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Soraya Darabi        

Renowned Digital Entrepreneur; Social Media Pioneer

As a renowned digital entrepreneur and pioneer in the social media landscape, Soraya Darabi is a leading authority on digital commerce and ways to apply new technologies to help foster efficiency, visibility and growth.

Darabi is the co-founder of Zady, which is among the first online retailers to seamlessly integrate commerce, rich media content and social media, providing customers with a truly dynamic shopping experience. Zady empowers customers to learn about the conscious consumer movement and purchase beautifully-constructed goods that are created with craftsmanship and artisanship – qualities that have been sacrificed in a world of cheap prices and fast production. In 2014, Zady was named by Fast Company as one of the top ten most innovative retail companies in the world as part of their annual Most Innovative Companies issue.

Darabi began her career as Manager of Digital Partnerships and Social Media at The New York Times, where she quickly established herself as a leading thought leader on today's ever-changing digital landscape. While at The New York Times, she positioned the global news leader on networks such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter, partnered with startups large and small, and established award-winning campaigns. She was also tasked with teaching journalists and chief executives alike how to best use and leverage social media. Renowned Times columnist Nicholas Kristof credits Darabi as being "the only reason why he has [millions] of followers on Twitter."

Following her tenure at the Times, Darabi served as Product Lead for drop.io, a real-time online sharing, collaboration, and presentation service. She then went on to co-found the popular mobile application Foodspotting, named by Apple and Wired Magazine as an “app of the year” before being acquired by Open Table.

Recently featured on the cover of Fast Company’s “Most Creative People in Business” issue, and Brandweek’s “Hot Digital” issue, Darabi was also named one of Inc. Magazine's "30 Under 30," and included in AdAge’s “25 People in Media to Follow on Twitter.” In 2014, she received the honor of joining the World Economic Forum’s "Young Global Leaders." Her experience and success in identifying and leveraging the latest digital technologies make her an ideal speaker for organizations of all sizes that are looking for ways to help build sustainable growth in our new digital world.

Darabi received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from Georgetown University. Darabi can speak with Zady co-founder Maxine Bédat on their shared topics, including insights on participatory commerce, sustainability, and building an omni-channel brand.

Speech Topics


Online E-dentity Disorder: How to Manage Multiple Presences Online

In this talk, keynote speaker Soraya Darabi addresses how to best manage multiple presences online to gain the most practical use of them, both at work and in your personal life, as well as how to manage new platforms as they emerge.

How to Build an Engaged Community Through Social Media

Whether your company already has a stable of loyal followers or you're just starting to build your base, an engaged community is the calling card of any successful brand. In this presentation, Darabi shows you how to leverage emerging media and up-and-coming social networks to enhance your brand presence and create an online identity that accurately represents both you and your organization. Learn strategies to engage your community; integrate brand extensions with overall company goals; maintain customer loyalty; increase revenue and proven methods for hooking the next generation of fans, followers, and subscribers; and increasing web traffic to your brand's site. Darabi will help to sift through the hype, to find social platforms that will bring the most ROI to your brand or organization.

Social Media: How to Make It Work for Your Business

In this back-to-basics speech, Darabi teaches businesses how to create a social media strategy, explaining why it's so important and laying out her pillars for success in social media. She offers tips on how to leverage emerging mediums and up-and-coming social networks to best enhance brand presence; maintain customer loyalty; reach a new generation of fans, followers, and subscribers; and increase web traffic to your brand's web page. It's must-have information for any company looking to stay relevant and competitive in today's digital workplace.

How to find inspiration from emerging media and technology

How to redefine traditional roles for oneself and how to create jobs internally that best meet the demands of the changing landscape of new media.

How to establish a new ROI for modern communications and marketing techniques best suited for the web (including new demographics of followers and fans, increasing web traffic to desired landing pages, and finding unique ways to monetize new media efforts).

Creativity in the Workplace

The beauty of the Internet is its ability to help users be more malleable and inventive. Keynote speaker Darabi discusses the importance of staying creative in the workplace, and how this creativity can be harnessed into emerging media platforms. This talk will address:

Emerging Media: What's Next?

Darabi began her career as pioneer and Manager of Digital Partnerships and Social Media at The New York Times, which, prior to her arrival, didn't have a social media strategy - or even a presence. It was Darabi who led them in establishing award-winning social media campaigns across multiple platforms. Now the co-founder of Foodspotting, a geolocation-based mobile application startup, Darabi is at the intersection of emerging media, social, and mobile technologies, and brings a unique understanding of the strategies and principles guiding the future of the digital media landscape.

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Women in Entrepreneurship

In this talk, social media maven Soraya Darabi discusses the challenges women face as entrepreneurs - and the advantages of being a woman in the business world. Describing the concept of women as "brand evangelists" in business, keynote speaker Darabi expounds the value of collaboration amongst women entrepreneurs in this motivational speech.

The Beta Approach to Business Success

See something new... Test it, play with it, find out how it works... Imagine its use for your company... Find something else new... Repeat.

This is the beta approach to business success. As a leadership philosophy, it is driving growth in the most talked-about companies in the world. Building a beta culture in your organization will rip loose hundreds, even thousands, of innovators whose innate curiosity in experimenting with new technologies, new products, new services, and new ideas will drive your companys competitive engine quicker and with more agility. As an example, those who played with new IT advancements first, from ERP to e-commerce to social media and beyond, had a crucial leg up on their competitors. They were the first to reap the huge rewards in cost savings, operational efficiencies, and building meaningful connections to customers. Soraya Darabi explores the beta approach to growth, which has made her one of the leading business advisors and new media experts in the world. Companies she has worked with include GE, Wired, The New York Times, and many others. This could be one of the most important speeches you will hear in some time.

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News


Tech Socialite Soraya Darabi Is Back With A Mysterious New Startup ...
Darabi left the company a few months prior and has said she's working on a new project. No one has really known what it is -- until now. The entrepreneur and ...
Foodspotting Co-Founder Soraya Darabi Debuts New E-Commerce ...
There's been some buzz around Foodspotting co-founder Soraya Darabi's next project. Today, we have more details on what Darabi has been working on.

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