OCIACC to launch inaugural Success Summit at UC Irvine

The Orange County Iranian American Chamber of Commerce and UC Irvine’s Beall Center will host the first Success Summit on Sept. 30, bringing together about 300 founders, investors, executives and civic leaders for conversations on resilience, brand building and AI. The event is designed to connect entrepreneurs across generations and industries through keynote talks, fireside chats and networking.

Why it matters: - The inaugural Success Summit aims to connect founders, funders, executives and civic leaders around practical lessons on building and scaling businesses. - The event puts entrepreneurship, higher education and local government in the same room at UC Irvine. - The program centers on resilience, purpose, brand building and artificial intelligence, all of which are shaping how new companies grow.

What happened: - The Orange County Iranian American Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the UCI Beall Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, will host the first Success Summit on Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026, at UC Irvine. - About 300 attendees are expected, including founders, funders, business executives and government and community leaders. - The event is built around the theme “Real Stories. Real Lessons.” - Irvine Mayor Larry Agran and Professor Imran Currim, Distinguished Professor of Marketing and executive director of the UCI Beall Center, will open the program.

The details: - Shirin Behzadi, entrepreneur and investor, will deliver the opening keynote, “Built to Thrive: How Entrepreneurs Create Resilient, High Value Enterprises.” - Payam Zamani, founder and CEO of One Planet Group and author of Crossing the Desert, will join Bita Milanian for “Purpose, Perseverance & Entrepreneurship.” - The Founder Spotlight, “From Vision to Venture: Building a Startup That Matters,” will feature Sam Madan, co-founder and CEO of BOMANI; Zarina Bahadur, founder and CEO of 123 Baby Box; and Dr. Leila Safavi, founder and CEO of Purist Inc. - Nina Barber, J.D., will moderate the Founder Spotlight discussion. - Durana Elmi, co-founder, chief creative officer and chief experiential officer of Cymbiotika, will join Parham Javaherian, CEO of JumpstartMD, for “The Journey Behind the Brand.” - Scott Duffy, entrepreneur and AI strategist, will close the program with “Scaling in the Age of AI: How to Grow Faster, Smarter & Stronger.” - Duffy started his career with Tony Robbins and later built and sold a company to Richard Branson’s Virgin Group. - The evening starts with a 90-minute networking reception from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m. - The reception includes complimentary appetizers, cocktails and live music. - Attendees will be able to meet speakers and other business leaders before the summit program begins.

Between the lines: - OCIACC is using the summit to showcase immigrant entrepreneurship, startup building and consumer-brand growth as connected parts of the regional business ecosystem. - The speaker lineup mixes established operators with newer founders, signaling an attempt to bridge experience gaps across generations. - The AI keynote suggests the organization sees technology adoption as a core business issue, not a side topic. - Shani Moslehi, founder and CEO of OCIACC, said the chamber is focused on bringing business leaders and entrepreneurs together and encouraging attendees to make connections and ask questions.

What's next: - The summit will take place Sept. 30 at UC Irvine. - OCIACC and the UCI Beall Center will use the program to kick off networking, speaker sessions and founder conversations for the local business community. - OCIACC maintains social channels on LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and X.