About Shanaz Hemmati, Co-Founder & Executive Advisor of ZenBusiness

Shanaz Hemmati co-founded ZenBusiness with Ross Buhrdorf in 2015. She is renowned for driving exponential business growth through data, systems, and tools.

As a child, Shanaz left Iran to pursue her dream of attending school in the U.S. As a non-native English speaker and a woman entering a traditionally male-dominated field, Shanaz often had to speak loudly to be heard. Her journey to becoming a successful technology executive and mentor at ZenBusiness is an inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs and business leaders everywhere.

Throughout her career, Shanaz Hemmati has worked to create a positive social impact and immediately recognized a shared commitment to that goal when she first met Ross.

At ZenBusiness, Shanaz oversees day-to-day operations and led the development of a diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy that achieved nearly 50% female representation across staff and management.

Shanaz is passionate about accelerating business growth through technology and is widely recognized for identifying and nurturing talent. Her leadership at Excite.com, HomeAway, and ZenBusiness has earned her a spot on Inc.’s Female Founders List for 2025, the Silver Stevie® Award for Female Executive of the Year in 2024, and the “Entrepreneurial Vision” award at the 2023 Greater Austin Business Awards.