Varag Gharibjanian Email & Phone Number

Santa Monica, Us

CORPORATE PROFILE: A Boutique Advisory firm facilitating growth through strategy and M&As. RESPONSIBILITY PROFILE: I provide advisory services to technology-enabled growth startups, PE/VC-backed companies, and established Fortune 500 clients regarding creative GTM strategy, partnerships, mergers and acquisitions, and digital transformations. I have guided VC-backed startups through GTM, market development, private equity partnerships, and fundraising while supporting PE firms through sourcing and due diligence. Furthermore, I consulted on F500 projects regarding product/technology strategy, innovation, and M&As.ACHIEVED IN THIS ROLESTRATEGIC PLANNING / TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS / TURNAROUND• A global F500 entity required a new healthcare product strategy. First, I evaluated physician/patient needs, assessed product capabilities/company resources, and benchmarked markets/competitors. Then, I secured consensus, aligned US operations, assessed over 400 healthcare technology companies, and connected EVPs with top target partners to enable collaboration, knowledge sharing, and preliminary negotiations. This strategy was adopted, and the BU is scaling to double its valuation.

Santa Monica, Us

ACHIEVEMENETS CONTINUEDEMERGING TECHNOLOGY / STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS / DUE DILIGENCE• A Fortune 500 wireless carrier sought emerging technology to address unmet enterprise customer needs but lacked capacity. Despite accelerated timelines, I created a partner framework to gather stakeholder requirements and researched/scored over 600 potential emerging technology partners within 45 days. As part of this effort, I connected with relevant executives and conducted preliminary due diligence and negotiations. The client sourced a bespoke partner, securing a $50M contract with a 200X ROI.STRATEGIC PLANNING / TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION• A Fortune 500 financial services company needed to understand Gen AI's internal implications/capabilities. Over eight weeks, I headed discovery for all BUs to determine cost/revenue drivers, researched Gen AI models, prioritized multi-functional use cases/automation, and determined potential partners/acquisitions. This effort delivered the company's first AI partnership, and the implementation accelerated turnaround, reduced errors, and saved ~$60M across claims operations.TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS / REVENUE OPTIMIZATION• A Fortune 500 semiconductor company wanted to explore opportunities in the spatial computing market. Leveraging a network of leading technology providers and industry leaders to identify ecosystem trends, I reviewed recent M&As/patents to curate a list of acquisition targets and market gaps, created revenue models for the financial viability of critical products/initiatives, and facilitated new strategic business engagements that unlocked ~$800M revenue opportunity with a $1B SAM by 2032). This was validated after securing two strategic partnerships in one year, adding key IP/technological advantages.

Santa Monica, Us

ACHIEVEMENTS CONTINUEDSTARTUP FUNDRAISING / MARKET PENETRATION / INVESTOR COMMUNICATIONS• An early-stage AI software startup faced hurdles in progressing to Series A funding. To remove these, I analyzed company and competitor solutions to highlight differentiated value propositions, evaluated potential markets, and partnered with marketing to emphasize a discovery-focused approach. Following this, I tailored product offerings, defined/negotiated key initial terms, and supported the CEO through customer/VC engagements. The startup narrowed its focus to the Aerial Imagery space to secure three clients in the first six months and successfully raised $14M in Series A funding, increasing company valuation by over 300%.

Sunnyvale, Ca, Us

Helping accelerate select Plug & Play startups with Go-To-Market & Fundraising advisory

Investing in deep tech, especially XR, robotics, and AI infrastructureNOTABLE INVESTMENTS ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬• Activeloop.AI, Deep, Livingcities• Co-Investor with DCVC, Intel Capital, Toyota Ventures, Anorak VC, Calibrate Ventures, Amazon Alexa, Y Combinator, Shasta Ventures

San Diego, Ca, Us

CORPORATE PROFILE: A $190B Telecommunications company with 50K employees. RESPONSIBILITY PROFILE: I reported to the Senior Director, Mobile Computing Group and was responsible for supporting the Clay AIR integration through partnerships with corporate development, product, legal, and marketing. In this role, I introduced AI technologies into product/engineering roadmaps and headed GTM strategy for Qualcomm's newest Snapdragon platform.ACHIEVED IN THIS ROLEACQUISITION INTEGRATION• I was entrusted by the Head of XR to lead Clay AIR's integration. Altogether, I participated in senior leadership calls, evaluated demand/feasibility to merge critical features, mapped/segmented/engaged top customers to sequence rollout, and discovered additional internal use cases. The AI technology became the platform's most mature component, was anchored in Lenovo's next-gen products, accelerated development lifecycles by ~25%, contributed to 20% growth in a leading BU, and exceeded revenue goals.

Assist Armenian startups to 'Launch' and accelerate in the US and or desired global markets by influencing AI, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Hardware, generally any 'Deep Tech' integrations. NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬• Supported and continue to provide guidance to a number of start-ups with Business Development, Strategy, Product, Sales, and Fundraising

CORPORATE PROFILE: An AI Software startup with 35 employees. RESPONSIBILITY PROFILE: I reported to the CEO with 7 direct reports. During this engagement, I was responsible for all product and business functions promoting acquisition potential, including GTM strategy and product roadmaps.ACHIEVED IN THIS ROLESCOPE OF ACHIEVEMENT• Qualcomm leadership had reservations about acquiring Clay AIR. Over 14 days, I demonstrated how Clay AIR technology solved user pain points and differentiated value in critical market gaps. Then, I highlighted overlapping verticals, verified demand, demonstrated software’s optimization for Qualcomm chipsets, and justified purchase price by forecasting 10-year ROI. This lifted confidence and enabled a mid-eight-figure deal. Clay AIR's technology was adopted by F500 clients, strengthening positions in the automotive/consumer electronics sectors to become an industry standard. I was retained as Head of Business Development & Product Strategy.CONTRACTS / BUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS• With a mission-critical product launch, an F250 consumer electronics manufacturer lacked software expertise. Teaming with the champion stakeholder, I defined requirements/terms/conditions, aligned proposals with a new RFP, conducted needs-based demos and led contract negotiations while protecting IP. This validated the GTM strategy, culminated in Clay AIR's first seven-figure licensing deal, contributed to follow-up investment, positioned the company as the primary machine learning supplier across the client's organization, and has since been sold to Lenovo enterprise players like Micron & Boeing.ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE / VENDOR SELECTION• The CTO could not develop ML/AI models that met performance requirements. To resolve this, I assessed needs, engaged and evaluated seven AI training data vendors. After building this list, I negotiated contracts, secured terms to retain IP/data ownership, and streamlined onboarding.

ACHIEVEMENTS CONTINUEDIncreased software accuracy from 92% to 98% in 6 months, opening a $1B TAM. The company achieved ~400% ROI, secured two new customer contracts, and was solidified as an AI market leader within the spatial computing, consumer electronics, smart devices, IoT, and automotive industries.COMPETITIVE DIFFERENTIATION / STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS• Rapidly losing market share, a $5B consumer electronics company lacked in-house competitive capabilities. I identified technical gaps, defined AI integration scope, and presented unique positioning. Driving integration, I developed workshop goals to define use cases aligned with business/user needs, negotiated contracts, and introduced Agile methodologies to synchronize internal teams and client engineers. These actions integrated AI features into three product models and validated Clay AIR's product/investor appeal, establishing the company as a trusted long-term partner.PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT / VENDOR SELECTION / RISK MANAGEMENT• A $700M international hardware scale-up required AI software to drive engagement but lacked internal capabilities. I amalgamated use cases, defined scopes for SDKs/APIs, drafted/negotiated a proposal with risk contingencies and joint marketing terms, and optimized AI software for two flagship products. The client sold ~350K units, generating over $200M in revenue, securing over 50% of the AI wearable market share, and raising the valuation to over $1B (42% increase).

RESPONSIBILITY PROFILE: I reported to the CEO with 3 direct reports and was responsible for pitching/securing customers, constructing product roadmaps, and strengthening partnerships.ACHIEVED IN THIS ROLEBUSINESS & TECHNOLOGY PARTNERSHIPS• Facing pressure to innovate assist systems, a $10B auto manufacturer sought to implement touchless controls. Partnering with the CEO, I qualified needs and evaluated development cycles to confirm seamless integration. As part of this effort, I led workshops to map AI capabilities to safety/customer use cases, defined quality standards, and co-drafted/negotiated complex agreements. The customer integrated the gesture-based controls into reference design vehicles with plans to be adopted by over 10 models. Extensive testing showed that the technology increased driver safety by 12% and saved $75M in liability costs, and Clay AIR's valuation improved.

Venice, Ca, Us

CORPORATE PROFILE: A $450M Venture Capital firm with 7 employees. RESPONSIBILITY PROFILE: I reported to the Venture Partner and was responsible for engaging within high-growth B2B markets to identify/evaluate startups focused on augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR). With this, I constructed an investment thesis for the spatial computing/AR/VR space to steer decision-making toward B2B-focused startups that aligned technological capabilities with real-world use cases and cultivated knowledge-sharing venture partnerships that improved deal flow.ACHIEVED IN THIS ROLEDEAL SOURCING• The firm struggled to remain competitive due to limited resources/staff, threatening fundraising capacity. I was recruited by the Venture Partner to maximize investment opportunities. Over ~120 days, I created an ecosystem map, inventoried existing opportunities, and leveraged networks to systematically resolve unmet gaps. Despite limited brand recognition, these efforts established HiPo investment opportunities and accretive deal flow, culminating in the sourcing of ServiceMob/Kast and quadrupling the firm’s AUM to $450M.

Los Angeles, California, Us

Conducted extensive ecosystem, stakeholder, and tradespace analysis to enable focused partner strategy to increase engagement and value for usersNOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬• Architected the end to end digital platform for passengers, enabling an efficient and seamless user experience. Defined user stories, feature roadmap, and technology requirements for first mile, on board, and last mile experiences.• Supported prototyping efforts for mobile and web applications. Worked with engineering team to build implementation schedule, estimate resources, and risk mitigation plans

Santa Clara, Ca, Us

Developed go-to-market strategy in AR/VR industries, identifying and creating partnerships and venture opportunities. Worked closely with Advanced Technologies Group to define technology roadmap.NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬• Researched the key evolutions of hardware technologies in 5G wireless infrastructure and devices, improving product portfolio and roadmap of largest Business Unit (BU) by revenue• Collaborated with corporate venture team to conduct technical and market due diligence on a leading AR/VR hardware startup

Cambridge, Ma, Us

Led management consulting IP & go-to-strategy projects for Fortune 500 executives. NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬• Advised nine technology startups (in the education, transportation, energy, and healthcare industries) on their business model, product, and marketing strategy, increasing valuations for portfolio companies of major Venture Capital client• Analyzed and valued IP portfolios of eight technology companies to help second largest wireless carrier identify strategic•Fostered strong relationships to provide strategic delivery of technology resources for clients. Oversaw project schedules, budgets, and lead a 10-person team to quantify the commercial value of an Intellectual Property (IP) portfolio of 40,000 wireless patents in a licensing deal for an enterprise (valued at over $160B).partnerships, supporting launch into wearable technology market• Led a two-consultant team to evaluate and assess capabilities of top 10 financial company's software portfolio and architecture, quantifying strengths and weaknesses that enabled client to invest in suitable acquisitions

Cambridge, Ma, Us

Influentially led a 10-consultant team in three IP infringement cases (337-­TA-­862, 866, 868) before International Trade Commission (ITC) for the world’s largest mobile device manufacturer, leading to repeat business with the client NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬• Evaluated 10 financial company's software portfolios and architecture, identifying strengths and weaknesses, enabling client to invest in suitable acquisitions • Analyzed mobile barcode recognition algorithm for the largest global online retailer in an IP dispute, helping client demonstrate key technical differences from the claimed patent

London, England, Gb

Co-invented and patented decentralized wireless communication technology, enabling smartphones to transfer data in mesh networks. NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬▬• Collaborated with VP of Finance conducting due diligence on $600M recapitalization. Developed and presented residual $330M investment opportunity to private equity investor• Partnered with CEO and collaborated with engineering, design, consulting, patent, and executive teams, to develop technology and business model, resulting in successful launch in several major venues

Master’S Degree, Engineering And Management

Master’S Degree, Engineering And Management

Extension, Business

Bachelor Of Engineering (B.E.)