Technology >> CEO Interviews >> May 3, 2004
MICHAEL NOURI is President and Chief Executive Officer of Smart Online,
Inc. Mr. Nouri co-founded Smart Online in 1993 to develop and market
business productivity software to provide small businesses with cost-
effective tools that address critical business issues and enhance their
competitive positioning. A serial entrepreneur with 25 years' business
experience, Mr. Nouri had also founded Smart Online subsidiaries in
France, Germany and The United Kingdom. Prior to founding Smart Online,
Mr. Nouri was Founder and CEO of Nouri Group of Companies, through which
he acquired a number of government-owned manufacturers in Europe and
successfully privatized them. Prior to those ventures, Mr. Nouri worked
with the American Builders Association to develop the world's first
fiber optic, voice activated Smart House in 1987. Mr. Nouri earned a
Master's degree in Business Administration from Southeastern University
(Nova University) of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida; Bachelor degrees in Civil
and Transportation Engineering from Florida International University in
Miami, and honorary Doctorate degrees from the University of Helsinki
and University of Rome. He has authored numerous business and financial
articles for trade publications and organizations and has been honored
with numerous business and industry awards. He has been a member of the
World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, since 1991. Profile
TWST: Would you give us a brief history of SmartOnline as well as anoverview of what's happening at the company today?
Mr. Nouri: The company was started in 1993 as a vendor of