Editing Amir Ansari

{{Infobox person
| name          = Amir Ansari
| image         = AAnsari Xprize 2004.png
| caption       = Amir Ansari at the Ansari X Prize event, 2004
| birth_date    = 1970
| birth_place   = Tehran, Iran
| nationality   = Iranian-American
| alma_mater    = [[George Mason University]]
| occupation    = Engineer, entrepreneur, philanthropist
| known_for     = Co-founding Telecom Technologies and Prodea Systems; sponsorship of the [[Ansari X Prize]]
}}

'''Amir Ansari''' (born 1970) is an Iranian-American engineer, inventor, and entrepreneur. He is best known as a co-founder of the telecommunications company Telecom Technologies, Inc. and the digital services firm Prodea Systems. Ansari and his family were major sponsors of the [[Ansari X Prize]], a $10 million competition for private spaceflight, and he serves on the board of directors of the [[Xprize Foundation]]. He has been involved in multiple technology ventures and philanthropic initiatives in telecommunications, education, and commercial spaceflight.<ref name="imiranian">{{cite web |title=Amir Ansari |url=https://imiranian.com/amir-ansari/ |website=ImIranian |date=15 March 2011 |access-date=13 May 2025}}</ref><ref name="xprizebio">{{cite web |title=Amir Ansari |url=https://www.xprize.org/about/people/amir-ansari |publisher=XPRIZE Foundation |access-date=13 May 2025}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
Ansari was born in 1970 in [[Tehran]], Iran, and immigrated to the United States as a child. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and computer science from [[George Mason University]] in [[Fairfax, Virginia]].<ref name="imiranian" />

== Career ==

=== Telecom Technologies, Inc. ===
In 1993, Amir Ansari co-founded Telecom Technologies, Inc. (TTI) alongside his brother [[Hamid Ansari]] and sister-in-law [[Anousheh Ansari]]. He served as the company’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO). TTI developed one of the industry's first softswitch platforms for [[Voice over IP]] (VoIP), allowing telecom carriers to integrate traditional and next-generation IP networks. Under Ansari's technical leadership, the company’s VoIP technology helped reduce telephone costs and gained widespread industry adoption.<ref name="imiranian" />

By 2000, the company employed nearly 220 people at its headquarters in [[Richardson, Texas]]. In January 2001, Sonus Networks acquired TTI in a stock-for-stock transaction by issuing 10.8 million shares.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sonus Networks Completes Acquisition of Telecom Technologies |url=https://ribboncommunications.com/company/newsroom/press-releases/sonus-networks-completes-acquisition-of-telecom-technologies-011801/ |website=Ribbon Communications |publisher=Sonus Networks |date=18 January 2001 |access-date=13 May 2025}}</ref> Following the merger, Anousheh Ansari became a Vice President at Sonus, while Amir Ansari joined the Office of the CTO to support the deployment of the new voice infrastructure.

=== Prodea Systems and later ventures ===
After departing from Sonus, Amir Ansari and his family launched Prodea Systems in 2006, focusing on [[Internet of Things]] (IoT) and connected home technologies. As CTO, Ansari helped develop a unified platform—sometimes described as a “Residential OS”—that enabled consumers to manage smart-home devices and digital services through a single interface.<ref name="venturebeat1">{{cite news |last=Hardawar |first=Devindra |title=The Internet of Things dream may finally come true with Prodea’s ‘Residential OS’ |work=VentureBeat |date=8 April 2014 |url=https://venturebeat.com/2014/04/08/the-internet-of-things-dream-may-finally-come-true-with-prodeas-residential-os/ |access-date=13 May 2025}}</ref>

In 2020, he founded VaticX, a global hybrid accelerator that supports growth-stage startups with mentorship, market access, and funding.<ref name="xprizebio" /> Ansari also entered academia as co-founder and inaugural Executive Director of xFoundry@UMD, an innovation incubator based at the [[University of Maryland]]’s E.A. Fernandez IDEA Factory. He leads student innovation and startup programs aimed at solving complex technology challenges.<ref>{{cite news |last=Althouse |first=Michaela |title=UMD just launched a new $2M entrepreneurial initiative for students |work=Technical.ly |date=9 October 2023 |url=https://technical.ly/baltimore/2023/10/09/umd-new-2m-entrepreneurial-initiative/ |access-date=13 May 2025}}</ref>

== Philanthropy and space-related initiatives ==
On May 5, 2004, Amir and Anousheh Ansari made a multi-million-dollar donation to the [[Xprize Foundation]], renaming its first major competition the '''[[Ansari X Prize]]'''.<ref>{{cite news |last=simoniker |title=X Prize Competition Gets New Sponsor, Amended Name |work=Slashdot |publisher=Slashdot Media |date=5 May 2004 |url=https://science.slashdot.org/story/04/05/05/2327204/x-prize-competition-gets-new-sponsor-amended-name |access-date=13 May 2025}}</ref> The $10 million challenge aimed to incentivize private space travel by requiring a reusable, crewed spacecraft to fly twice into space within two weeks. [[SpaceShipOne]] won the prize in October 2004, marking a historic milestone in commercial spaceflight.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ansari XPRIZE (Overview) |url=https://www.xprize.org/prizes/ansari |publisher=XPRIZE Foundation |access-date=13 May 2025}}</ref>

Ansari currently serves on the [[Xprize Foundation]]’s Board of Directors and its Vision Circle, helping shape incentive competitions that drive innovation across science and technology sectors.<ref name="xprizebio" />

In the mid-2000s, the Ansari family partnered with [[Space Adventures]] and [[Russia]]’s federal space agency to create the '''Space Adventures Explorer''', a commercial suborbital spacecraft. The goal was to build air-launched vehicles for private space tourism, with planned spaceports in the [[United Arab Emirates]] and [[Singapore]]. Although the initiative was eventually paused, it exemplified the family's pioneering vision in private space infrastructure.<ref>{{cite news |last=Malik |first=Tariq |title=The First Female Space Tourist? U.S. Entrepreneur Determined to Reach Orbit |work=Space.com |date=10 August 2006 |url=https://www.space.com/2724-female-space-tourist-entrepreneur-determined-reach-orbit.html |access-date=13 May 2025}}</ref>

Beyond space, Ansari has actively supported nonprofit initiatives in education and sustainable development. He frequently advocates for STEM education, leveraging his entrepreneurial experience to inspire innovation for social good.

== References ==
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[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American engineers]]
[[Category:Iranian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:American philanthropists]]
[[Category:People from Tehran]]
[[Category:American chief technology officers]]
[[Category:Space advocates]]
[[Category:George Mason University alumni]]
[[Category:1970 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American engineers]]
[[Category:Iranian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:American philanthropists]]
[[Category:People from Tehran]]
[[Category:American chief technology officers]]
[[Category:Space advocates]]
[[Category:21st-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:Iranian emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Tehran]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:George Mason University alumni]]
[[Category:American electrical engineers]]
[[Category:Ansari X Prize]]
[[Category:American chief technology officers]]
[[Category:21st-century American inventors]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]