Payam Kabiri was born and raised in San Diego, California. After earning his Bachelor's degree from the University of California, Irvine, he pursued law school but ultimately decided not to practice law. He felt the legal profession was too focused on damaging relationships between conflicted parties rather than repairing them and resolving the underlying issues.
Instead, Payam embarked on a career in higher education, aiming to enhance the student experience. In 2008, he began working with university students, and by 2011, he had earned a Master’s in Organizational Psychology with a specialization in Conflict Resolution and Mediation. He also obtained certifications in conflict resolution, mediation, Title IX, and civil rights investigation.
Throughout his tenure in higher education, Payam positively impacted thousands, including administrators, executives, and students. He resolved over 3,000 informal and formal disputes, participated in hundreds of external complaint mediations through governmental agencies, and addressed issues such as Title IX violations, fraud, academic integrity, discrimination, and bias. Payam also volunteered to mediate divorce cases in California.
In 2018, he transitioned to the corporate sector, working with executives and managers on external conflict and implementing internal resolution systems for employee/customer disputes across industries such as real estate, private education, government, and startups. His unique blend of expertise in conflict resolution and organizational psychology has been instrumental in developing and implementing effective dispute resolution strategies.
As an entrepreneur, Payam invested in diverse sectors, including food and beverage, AI, blockchain, and telecom. He is a certified IBM AI Practitioner and earned his AI Business Specialization from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, reflecting his deep understanding of AI's role in business innovation and strategy. In August 2021, he founded Electryon Tech and its wireless internet provider, JackrabbitGo, serving unserved and rural areas. He currently serves as Founder and Chief Organizational Development Officer at Electryon Tech. Additionally, Payam has served in various roles that have driven emerging technologies as Senior Product Manager at Foundry (a Digital Currency Group company), leading the Decentralized Wireless (DeWi) arm. His organizational development firm, The Kabiri Group, has scaled multiple small to medium-sized emerging technology companies and helped manage conflict.
A lifelong learner, Payam is a doctoral candidate in Organizational Psychology at the University of Arizona, specializing in Conflict Resolution and Mediation. His dissertation on the impact of dispute processes on organizational retention and the student experience is slated for publication in 2024.