Co-founder, Omnilert
Founder, ZeroNow
Ara is a visionary entrepreneur and leader in the field of emergency communication technology. He co-founded Omnilert in 2004 and has been at the forefront of the industry ever since, leading strategic initiatives and pushing the boundaries of adoption and capabilities.
Ara co-founded Omnilert with Nick Gustavsson in 2004, to passionately pursue his vision of protecting people with new technology. Today, he leads the industry and strategic alliance initiatives for Omnilert to push the envelope on adoption and capabilities. Omnilert’s AI-powered Gun Detect software brings reliable, 24×7 monitoring to security cameras, creating a widely deployable early gun detection solution.
Prior to founding Omnilert, Ara started XNETIX in 1996 which built web-based applications that powered hundreds of internet startup companies and helped grow the web event pioneer Communicast to acquisition. Having defined the emergency notification market for higher education and campus environments, Ara continues to strive to set the pace in technology, knowledge, and customer enablement through critical communication advancements with the goal of empowering those responsible for protecting lives during a crisis.
He sits on the National Advisory Council for the VTV Family Outreach Foundation in an effort to provide advice, ideas, and guidance to support and ensure the success of VTV and its initiatives on a national level. Ara has been a mainstay on national media outlets for discussions related to emergency notification systems’ role in campus safety.
As an advocate for entrepreneurship education, Ara serves on the advisory board for the new Academies of Loudoun STEM magnet school and founded the Lemonhead Council where business leaders help future entrepreneurs succeed through peer advisory sessions. He recently testified to the United States Congress about the role government and entrepreneurs play in creating thriving communities through technological innovation and entrepreneurial development.
Ara also founded Zero Now. ZeroNow was formed to increase the pace and scale of technology innovation, ideas, and investment in school safety designed to bring about real change, now.
