Who We Are

Co-Founders | Staff | Advisory Board | YA Class of 2007 | YA Class of 2006

Co-Founders

Noubar Afeyan

Senior Managing Director and CEO of Flagship Ventures Noubar Afeyan is a recognized technologist and entrepreneur. Prior to the formation of Flagship Ventures, he was the President and CEO of NewcoGen. He founded this company in 1999. In addition, he was the Managing General Partner of AGTC-a $150 million venture capital fund for the genomics industry. He was also a General Partner at One Liberty. Dr. Afeyan is a frequent guest speaker at technology forums throughout the country. He is also a Senior Lecturer at MIT's Sloan School of Management.
Dr. Afeyan has been the Senior Vice President and Chief Business Officer of Applera Corporation (previously PE Corp) (NYSE: ABI) until 1999. While at Applera, he initiated and oversaw the creation of Celera Genomics (NYSE: CRA), a tracking stock subsidiary of Applera Corporation focused on generating and providing genomic information to the pharmaceutical and biomedical research industries. Celera Genomics grew from $0.5 billion valuation to over $10 billion in just nine months after it was brought to market in 1999. Previously, Dr. Afeyan was the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of PerSeptive Biosystems (formerly Nasdaq: PBIO), a leader in the bio-instrumentation field, where he oversaw PerSeptive's growth from $1 million in revenues in 1991 to $100 million in revenues in 1997. PerSeptive merged with PE Corporation in 1998 in a deal valued at $360 million. During 1996 and 1997, Dr. Afeyan also served as a Chairman of the Board of ChemGenics Pharmaceuticals, a privately held genomics and drug discovery company spun out of PerSeptive Biosystems. ChemGenics was acquired by Millennium Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: MLNM) in 1997 in a deal valued at $100 million. Dr. Afeyan has also been a founding investor and active board member/advisor for several other high-tech startups, including Antigenics (Nasdaq: AGEN), Color Kinetics, and EXACT Sciences (Nasdaq: EXAS). He currently serves as a Director for Antigenics and Color Kinetics, amber of the Board of Governors of Boston University Medical School, the Board of Associates for the Whitehead Institute at MIT, the Advisory Council of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, the Advisory Board of the Center for Bits and Atoms at MIT's Media Lab, the Advisory Board of the Faculty of Engineering at McGill University, and the Board of the MIT Enterprise Forum. He has authored numerous publications and patents. Dr. Afeyan earned his undergraduate degree in Chemical Engineering from McGill University in Montreal and his Ph.D. in Biochemical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology ("MIT").

Raffi Festekjian

Mr. Festekjian is responsible for the overall strategic direction of the PCi. Under his leadership, PCi has become one of the largest providers of compliance solution to the financial services industry with over 2500 clients, including 95 of top 100 institutions in US. He dedicates a significant amount of time to overseeing PCi’s product lines, including sales, product enhancements and delivery. Prior to co-founding PCi, Mr. Festekjian was a consultant and investment banker at Kellett Ventures Management and Private Capital Investments where he aided capital-deficient community banks through operations consulting and the recapitalization or sale of the institution. Earlier in his career, he worked in product management at Proctor & Gamble and as a civil engineer in the construction industry. Mr. Festekjian received a BS in Engineering from American University of Beirut and an MBA, with distinction, from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management. In addition to his professional activities, Raffi is also engaged with several non-profit organizations that are focused on the future of Armenia. In 2004 he co-founded YerazArt which focuses on assisting talented young Armenian artist in Armenia. He is also the Chairman of Armenian St Stephens School Board of Trustees in Boston, Board Member of Armenia Fund USA, Board Member of Armenia 2020, Board Member of Vem Radio in Armenia and a trustee of the Armenian Assembly of America.

Staff

Raffi Meneshian

YerazArt Executive Director: Named Executive Director in February 2006, Raffi Meneshian brings music industry experience as a concert promoter, record producer, label owner, and music critic to YerazArt. As Founder/CEO of the critically acclaimed world/classical music record label Pomegranate Music, Raffi launched the recording careers of Gor Mkhitarian, Hover Chamber Choir of Armenia, Lav Eli, and others. Additionally, he has produced recordings by acclaimed classical guitarists Iakovos Kolanian (Greece), Lorenzo Micheli (Italy), Matteo Mela (Switzerland), Bambir (Armenia), and various choirs from Nagorno Karabagh. He is currently a member of the Recording Academy and hold a vote for the Grammy Awards. Raffi has also been a feature writer/reviewer for Global Rhythm Magazine as well as various Diasporan Armenian newspapers. He received his BA and MBA from the University of Massachusetts. Raffi currently resides in the Boston area with his wife Natacha Samedi and is a native of Chicago.

Arman Padaryan

YerazArt Armenia Country Director: A key person for international programs, concert and artist management, festival and CD production, Mr. Padaryan is an internee of Dublin Institute of Technologies in 1996 and Visiting Arts in 1999. Prolific work in Cadence Music Centre from 1997 to 2004 resulted to subsequent invitations to work with the Komitas Quartet in 2002, Armenian String Virtuosi in 2003, and Hover Chamber Choir of Armenia in 2004 in the capacity of General Manager. In 2005 he organized various events and tours for the Armenian artists in Europe, started cooperation with Kultur Aktiv e.V. Germany, which resulted implementation of various non-profit youth and culture exchange projects. In July 2006 Mr. Padaryan was appointed as Country Director for YerazArt Inc., Armenia.

Advisory Board

Gevorg Dabaghyan (duduk)
Ara Gevorgian (composer, World)
Mikhail Kokjaev (composer, Classical)
Stepan Rostomyan (composer, AMIC)
Aram Gharabekian (conductor, NCOA)
Rafael Hakobyants (vocal)
Sarina Avtandilyan (choir)
Hakob Jagatspanyan (guitar)
Anahit Nersisyan (piano)
Pyotr Haykazyan (violin)
Eduard Tadevosyan (violin, Komitas State Quartet)
Aram Talalyan (cello, Komitas State Quartet)
Samvel Sahakyan (Spendiaryan Music College Director)
Tigran Hekekyan (Sayat Nova Music College Director)
Anahit Shahbazyan (Tchaikovsky Music College Director)
David Ghazaryan (Chairmain of Armenian Music Society)
Tovmas Poghosyan (Ashug Jivani Folk Music College Ensemble Director)

YA Class of Spring 2007

Gor Melkumyan - trumpet
Gayane Khachatryan - cello
Meri Khojayan - violin
Anahit Dilbaryan - kanoon, piano
Nara Avetisyan - piano
Serine Poghosian - Armenian folk singer
Haroutyun Chkolyan - duduk, shvi, clarinet, zourna
Lilit Khachatryan - violin

YA Class of 2006

Meri Badalyan - violin
Armine Harutyunyan - voice
Iren Pichikyan - flute
Ruzann Minassian - piano
Harutyun Chkolyan - duduk, shvi, clarinet, zourna
Sona Barseghyan - piano