Fatemeh Abdollah, CEO and Founder of Zarela, tells the story of her falling in love with blockchain and the philosophy of decentralization and applying technology to improve the quality of life.
Zarela is a blockchain-based platform for neuroscientists, developers and researchers to collect targeted data. The platform allows to train the AI algorithms to develop new applications or research for new treatment for brain disorders such as ADHA, Alzheimer, or Parkinson.
Zarela operates on the intersection of blockchain and neuroscience. What brought you to blockchain?
Love brought me to blockchain. In 2018, I was single and I attended a workshop about blockchain. The instructor was Zoobin Nemati, my now love and business partner. I will never forget the moment I heard about the concept of decentralization and blockchain technology. It was love at first sight, a utopia.
And how did you get interested in neuroscience?
I have a strong academic background in artificial intelligence - a master's degree and a PhD. During my studies, I worked at the Ministry of Health in Iran as an electronic health record expert. This gave me an opportunity to learn how cutting-edge technology can influence healthcare and improve the quality of life for people in the future.
Learning about blockchain was a pivotal moment in my life and the beginning of my journey as an entrepreneur and investor. Around that time, I read an article about user authentication with brain signals. Just as your fingerprint, iris or features of your face are unique, so is your brain signal. Both myself and partner Zoobin got fascinated with this idea and started working on a Bitcoin wallet that would utilize brain signals and heart signals for authentication. Unfortunately, two members of our family were suffering from brain disorders, Parkinson and multiple sclerosis. We believed that if science was not in a position to treat our beloved ones, it was on us.
We began digging into neuroscience which led us to getting to know Dr. Mau, a highly experienced neuroscientist. This scientific friendship brought us to investing in a neuroscience clinic in Iran. To date, around 8,000 patients received treatment with a 85% success rate.
Brain disorders have been proliferating in recent years. An alarming statistics indicates that one in three people have a risk of developing Alzheimer disease. We are going to establish a neuroscience clinic in Dubai, and we are hopeful to help people have a better life.
What made you move from Iran to Dubai?
I had many opportunities in my country but I left Iran due to the political and social situation. I am sure you have heard about the woman life freedom revolution. This revolution is bound to impact the whole region and bring peace and stability to the Middle East.
Unfortunately, Iran has been plagued with mismanagement which resulted in the lack of proper IT and internet infrastructure which is crucial for tech companies. Without proper infrastructure, any startup is destined to fail. That was one of the major factors that made me leave Iran.
Moreover, being a woman in Iran is tough. Being a girl in Iran is a sin. Being single is a crime. A single girl is a criminal, guilty by default in all situations. And yet, despite all these challenges, Iranian women continue to excel and push the boundaries.
The situation in the UAE is completely different for women as the country undertook many measures to create equal opportunities for women in business, society and in the family. This makes UAE and Dubai the safest place for women. Moving here gave me an opportunity to be comfortable, confident in business, and brave to pursue my dreams.
What would be your advice to women who are interested in learning more about blockchain as a professional field? Where should they start?
First, be brave to be different. Don't let fear hold you back.
Second, if you're passionate about technology, explore tools like ChatGPT and learn to use them effectively.
Third, if you want to start learning about blockchain, open ChatGPT and type in, 'What is blockchain?', and then join a blockchain community.