In the early 1980s in Iran, a little girl named Shahrzad Rafati was innocently playing in the hallways of her home, avoiding windowed areas in case a bomb blew the glass out of the frame.
Little did she know that as an adult, she would be shattering glass ceilings by transforming digital media forever.
Shahrzad Rafati was born in Tehan, Iran, during the Iranian Revolution — a dangerous period that resulted in the monarchy’s collapse and the establishment of an Islamic republic.
In childhood, both of her parents were entrepreneurs. Her father worked in real estate, and her mother sold textiles. During school and periodic travel to Europe, Rafati impressively learned English, French, Arabic and Italian — and source code (or computer code).
Her inclination towards tech was intense, immediate and all-consuming. When her family purchased a telephone with a voicemail box, she made a habit of breaking into the device and reassembling it as an experiment.
Living in war
As tension and violence grew during the Iran-Iraq war of the ‘80s, Rafati’s family fled to a village outside of Tehan. She grew restless and defiant against the limitations of safety, freedom and expression that became her reality.
The war took over one million lives from 1980 to 1988, eight traumatic years that scarred the citizens of both countries. Rafati told Digiday that everyone knew someone who suffered collateral damage, whether they died in bombing raids or were hit with tear gas.
As a woman, her rights and access to education were even more restricted, especially under the new republic.
She stated: “You don’t really know how much stress and trauma that is until you get out of it. But one of the greatest things, going through the war, is you adapt to your environment and make the best out of it. You learn not to take things for granted.”
An intellectual to the core, Rafati researched and planned how she could not only break out of her personal bind but also ascend to create global change:
“The society does not provide you real choice. If you want to start your own business tomorrow, or go learn something new, it’s so challenging to study what you’re passionate about and be in charge of your life. So I decided to finish high school as quickly as possible, get out and follow my dreams.”
A bold step
The University of British Columbia caught Rafati’s attention after discovering it’s high ranking by the United Nations. At 17, she made the terrifying decision to leave her family and her country for Western Canada.
Rafati arrived in Vancouver in 1996 and rented out a studio apartment to reside during her computer science degree at UBC.
While waiting for her first semester to start, she tutored Persian students in math to make ends meet. Although she could not afford her own computer, she was resourceful and relentless as she proved herself a top-performing student.
At the same time, Rafati worked with UNICEF to help expand its Vancouver databases. She even launched her own nonprofit, Make Change, designed to connect community and nongovernmental organizations with online donors.
Unfortunately, it didn’t last due to unclear regulations and a lack of funding. However, it was certainly a symbol of Rafati’s values and foreshadowed her achievements to come.
Creative genius
Through Vancouver’s Persian community, Rafati met an entrepreneur named Hamed Shahbazi. She interned at his media company, where he began mentoring her.
Rafati’s charisma and intelligence stood out. Shahbazi recommended her for real estate work however, she wanted to do “something more exciting.”
Her exciting break came shortly after YouTube was founded in 2005. Rafati paid close attention to the battle raging between YouTube users posting pirated content and TV broadcasters who were desperately trying to take it down.
While most people saw it as a disaster, it presented a fantastic business opportunity to Rafati: Broadcasters could simply create their own accounts, post videos and blend them with ads to generate profit from online views.
At the same time, YouTube users could keep uploading unofficial videos, like sports highlights and work with advertisers to benefit from their most-viewed content.
Slam dunk
Rafati developed audio and video-recognition technology that was compatible with most of the top video platforms at the time. It allowed companies to claim and monetize fan-uploaded content, rather than remove it and lose out.
Rafati admitted it was a big challenge: “Everybody was looking at piracy and the fans like they were enemies.”
She established a start-up called BroadbandTV, which was backed by her OG mentor, Shahbazi. Her success accelerated fast.
After landing a deal with a Brazilian company, which remains anonymous to date, Rafati partnered with the NBA. This was huge.
The excitement, credibility and interest that came with the NBA was climactic and served as a powerful case study for the BroadBandTV.
After a highly successful trial in 2007, the agreement between the NBA and broadband has become more substantial with each renewal. It helped BroadbandTV seal the deal with other huge clients, like A&E and Sony Pictures.
In June 2013, RTL Group, a European media conglomerate, purchased a 51% stake in BroadbandTV for $36 million. RTL owned a stake in 52 television channels across Europe and Asia, making it a valuable partner to Rafati.
Meaningful change
Rafati not only established a massively successful company, she is also an advocate who has made real change in the world.
Her quadruple bottom line business measures success not only on financial performance but also on employee, culture, social, community and environmental KPIs (Elevate).
Rafati cares deeply about job creation, education, and advancing opportunities for women, girls, and refugees. There is a 0% pay gap between male and female employees at BroadbandTV, now named RHEI.
In addition, 43% of its employees and 46% of its managers are female.
The Fast Company named her as one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business.
She was also named in The Hollywood Reporter’s Most Powerful Women in Global Television series, was awarded Person of the Year by the British Columbia Technology Association, and Woman of the Year by the Business Intelligence Group
In 2014, the Vancouver Economic Commission appointed Shahrzad to its Board of Directors and the World Economic Forum welcomed Shahrzad as a Young Global Leader.
The now
The awards are an amazing part of the story but are not the cherry on top. They represent the brilliance of one person dedicated to enhancing the world and the every day lives of others.
This is especially the case for historically and systemically disadvantaged people.
In March 2025, Rafati was appointed to the G7 Gender Equality Advisory Council (GEAC). The Group of Seven’s purpose is to increase international cooperation regarding critical global economic and financial issues.
The Council, chaired by Canada as this year’s G7 Presidency, is an independent advisory body nominated by the G7 Presidency and other G7 members.
The GEAC delivers recommendations to the leaders of fellow G7 nations to improve gender equality in their domestic and international commitments.
To learn more about Shahrzad Rafati and her legacy, click here.
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