A Journey from a Village in Azerbaijan to Silicon Valley

My path from nothing to innovation in the heart of the U.S.

I was born in a small village (named Hushun) in the city of Azerbaijan in 1993. The town is at the foot of the mountain, with a little forest on the top, and a river on the right side. I remember it like today, swimming and catching fish, gathering dry wood to burn on the stove in winter, mushrooms for cooking, grazing cattle in the field, studying in an old and half-demolished school building. All day, I was in the lap of nature from sunrise to sunset.

Most likely, this environment has given me different ambitions to create some things from childhood. That is why I started to draw amateur paintings inspired by nature. One day, suddenly the teachers in the primary school discovered my paintings and decided to send them to drawing competitions. I won 1st place in my district, then 3rd place in the country. I began to discover my potential and continued to be busy with artistry during my primary and college years, until university, in 2011.

In 2016, I was a student in the economics faculty for a master's degree. Yes, economics because people around me, convinced me it was the best choice for my future career. Therefore, I studied six years in the field. Blah.