# Nizar Abi Zaher

> Nizar Abi Zaher, known online as Nizzy, is the co-founder and CEO of Orchid, the messaging-based AI assistant that grew out of Zero, an open-source email client he co-founded with Adam Wazzan. A former Cal.com engineer and coding creator, he also makes developer tools and is a maker of Keiki, the agent platform built from Orchid’s infrastructure.

- **Role:** Co-Founder & CEO at Orchid (formerly Zero)
- **Organizations:** Orchid, Zero / Mail0, Keiki, Cal.com, Y Combinator
- **Education:** Business law studies; Crunchbase lists Associate of Arts (AA), Carleton University
- **Known for:** Co-founded Zero, an open-source AI email client, with Adam Wazzan., Participated in Y Combinator’s Spring 2025 batch., Co-founded Orchid, an AI assistant delivered through messages.

## Career timeline

- **2019-2023** — Studied business law at Carleton University, according to Crunchbase.
- **Before 2025** — Worked as an engineer at Cal.com; published coding videos and open-source developer projects.
- **2025** — Co-founded Zero with Adam Wazzan; joined Y Combinator’s Spring 2025 batch.
- **2025-05** — Zero launched on Launch YC as an open-source AI-native email client.
- **2025-07** — Appeared on The Lobster Talks Podcast and described spending $1,000 on user feedback in a LinkedIn post.
- **2026-06** — Publicly reflected on the earlier pivot from Zero to Orchid.
- **2026-09** — Published an introduction to Keiki and an essay explaining his interest in personal agents.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Zero, an open-source AI email client, with Adam Wazzan.
- Participated in Y Combinator’s Spring 2025 batch.
- Co-founded Orchid, an AI assistant delivered through messages.
- Made Keiki, a platform derived from the infrastructure behind Orchid.
- Published Nizzy Starter, an open-source SaaS starter kit, and a programming course platform.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — Reflected publicly on the pivot from Zero into Orchid and demonstrated recurring Orchid automations.
- **2026-09** — Published “Introducing Keiki” on September 9, describing the infrastructure platform built from Orchid.
- **2026-09** — Published “Why Are There So Many Personal Agents?” on September 25, discussing delegation, trust and interactions between personal agents and businesses.

## Links

- Website: https://www.nizzyabi.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nizzyabi/
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/nizzyabi
- GitHub: https://github.com/nizzyabi
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NizzyABI
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nizzyabi/
- TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@nizzyabi

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/nizar-abi-zaher
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15