RIZWAN VIRK

A graduate of MIT and Stanford, Rizwan Virk is a successful entrepreneur, video game pioneer, film producer, venture capitalist, computer scientist. He was the founder of Play Labs at MIT, and is currently doing a PhD and teaching classes at both the College of Global Futures and the Fulton Schools of Engineering at Arizona State University. He is the bestselling author of books such as The Simulation Hypothesis: An MIT Computer Scientists Shows Why AI, Quantum Physics and Eastern Mystics Agree We Are in a Video Game, Startup Myths & Models: What You Won't Learn in Business School, Treasure Hunt: Follow Your Inner Clues to Find True Success, and Zen Entrepreneurship.  

Virk is currently also a venture partner at Griffin Gaming Partners, one of the leading video game VC funds in the world, and has invested in many successful startups including Discord, Theta Labs, Upland and Tapjoy.  His startups have created software used by the Fortune 500, and they have created video games played by millions, including Tap Fish and games based on Game of Thrones, Star Trek, The Walking Dead, Grimm and Penny Dreadful. Follow him @rizstanford, and at zenentrepreneur.com.