team-member
Faraj Aalaei
Founder, CEO

Faraj Aalaei is a pioneering Iranian American entrepreneur and current CEO of Cognichip, with over 40 years of distinguished experience in communications and networking technologies. As a leading entrepreneur in Silicon Valley and a veteran of technology and semiconductor industries, Faraj was responsible for building and taking two semiconductor companies through IPOs as a founder and CEO. After acquisition of Aquantia by Marvel, Faraj ran Marvel’s billion-dollar Networking and Automotive segment. He previously worked at AT&T Bell Laboratory, Fujitsu Network Communication and MA/Com.Faraj’s exemplary career is recognized for being a true technology innovator at the forefront of critical technological developments—from developing the world's first optical communication system to pioneering solutions for Cable modem, broadband DSL and autonomous driving Ethernet communications.Holding multiple patents and an honorary doctorate in Engineering, Aalaei's academic credentials include degrees from Wentworth Institute of Technology, University of Massachusetts, and University of New Hampshire. He is the 2024 recipient of Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
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team-member
Ehsan Kamalinejad, PhD.
Co- Founder, CTO

Ehsan is the co-founder and CTO of Cognichip, where he leads the development of physics-informed foundational models for chip design. His journey spans academia and industry, beginning with a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the University of Toronto, followed by a postdoctoral research stint in Machine Learning at UCLA/UCLR, and achieving tenure as an Associate Professor at Cal State East Bay.At Apple, Ehsan led machine learning initiatives in computer vision and natural language processing, notably contributing to the Memories feature in Apple Photos, which is used by millions of users. As a tech lead at AWS, he pioneered the company's first reinforcement learning from human feedback (RLHF) pipeline and shared his expertise through prominent events like AWS Summit and AWS re:Invent.With a distinctive blend of academic rigor and industry innovation, Ehsan's expertise in bridging theoretical foundations with practical applications continues to drive cutting-edge solutions. Beyond his technical pursuits, he enjoys hiking and outdoor activities with his wife and friends.
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team-member
Simon Sabato
Co- Founder, Chip Architect
Simon Sabato serves as Chief Product Officer at Cognichip, bringing over two decades of distinguished expertise in chip design, system architecture, and product strategy. A technology innovator with 12 granted patents, his technical contributions encompass FPGA-based accelerators, ASIC architecture, high-speed networking, and advanced error-correcting techniques.

Previously, Simon held pivotal leadership roles at technology pioneers including Google, Cisco, and Cadence. A UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering and Computer Science graduate, he is renowned for his technical depth and hands-on approach to design flow development, debugging methodologies, and network protocol innovation.

Beyond his professional achievements, Simon maintains a passion for continuous learning and adventure, exploring diverse interests from lockpicking to quantum mechanics, and enjoying travel, cuisine, and skiing.
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team-member
Stelios Diamantidis
Executive Director Synopsis Inc
With 20+ years of experience in strategic planning, product management, and artificial intelligence, Stelios Diamantidis has been leading semiconductor industry transformation through innovative AI solutions. As CSO at Cognichip, he spearheads the company's long-term vision, strategic roadmap, and go-to-market.
Previously, Stelios was Distinguished Architect and Executive Director of the Generative AI center of excellence at Synopsys. In 2020, he launched DSO.ai™️, the world’s first AI application for chip design. Under Stelios’ leadership, Synopsys pioneered the use of GenAI for enterprise productivity, and introduced groundbreaking products like Synopsys.ai™️  Copilot.
A Stanford electrical engineering graduate, Stelios has founded two companies and developed technologies that reshaped industry landscapes. An IEEE member with numerous patents and publications, he continues to drive strategic innovation, bridging together complex challenges with transformative AI solutions.
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team-member
Mehdi Daneshpanah
VP of Software at Stealth AI Startup

Mehdi is a distinguished technology leader with over 15 years of expertise in enterprise software, artificial intelligence, and high-performance computing. As Vice President of Software at Cognichip, he spearheads the development of an innovative AI-powered SaaS platform that revolutionizes semiconductor design workflows.Prior to Cognichip, Mehdi led KLA's global software team for Mask Inspection, delivering critical solutions to premier semiconductor manufacturers worldwide. His leadership is characterized by deep technical acumen in scalable enterprise applications, multi-disciplinary engineering, and team development.A recognized innovator, Mehdi's academic and industrial contributions include 45 peer-reviewed publications, secured 6 patents, and garnered over 1,300 citations, including work highlighted in Nature Physics.Beyond his professional achievements, Mehdi balances his dynamic career with an active lifestyle, enjoying snowboarding, hiking, rowing, and traveling with his family.
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Our People, Our Passion

We are a team of experts, comprising renowned scientists in mathematics, physics, and computer science, as well as seasoned semiconductor professionals and successful company builders. This unique blend of technical expertise and entrepreneurial acumen enables us to drive innovation in semiconductor design, leveraging our deep understanding of complex systems and our ability to translate cutting-edge research into practical solutions. By combining our diverse skills and experiences, we are poised to revolutionize the semiconductor industry and bring groundbreaking technologies to market.

Our Principals and Culture

Robust Security

Be ambitious and put on a growth mindset
Question everything and learn relentlessly
Move fast and fix things
Persevere in face of challenges

Be ambitious and put on a growth mindsetQuestion everything and learn relentlesslyMove fast and fix thingsPersevere in face of challenges

Community Engagement

Show extreme ownership
Stay obsessed with customer success
Be direct but lead with compassion
Celebrate the wins, learn from setbacks

Show extreme ownershipStay obsessed with customer successBe direct but lead with compassionCelebrate the wins, learn from setbacks

Meet Our Team

Meet Our AI Pioneers

team-member

Faraj Aalaei

Founder, CEO

team-member

Ehsan Kamalinejad, PhD.

Co- Founder, CTO

team-member

Simon Sabato

Co- Founder, Chip Architect

team-member

Stelios Diamantidis

Executive Director Synopsis Inc

team-member

Mehdi Daneshpanah

VP of Software at Stealth AI Startup

team-member

Zara Synth

Blockchain Developer

team-member

Nova Cipher

Cryptoeconomist

team-member

Luna Byte

Tokenization Strategist

team-member

Zenith Pulse

Web3 Product Manager

team-member

Zaha Hadid

Blockchain Developer

team-member

Jonathan Ive

Cryptoeconomist

team-member

Eileen Gray

Tokenization Strategist

team-member

Jasper Morrison

Web3 Product Manager

team-member

Ralph Lauren

Blockchain Developer

team-member

Virgil Abloh

Cryptoeconomist

team-member

Philippe Starck

Tokenization Strategist

team-member

Karim Rashid

Web3 Product Manager

Forging The Singularity

Join us in driving innovation and unlocking tomorrow’s technologies..

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