Afshin Doust

FacultyFaculty

Biography:

Afshin Doust holds a Master of Business Administration from University Canada West and is currently studying for his doctorate in Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the International School of Business, Paris. Afshin teaches strategy, ethics, business environment and governance at UCW. His teaching philosophy is to share real-life experiences in business with his students, and to prepare his students to meaningfully engage and contribute to any organization they work with.

Expertise and Experience

Afshin has been involved in various businesses in Vancouver since 1988. He has established and divested companies in mortgage lending, real estate, import and export, investment management, trade brokerage and consulting. Afshin also held positions in business development and relationship management in Fortune 500 companies. He is currently the CEO of a robotics company, Advanced Intelligent Systems, and teaches business courses at University Canada West and Kwantlen Polytechnic University.

Select Board Engagements

  • Board of Advisors, Kwantlen Polytechnic University
  • Board of Advisors, Yocale Networks Corp
  • Board of Advisors, Ph7 Technologies
  • Board of Advisors, Connected Things Scientific
  • Board of Advisors, Canada-China SME Business Expansion Association
  • Board of Advisors, Canada BC Limited Trading Corp. Guangzhou, China
  • Board of Advisors, Quest CPA Consulting Corp
  • Founder/Director, Microlaser Corp.
  • Founder/Director, Sahand Imports
  • Founder/Director, Immigration Consultants Group Canada Inc.
  • Founder/Director, Century 21 City View Realty
  • Founder/Director, YesPros Mortgages Inc.
  • Founder/Director, Hera Investment Funds
  • Founder/Director, Global Gateway Business Consultants
  • Official Member, Forbes Technology Council

Publications and Scholarly Activity

Select Speaking Engagements:

  • Growing Innovations, Las Vegas 2019, How am I going to afford all this technology? A MaaS approach
  • BC Tech Summit, Vancouver 2019, Panelist with Hon. Lana Popham, The future of food
  • Canada China Innovation & Investment Summit, Vancouver 2019, Commercializing in China for Canadians
  • Clean Energy Ministerial / MI-4, Vancouver 2019, AIS‚Äôs impact on reduction of carbon emissions in greenhouses and nurseries
  • Ag Innovation day, Abbotsford 2019, Panelist, Lessons learnt in Commercialization
  • The How to Group, 2019, The lifecycle of a startup
  • UBC China Forum, 2019, Practical Robotics
  • Global Digital Assets Summit, Vancouver 2019, Tokenization of IP
  • UBC University-Industry Interaction Series, Vancouver 2019, Advanced Robotics VS Practical Robotics
  • Products That Count ‚Äì Apple Podcast, San Francisco 2019, AI Products as A Service
  • RoboHub ‚Äì Apple Podcast, California 2020, Robots as A Service
  • USCANTEC ‚Äì Apple Technology Podcast, California 2021, AIS‚Äô Transformational Technology

Articles:

  • 2021. Tech Startup Valuations and Geography. Forbes. January.
  • 2021. The importance of Viral Kindness in 2021. Forbes. February.
  • 2020. 3G, 4G, 5G And Beyond: The Quest for Mobile Connectivity and Speed. Forbes. December.‚ÄØ
  • 2020. Five Jobs That Won't Be Automated. Forbes. October.
  • 2020. The Social Distancing Student: Education After the Pandemic. Forbes. September.
  • 2020. Standardizing Robotics Through Modularity. Forbes. August.
  • 2020. Order in Chaos: A Business Approach. Forbes. July.
  • 2020. The Effects of a Health Crisis on the Future of Commerce. Forbes. May.
  • 2020. Best Practices for Working from Home. Forbes. May.
  • 2020. Why Inclusive Language Matters in Tech. Forbes. April.
  • 2020. Hire, Manage, Fire: How to Keep It All Win-Win. Forbes. March
  • 2020. Universities and The Commercialization of Intellectual Property. Forbes. February.
  • 2020. Tech Startup Valuations and Geography. Forbes. January.
  • 2020. Steps to Take and Pitfalls to Avoid When it Comes to Commercializing Tech Innovations. Forbes. January.‚ÄØ
  • 2019. How 5G Will Create Opportunities and Challenges for The Robotics Industry. Forbes. December.
  • 2019. Will Industry 4.0 See Sustainable Growth, Or Will the Bubble Burst?‚ÄØForbes. October.
  • 2019. Machines as a Service: A New Revolution in Automation. Forbes. September.
  • 2019. Advanced Robotics Versus Practical Robotics. Forbes. March.
  • 2019. Six Steps for Planning Your Startup Business. Forbes. February.
  • 2019. What Do Techies Need to Join and Stay at Your Tech Company? Forbes. February.
  • 2019. Is Robotics Taking Away Jobs ‚Äì Or Creating Them? Forbes. January.

Contact him through LinkedIn.