Before Wavii** — Worked at Microsoft and Fox Interactive Media.
- **2008–2009** — Began Wavii in Seattle; retrospective accounts differ on the exact founding year.
- **2012** — Wavii unveiled its public news-feed product using natural language processing.
- **2013** — Google acquired Wavii; the price was officially undisclosed, with contemporary reporting placing it above $30 million.
- **2014–2015** — Moved into special projects for Larry Page and helped establish Sidewalk Labs, announced in 2015.
- **2016** — Forward emerged publicly as his next company.
- **2024-11** — Forward shut down; Aoun discussed the winding-down process on More or Less later that month.
- **2025-10** — Seneca announced its launch and $60 million financing, naming Aoun among its founding partners.
- **2026** — Publicly announced his partnership with Jonathan Winer on Foundational Industries.

## Achievements

- Founded Wavii and sold it to Google in 2013.
- Worked on Google’s AI organization and special projects for Larry Page.
- Helped found Sidewalk Labs.
- Named as a founding partner in Seneca’s $60 million launch announcement.
- Partnered with Jonathan Winer on Foundational Industries.
- Personal website self-reports investments in more than 300 startups and more than 100 funds.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Research check: personal site lists Foundational first among his ventures, and his public LinkedIn profile lists Foundational Industries.
- **2025-10** — Seneca launched with $60 million in financing and named Aoun a founding partner.
- **2024-11** — Forward ceased operations; Aoun appeared on More or Less on November 22 to discuss the closure.

## Links

- Website: https://www.aoun.net/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianaoun/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/adrianaoun

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/adrian-aoun
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-27