Brienne and Alston Ghafourifar, 18 & 21 years old respectively, are closing in on their goal of connecting people and the world in meaningful ways after raising over $2 million in venture funding for their Palo Alto tech startup, Entefy Inc.
What began as a casual conversation at a local coffee shop about the state of digital communications, quickly evolved into a young and growing Silicon Valley tech company. The siblings realized that the current state of digital interaction for consumers, dealing with numerous applications across varying devices and platforms that are all competing for attention, has resulted in an increasingly fragmented and chaotic user experience.
"With Entefy, we saw a tremendous opportunity to positively impact lives by streamlining digital communications. And the enthusiastic response we received from investors in our last funding round only served to further validate that opportunity," Alston, co-founder and CEO at Entefy, says.
Since founding the company spring 2012, the siblings continue to generate buzz and interest from the community, investors and advisors, potential hires, as well as the media. Keith Newman, an investor and advisor of Entefy, says, "When you meet these guys, and see what they're creating, you can't help but get inspired. Every day I think, I need this product now!"
Brienne, co-founder of the company states, "I think Entefy is creating a really exciting solution to one of the largest communication challenges that faces all of us today. People from all industries and backgrounds resonate with the solution and we're grateful for the incredible support that we continue to receive. It's truly humbling and this is why we love our jobs—meeting amazing people and developing awesome products that have the opportunity to make a real impact," Brienne said.
Striving to make an impact is nothing new for the Ghafourifars. Before co-founding Entefy, Alston became the president of Schools for Humanity in an effort to make quality education available to students in underserved parts of the world. Brienne ran Univetica's Youth Social Entrepreneurship program and mentored academically struggling high school students in Silicon Valley at BUILD.
Although their paths may be considered "unconventional," both having graduated college at the age of 17 and jumping right into business, they hope that their story can serve to inspire people everywhere to actualize their dreams and make their vision a reality. "I'm committed to promoting youth entrepreneurship and assisting others break my record," Brienne said.
