Pars Talk | Fireside Chat with Faraj Aalaei (San Jose)
About this Event
Pars Talk | Fireside Chat with Faraj Aalaei (San Jose)
Overview
Join us on Thursday, September 17th at 6:30 PM for our next Pars Talk with Faraj Aalaei, Co-founder, Chairman & CEO of Cognichip and a veteran Silicon Valley entrepreneur with more than four decades of experience in semiconductor and communications technology.
Faraj has built and taken two semiconductor companies public as CEO—Centillium Communications and Aquantia—and is now building Cognichip, an AI company reimagining how chips are designed.
The evening will include a fireside conversation, audience Q&A, and time to network with fellow founders, investors, entrepreneurs, and professionals.
Topics we'll cover
- Faraj’s journey from engineer to serial entrepreneur and CEO
- Lessons from building and taking two semiconductor companies public
- What it takes to build and lead companies over multiple technology cycles
- How AI could transform semiconductor and chip design
- Lessons from successes, failures, and more than 40 years in Silicon Valley
About Faraj Aalaei
Faraj Aalaei is the Founder, Chairman & CEO of Cognichip, a company developing Artificial Chip Intelligence (ACI), a physics-informed foundation model purpose-built for semiconductor design. Cognichip aims to dramatically reduce the time, cost, and complexity of developing chips and has raised $93 million from investors including Mayfield, Lux Capital, FPV Ventures, Seligman Ventures, SBI Investment, Candou Ventures, and others.
Faraj is a veteran entrepreneur and technologist with more than 40 years of experience in communications, networking, and semiconductor technologies. He is part of a rare group of entrepreneurs to have led two semiconductor companies through IPOs as CEO.
Before Cognichip, Faraj served as Chairman and CEO of Aquantia, which he took public in 2017 and which was later acquired by Marvell. He previously co-founded Centillium Communications and led the company from its early days through its NASDAQ IPO. Following Marvell’s acquisition of Aquantia, Faraj led Marvell’s billion-dollar Networking and Automotive business.
Earlier in his career, Faraj spent nearly a decade at AT&T Bell Labs and held engineering and leadership roles at Fujitsu and M/A-COM, working at the forefront of technologies including fiber-optic communications, broadband access, and cable modems.
Faraj is also a Founding General Partner at Candou Ventures and has invested in startups across semiconductors, communications, software, biotech, and other industries. He holds multiple U.S. patents and received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in 2024.
Faraj and his wife, Susan Akbarpour, are also active philanthropists and supporters of organizations focused on education, equality, and the Iranian-American community.
Agenda
🕑: 06:30 PM - 07:00 PM
Check-in & Networking
🕑: 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Fireside Chat & Audience Q&A
🕑: 08:00 PM - 08:30 PM
Networking
Where is it happening?
Event Location & Nearby Stays:
USD 0.00
