Manifesto
The Second Group began in San Francisco as an independent media voice for the diaspora: honest, insightful work for immigrants building in entrepreneurship, science, investment and technology.
Farzam and I are Persian, and with that comes a deep sense of care and responsibility. Our work puts us in rooms, conferences and long conversations all year. In all of it, we look for one kind of person: the one in the arena, doing world class work right now.
This is not a ranking. These fourteen are our choice, made by two people who are in the arena themselves. We share them so more people pay attention to what they are building, and take inspiration, direction or insight from it.
Through the year we sat down with most of them, and we are still going. For the first time, acting again is celebrated.
Be in the arena.
Ardalan Javadi and Farzam Hejazi
The ring is left broken on purpose: the Roman wall falls away in steps, and the cracks are left visible. The twenty columns at the top are Chehel Sotoon's, and the arena floor is still water holding the Simorgh.
