David Nazarian, born around 1961 in Iran, is an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist. He emigrated to the United States with his family during the Iranian Revolution of 1979. Nazarian earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from California State University, Northridge (CSUN) in 1982, followed by a Master of Business Administration from the USC Marshall School of Business.
He is the founder and CEO of Nîmes Capital, an investment firm. Nazarian and his family became significant shareholders in Qualcomm in 1988, and he has invested in various sectors, including real estate, hotels, wireless and broadband technology, and clean energy.
In 2012, Nîmes Capital acquired TD Food Group, which they sold in 2017 forundefined 1 billion in acquisitions.
Nazarian is actively involved in philanthropy. He serves on boards of several institutions, including Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, UCLA Foundation, and the USC Marshall School of Business.
He and his wife, Angella Maddahi, have endowed several programs, such as the David and Angella Nazarian Youth Leadership Program at Sinai Temple and the Angella and David Nazarian Social Innovators in Residence program at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
In 2014, he donated $10 million to CSUN, leading to the naming of the CSUN David Nazarian College of Business and Economics in his honor.