A true visionary, Armen is passionate about building technology that connects people. Now whether that is for the purpose of sharing common interests, rallying support around a cause or simply seeking friendship and human connection is up the user! Experience Project is the crown jewel of Armen's endeavors, bringing all of the skills and wisdom garnered throughout his career into one pioneering social forum that benefits the lives of millions.

An honors graduate of Stanford University with a Bachelors in Computer Science, Armen's primary research focus was Human-Computer Interaction, where he worked closely with professor Clifford Nass, author of the groundbreaking HCI work, The Media Equation. Later, Armen went on to obtain a Master's Degree in Management Science and Engineering, also at Stanford, with an emphasis on Organizations, Technology and Entrepreneurship. Armen was also a Mayfield Fellow, a prestigious fellowship that provides intensive training in entrepreneurship in the field of engineering.

Since then, Armen has led numerous successful internet startups including FileDemon - the first meta-search engine for files, Do Everything - the first comparison music shopping engine, and multiple online patient health communities designed to sponsor hope through research and community. Armen's idea for Experience Project came about in response to his support of a friend who was diagnosed with a life changing illness, which goes to show you what kind of a person Armen is behind the big titles and accolades - a highly ethical, caring individual who wants to use his experience and capabilities to positively impact people's lives.

For a little more on Armen's thoughts around building Experience Project, please check out this lecture he gave at a Stanford seminar.

When Armen isn't building innovating web communities that impact our daily lives, he spends his spare time trying to eat at each and every restaurant in San Francisco.

Experience Unplugged:
I Want a Pet Cow
"One early day in EP, I logged in and saw someone had read my mind and created an "I Want a Pet Cow" group. I've always thought a pet cow wandering around in a backyard would mean endless entertainment. Don't believe me? Check it out for yourself"

Neil Sheth has a gift for marrying the complexity of technology and its many possibilities with the creation of easy to navigate virtual communities. He graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelors in Computer Systems Engineering and a Masters in Management Science and Engineering. There, he met Armen where they shared a passion for web technology as it applies to human interaction. Neil is a veteran of Silicon Valley, and has the war wounds to prove it. His Bay Area pedigree includes serving as a test design engineer at Microsoft, a resident at IBM's Almaden Research Center, a software engineer at ComGlobal Systems, and a senior research associate at Accenture's Technology Labs.

While Neil's interests include application of machine learning techniques to problems in text data analysis, as well as the creation of groundbreaking virtual communities to improve human communication and information acquisition, he also finds immeasurable delight in his never-ending search for both the quintessential cheeseburger (medium-rare, of course) and the perfect obscure beer with which to pair it.

Experience Unplugged:
I Love Weird Facts
"Ok. Sure the world is truly an odd place. Visiting this group is confirmation of this fact. But hey, I learn something new with every visit and sometimes I get a laugh out of it too."

Erik Darby joins Experience Project as Vice President of Finance. Erik previously served as a Senior Portfolio Manager for Wilshire Quinn Capital, a long/short equity hedge fund focusing on global macro strategies. Prior to Wilshire Quinn, he worked as a Senior Analyst at Bel Air Investment Advisors, in Los Angeles, focusing on the analysis of municipal, corporate and agency debt. Erik began his career in finance with Seneca Capital Management, where he served as Senior Equity Analyst for Seneca's $8 billion equity portfolios. While at Seneca, Erik covered the energy, material and industrial sectors, in addition to contributing on Seneca's REIT investment committee.

Taking a brief break from the investment industry, in 2006 Erik took on his own entrepreneurial challenge as the CEO/Co-Founder of CityBlender, LLC, a company that advanced the online presence and coupon distribution for local businesses. Erik earned his B.A. in economics with honors from the University of Utah and a MBA in Global Business and Finance from Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business and Management. Whether it's paintballing with his younger brothers or intimidating any guy his sister even thinks of dating, Erik is a family man through and through and spends most of his free time perfecting the art of being the cool older brother.

Experience Unplugged:
I Love the Outdoors
"Every now and then, my mind drifts away from the thoughts of work and city living, to remote locations of the great outdoors. Picturesque landscapes of mountains, valleys, rivers and lakes - there is no place that I enjoy to go more."

A modern-day nomad, Julio hails originally from Brazil but spent his entire life moving around and perfecting the role of the new kid on the block. Julio briefly settled in Philly where he enjoyed cheese steaks and graduated from University of Pennsylvania with a business degree. Julio then quickly moved to New York to pursue a career as a management consultant, thereby trading his cheese steak habit for real NYC "pies" although he contends his pizza is far superior to any city joint. Tired of the New York bustle and mortgage-size rent, Julio saddled up the cow, covered the wagon, and moved out West to attend business school at Stanford. There, Julio met his future EP cronies and perfected the skill of dorm-room cooking.

Since then, Julio has worked with startups in the digital media and mobile spaces, while simultaneously working on his own educational software venture and launching the #1 podcast on innovation and entrepreneurship. When he's not chugging a Diet Coke at EP, Julio can be found pursuing his love of cooking and photography. It's rumored that his favorite dishes to cook are Moroccan Lamb Tagine and a mean mushroom risotto.

Experience Unplugged:
I Love to Cook
"I love to cook but I don't do it nearly as often as I'd like. The best way to do it - I love to cook for a large group of people, bringing them together around a table for food and drink and conversation. You never know what will make it to table talk, but that's half the fun. I seriously considered opening up a pizzeria instead of going to business school."

Jake is a start-up super freak. As Vice President of Business Development, Jake brings a laundry list of experience in media sales and marketing. Most recently, Jake has served in marketing and business development roles at FIX8, a division of Mobinex, Inc. where he oversaw the implementation of the Fix8 virtual communications product line, and Demand Media, Inc. where oversaw strategic marketing of its top tier properties including ChannelME.TV, Cracked.com and Mania.com.

Jake is a scholastic junky. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communications from the UC Berkeley. When most would just call it a day at that, Jake went on to earn dual Masters of Arts degrees in New Media and English from DePaul University. And just for fun, Jake went on to earn a MBA in Global Business and Marketing from Pepperdine University's Graziadio School of Business and Management.

In what little spare time Jake has carved out for himself beyond start-up life, he enjoys teaching Intro to Lit and Research Writing classes at the local community college in whatever city he finds himself for that semester. Jake also dabbles in art on the side and if you ask nicely, he might just share some of his work with you.

Experience Unplugged:
I Play "Settlers Of Catan"
"You know we all have that thing that sound ridiculous when it is explained to us. You know, that thing that a friend just can't stop raving about? That thing that they are over zealously passionate about? They almost seem strange to you, but they are your friends so you humor them and you decide to give it a try. That's how a little game by the name of ‘Settlers of Catan' came into my life. I have to tell you, I am not only a member of the fan club - I might just be the president!"

Angela is two-parts developer and engineering skills and one part wicked design, not to mention her rather impressive green thumb. Angela studied Electrical Engineering at the University of Maryland at College Park where she received a BS degree. Angela works at Experience Project taking her energy and inspiration from the community; she is amazed almost daily by the meaningful communities its members create. She feels these are connections that our "real life" society is missing more often than not. The socially conscious nature of EP initially drew her in and continues to drive her enthusiasm for the one's and zero's each day.

When asked about what she does with the company, Angela says: "I spend my time improving user experience and various business needs through programming. How do you make this sound beautiful?" Beyond her world at EP, Angela is a strong proponent of environmental causes. She also enjoys staying active through dancing and swimming and ultimate fighting on the weekends.

Experience Unplugged:
I Love those Childhood Smells
"I am very in touch with my sense of smell and there are few scents that give me more safety and comfort than that of clean laundry. Especially if there are no artificial scents and it is sun-dried. Natural components only! The touch of something soft, warm and clean reminds me of childhood. I guess it's a way I can return to that dream-like place before it fades away forever."

Kumar jumped on board the Experience Project train shortly after graduating from UC Berkeley with a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. Kumar has tackled some interesting projects over the years including a medical records application that was optimized to be used in various residential schools in Senegal. This same program has been adopted by non-profits for deployment - proving that there is plenty we can all do to make a difference in cultures and communities worldwide.

Kumar has always had an interest in entrepreneurship, start-ups, and really just the game of creating something as much as possible from nothing and seeing where it takes you. His primary interests are deeply entrenched in social entrepreneurship and using the web for crowdsourcing with an eye on finding niche communities that can improve people's lives.

Life hasn't always been about coding for Kumar. Growing up, Kumar seems to have taken a page from the "Julio Vasconcellos Road Atlas," having lived in many different places over the years. That said, his taste in food has never changed. Everything that he eats has to be spicy to some degree - because let's face, life is better with a little bit of spice in it. Using sriracha, tapatio sauce or even chili powder, he attempts to satisfy his taste buds. Kumar also enjoys listening to old school hip hop and newer socially motivated ones as well.

Experience Unplugged:
I Love Spicy Food
"Food is about the spices for me! I love spicy food. There is no explanation, its just so much tastier that way. There's nothing like going to the edge where your face is red and your tongue is burning; a combination of pleasure and pain that you can't find anywhere else. After going through many of these episodes, things that are not spicy just taste bland to me."

Arsineh has worked as a freelance writer, providing marketing and PR services to variety of companies ranging from financial services to social media. Arsineh's work has been published in The Times (London) and numerous local Bay Area newspapers. Most recently, she worked with kronomy.com a social networking site that allows its users to create and surf through 3D life paths. Once we were able to lure her out of cyberspace, she was inducted into the EP Family.

After graduating with honors from the UC Irvine in Psychology and Social Behavior, Arsineh went on to pursue a masters in Business and Economic Journalism from Boston University. How's that for coast-to-coast coverage? You can't keep Arsineh in one place too long! When she is not sharing her life with friends and making connections online or writing, writing or writing, she is traveling the globe. Arsineh loves to travel and has explored exotic places such as Nice… ain't nothing like having a cocktail in the Monte Carlo Casino. Arsineh is excited to be a part of the EP team, where she provides member support and works towards improving the overall user experience.

Experience Unplugged:
I Love to Travel
"I love to travel. Whether it's a tourist hotspot like Rome or Venice or a small unknown village in Armenia, I love to submerge myself in the unfamiliar and learn about other cultures and their unique customs. When I found a group on EP called, 'I Love to Travel' I was hooked! People share their travel experiences and you get to learn about people and places from around the world. No passport required!"

Claribel graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelors degree in Computer Science. During her studies, she interned at several Bay Area startups as well as back home in beautiful Hawaii. Upon graduation, Claribel joined the Supply Chain Management team at SAP, Inc. in Palo Alto, working on projects including the flagship Advanced Planning and Optimization application, the Supply Network Collaboration platform, and the Auto-ID Infrastructure for RFID. And that was just before breakfast! More recently, Claribel was with the Custom Development group at SAP where she worked with large partners such as Amgen, Johnson & Johnson and Nike.

Claribel's connection to EP hails back to her undergraduate days where she first met Armen and Neil - little did she know the trouble these two would get her into in the years to come. Claribel has a tremendous passion for programming and improving people's lives through it. Outside of technology, Claribel enjoys sports - you name it, she's got the stats and can run the numbers for you.

Experience Unplugged:
I Love Chocolate
"I love chocolate. An important part of dealing with any problem is accepting it and admitting it to your friends. Don't believe me? You wouldn't be the first but life as a chocoholic is not easy. I have to work to keep control. I must keep the little sugar demon in check… but sometimes it gets the better of me, and when it does, all dark chocolate bars shudder in fear."

Derek is a true Bay Area transplant having moved to San Francisco from China when he was only ten years old. Derek took to his new found locale and has lived in the Bay Area ever since receiving his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley in Computer Science before joining the team at Experience Project.

Although Derek considers San Francisco his home, he is an avid traveler and has made his way through China on a number of occasions. All of China offers something unique, but for Derek, Sichaun rises above the rest because of one key thing - the food. Proper Sichuan food is very, very spicy, with a one-of-a-kind tongue numbing effect. Its not for everyone, but Derek and his cast-iron stomach have proven they are up to the challenge. In between his travels and work, Derek is a man on a mission, always on the lookout for a good Sichuan restaurant here in the bay.

Derek balances his EP workload with quite a bit of sports and recreation. An avid tennis player, he has followed Roger Federer's lead and now rocks a mean one-handed backhand. Where most people would be content mastering just one sport, Derek has lined up snowboarding as his next great challenge. Add to that his passion for automobiles and racing, motorcross / autocross is also on his hit list. Federer, White, Andretti all have Derek gunning for them in his spare time.

Experience Unplugged:
I Rescued a Cat
"Although I like dogs a lot, I'm a cat person. My first pet was a cat from the Humane Society. Cats are great teachers for relaxing in life and taking it easy in this fast-paced world. I encourage everyone who wants a cat to adopt one from the Humane Society. Good pets deserve good homes."