Firooz Aflatouni, PhD  

Chief Scientific Advisor

Dr. Aflatouni is Professor of Electrical and Systems Engineering at UPenn where he leads the Electronic Photonic Microsystems Lab. His work spans integrated photonics, high-performance optical systems, and pioneering photonic neural-network research. His research is supported by leading institutional programs including DARPA, NASA/JPL, and ONR.

Masoud Djafari  

CEO

Masoud Djafari brings decades of leadership across semiconductor systems and communications technologies. His leadership background across WiLinx, ConnectCom, Microchip, and Synaptics helps position Lightcom to translate difficult technical breakthroughs into commercial infrastructure products.

Ali Fakhari  

President and CFO

Ali Fakhari leads strategy and finance at Lightcom. His background across Bain & Company, PE/venture-backed businesses, and operational leadership brings go-to-market rigor and disciplined execution to building category-defining platforms, from authentic consumer brands to deep-tech ventures.

Babak Razi  

Chairman

Babak Razi brings extensive experience in venture development, corporate strategy, and semiconductor commercialization. His work across Third Wave Ventures, Innovent, Ingenu Wireless, Ostendo, and multiple board roles strengthens Lightcom’s path from breakthrough architecture to strategic company building.

Patrick Soon-Shiong

Board Member

Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong is a physician-scientist, entrepreneur, and founder of NantWorks, an ecosystem spanning ultra-low-power semiconductors, supercomputing, advanced networks, and artificial intelligence. His experience investing in and scaling transformative technology platforms supports Lightcom’s ambition to commercialize silicon-photonic systems for AI infrastructure.

Phillip Nazarian  

Board Member

Phillip Nazarian is a Director at Nimes Capital, the private investment arm of the Nazarian family office, which has a well-established track record as a lead early-stage investor in Qualcomm. His experience deploying strategic capital supports Lightcom’s path from breakthrough technology to enduring semiconductor company.

Christian Olgaard, PhD  

Dr. Olgaard was co-founder and Chief Technical Officer of LitePoint, a revolutionary wireless business Teradyne acquired for $510M to expand its semiconductor testing platform. He pioneered the use of advanced silicon for radio-frequency circuits to redefine wireless test solutions. He currently holds more than 50 wireless system patents, previously served as system radio architect at National Semiconductor, and has more than 25 years of technology leadership.

Jelena Vuckovic, PhD  

Dr. Vuckovic is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and Jensen Huang Professor of Global Leadership and Electrical Engineering at Stanford. She leads Stanford’s Nanoscale and Quantum Photonics Lab and pioneered practical photonic inverse design for chip-scale optical devices. Additionally, she was formerly Stanford Electrical Engineering chair and inaugural director of the Stanford-SLAC Quantum Initiative.