Cameron Kashani

It’s no secret that the past two years or so have been overwhelming and challenging for me both professionally and personally. Now that I’m on a powerful path to rebuilding, it’s time to clear the air.

I got a divorce, which was brutal by itself, and my involvement with my business, Coloft, is also over – a significant ripple effect of the divorce. This is my first ‘public’ announcement since my departure from Coloft, and I apologize that I was not able to be more transparent throughout this time – this situation was a gray area for what felt like an eternity… and deeply painful for me to talk about. 

Coloft was, and will forever be, near and dear to me – it was more than a business. It was built with purpose, a people/community first mentality, and it became a movement. A dynamic melting pot of new ideas, energy, and heart which ultimately spawned the dramatic growth of the LA tech ecosystem (before being dubbed “silicon beach”). Coloft was born out of the dire need to create unity and community within the unpredictable whirlwind of the startup and entrepreneurial world; a home which gave all of us “hungry” and “foolish” entrepreneurs a safe place “where everybody knows your name” (thanks PandoDaily) to help make our dreams a reality. As a person who is deeply empathetic and believes in the potential and power within each of us, the mission was to build and create a sense of belonging and hope among entrepreneurs and startups – a support system on the unknown path of startup life… and life. The depth of gratitude that I feel for what Coloft became, the number of people it impacted, and the overwhelming amount of leaders, startups, and companies that it created literally blows my mind. #doesnotcompute To this day, every time I hear that Coloft was a part of someone’s journey to success, I feel fulfilled and even more certain of my life’s mission. 

Sometimes circumstances beyond our control happen in an effort to lead us to a life of greater purpose, and that purpose is more clear to me now than ever. I have, am, and will continue to always believe in the power of people, and empower them at a level that allows them to realize their own power to inspire others, and collectively make a greater impact. Specifically entrepreneurs, a powerful breed and crucial element in the magic formula to creating the world we envision our children, and the generations following, to live in and prosper. 

I’m excited to take my wealth of knowledge and experience onward and upward, to find the ideal fit in order to create a greater impact. I’m a proud and proven “jack of all trades” with “community first” engrained in my soul, resulting in a greater impact on people and profits. I call it the “Human Element” in business – true power lies within empowering people, because the whole is forever greater than the parts.

I hold this incredibly supportive community so close to my heart, and take so much pride in knowing I helped create it through the magic of Coloft – I’m staying here and committed to continued growth in the LA ecosystem. 

I’m beyond blessed to have such strong support from from family, friends, and an exceptionally good hearted network of incredible people. Thank you for being there for me throughout this time. I’m eternally grateful for each and every one of you and stoked for what lies ahead for us all.  

I came to America when I was two years old. My parents escaped from Iran a few years after the revolution of 1979; my father fled the front lines of war on horseback, while my mother made her getaway with a needy toddler and a fake passport. They left everything behind, and were armed with nothing other than hope for a better life. It took me a long time to appreciate the risks they took, but it ended up becoming the determining factor on my path of entrepreneurial success.

Growing up, I felt lost. Like I didn’t belong. I was relentlessly ridiculed for looking different, talking different, eating different food, and engaging in different customs from my peers. I let all this translate into resentment. Resentment towards my culture, my people, and my parents.

But when I was 25, I visited Tehran for the first time, and something within me changed. For the first time, I clearly saw what my life would have been like had my parents not taken that risk. Poverty was omnipresent. Opportunity was non-existent. Educated, hard working professionals were barely scraping by. Even the youth had nothing to look forward to. Their faces all shared the same expression -- hopelessness. I would only see a small glimmer of hope in their eyes when they spoke of America, and how different their lives would be if they could live there.

That's when it hit me.

My parents risked everything because of hope. Hope for opportunity. Hope in the American Dream. Hope for their children. The risk they took is unparalleled to any risk I’ll ever have to face as an entrepreneur in America, and I felt so ashamed that I had allowed ignorant remarks shape my life and translate into resentment, especially towards them. The very thing that I viewed as a disadvantage growing up as a foreigner, which I let cripple me with fear and insecurity throughout my childhood and teenage years, was now my biggest blessing. My perception shifter, and it transformed into pride, a strong will, and an unrelenting ambition to succeed. My culture is unique and beautiful, and so am I, and I am grateful to have the opportunity to become anything I choose. My entrepreneurial instinct kicked into overdrive.

The first startup I co-founded was an absolute and utter failure, and it was very difficult to bounce back from. But again, perception is key, and failure inevitable. I wasn’t going to give up. My parents didn’t give up when their Visas were initially rejected; they kept pushing. So I kept pushing.

In 2010, my co-founder and I opened Coloft, the first shared workspace and community for entrepreneurs and technology startups in Santa Monica, CA. Today, it’s become a pillar in the community, and has played an instrumental role in shaping the Los Angeles tech ecosystem. I’m grateful to be able to help others achieve their American dream, and to be a part of their journey.

I’m also a proud, single mom to two-year-old twin boys. They are learning both English and Farsi, and I plan on taking them to Iran in the near future. I’m hoping they will understand and appreciate not only the beauty of their culture, but also the risk their grandparents made.

Immigration reform will allow more people to have a chance at hope, and to deprive that chance is not only unfair, but un-American.

Cameron S. Kashani