Could you tell us a little about yourself?

I am Saeed Zokayi, a student who entered Sharif University in 1997 in the Materials Engineering field, and in 2002 I continued my Master's degree in the same major at the same university. Currently, I am the CEO of Parsa Polymer Sharif.

Were you interested in your field?

I remember that I was also accepted in the Mechanical Engineering field at Iran University of Science and Technology, and at that time I was considering three majors: Materials, Industrial, and Mechanical Engineering. Eventually, after further research, I chose Materials Engineering at Sharif, which I didn’t fully realize my interest in this field during the first two semesters, until Dr. Bagheri returned to Iran, and the Polymer specialization was introduced to this major. I discovered my interest in the polymer field and pursued it with passion during my undergraduate and graduate studies.

How were your academic conditions during your studies?

Like many students at the beginning of my undergraduate studies and in the first semester, I did not have good academic conditions and did not take it very seriously. However, gradually I started studying and continued to be among the top five students each semester in the faculty.

The biggest value that I believe in is impact. Therefore, it does not matter whether you are an employee or a CEO; it is important to see in what position you have more impact. When we look at society, hopelessness constitutes the dominant atmosphere. I do not want to talk about optimism; I want to say that positive realism is something that can lead to our progress and be a springboard for us.

What about student activities?

I was seriously following political news, but I did not join political organizations during my student years. However, given my interest in student activities, I became a member of the scientific association and a student activity within the faculty.

What was your mindset during your student years? How much did you think about starting a business?

Initially, I thought about getting hired by a good company, but as I progressed, my perspective on the surrounding space and the existing potentials increased, and I realized that the entrepreneurial environment was more suitable for me. This change in mindset was influenced by the personality that gradually developed in me. Naturally, I do not recommend entrepreneurship to everyone; to move in this direction, one needs certain essential parameters, such as a risk-taking personality, stress management, crisis management, and continuous effort, which should exist in you. Since such characteristics, especially self-confidence, are formed gradually over time, we must take advantage of time and become more decisive over the decisions we have made. Many times, I am asked, what has Sharif given you? One of the most important answers I give to this question is self-confidence.

What other impacts has Sharif had on your path?

Perhaps more important than the self-confidence that Sharif gives you is the network and connections it creates for you. Currently, many of the companies and partners that are alongside Parsa Polymer are due to these connections that were formed during my student years. Some of the projects that Parsa Polymer has undertaken and the growth we have experienced in this path are the results of these connections.

When did you enter this path? Did you also think about applying abroad?

During my master's studies, I was involved in a path that is currently a concern for many students in the country. The issue of applying for universities was the main subject I considered during my master's program. One of my friends, who was studying at MIT and is currently working at Google, once told me: If you cannot get admission from top universities, do not apply at any cost. Currently, our students are trying to enter the application path at any cost. At that time, I received admissions from several universities in the USA, Canada, and Italy, but two reasons made me not enter this path: one was that my application options were not the best possible, and I did not want to enter this path at any cost; the second was that at that same time, at the end of my master's program, on Dr. Bagheri's suggestion, we started a project in the polymer field that progressed very well. After realizing the promising environment in this field in the country and seeing that there is significant room for growth in this area, we decided to engage in this field and register a company.

What services does Parsa Polymer provide? What is its product?

Parsa Polymer was officially registered in 2007 and started its serious work. Initially, Parsa Polymer began its work by selling polymer formulations as additives to companies, but we quickly realized that this was not cost-effective. After successfully obtaining loans and securing financing, we started producing polymers for various industries by purchasing machines and establishing our production lines. Plastic parts for automobiles, everyday plastics, and basically everything that involves plastic is among these.

If you have any final words, we are listening?

The biggest value that I believe in is impact. Therefore, it does not matter whether you are an employee or a CEO; it is important to see in what position you have more impact. When we look at society, hopelessness constitutes the dominant atmosphere. I do not want to talk about optimism; I want to say that positive realism is something that can lead to our progress and be a springboard for us.

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