Today's podcast guest, Anousheh Ansari, has a very unique story. She grew up in Iran and lived through the Iranian Revolution of the late 1970s and the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s. In 1984, she immigrated to America at the age of 16.She went on to become a successful serial entrepreneur and active proponent of world-changing technologies. She currently is the co-founder and CEO of Prodea Systems, a leading Internet of Things (IoT) technology firm.On September 18, 2006, the day her company, Prodea Systems, launched, she—literally—launched into space.Anousheh’s 11-day space expedition was the accomplishment of a childhood dream. She became the first female private space explorer, the first astronaut of Iranian descent, the first Muslim woman in space, and the fourth private explorer to visit space.Going into space gave her a unique perspective on the interconnectedness of humanity in our world—a perspective she has been sharing as a “space ambassador” ever since.