About Ali Azarvan

What is your role at @attention ventures?

Well, I have kind of a funky background, and my mind works along the creative side of things. In my past businesses and here, what I try to do is look at a problem and a business and figure out how to market it.

So, I'm coming in as VP of Business Development, and with Tom, Christian, and the rest of the team, we'll be creating these businesses from scratch. These are businesses that haven't completely taken shape yet, and so we'll be getting together and bouncing hundreds of ideas off each other. It's all very new, the partnership. But my time, right now, will mostly be spent with three of our businesses - MyNipTuck, Statepay and Rotten Neighbor Media.

What attracted you to @attention ventures?

I like that these businesses are evolutionary, changing, taking shape. I also love that I get to work with such close friends, developing businesses and business partnerships.

Describe your approach to business development and developing partnerships.

I think I have a lot of common sense, and I'm pretty good at putting myself in the customer's and client's shoes. I try to look at every business from their perspective. For example, in the medical technology business I used to be a part of, I had to become very creative and figure out how to put myself in the patient's as well as the physician's shoes. What can I do to make them comfortable with this process? How can we build this business to suit their needs? I think that's my strong suit.

What are the biggest challenges you face right now?

The challenge now, and this is what gets me going, is that I'm working in new spaces. The challenge and the most exciting part is how to handle so many different businesses. What I love about it is that on any given day, I can spend two hours each on five different businesses, and where else do you get that opportunity?

I guess it's a challenge, but it keeps me constantly stimulated. I would rather come into a scenario like this, be challenged, be confused and laugh along the way and do something that is truly meaningful. I'd rather do that than just make a ton of money doing the same monotonous thing all day long.

Who are your role models?

My father is my greatest role model-he moved to the United States with very little, and became the American dream. He proved that, with hard work and discipline, anything is possible. Most importantly, he has taught me that if I am kind and honest, success will come.