Edi Demaj | |
---|---|
Born | 1985 |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Oakland University |
Occupation | Entrepreneur |
Known for | Co-founding Rocket Fiber Co-founding KODE Labs |
Spouse | Ariana Demaj |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | Etrit Demaj (brother) |
Website | https://edidemaj.com/ |
Edi Demaj is a Kosovan-American serial entrepreneur based in the Detroit metropolitan area. He is best known for being involved in the development of Detroit as technology hub by founding a number of technology companies, including Rocket Fiber, a high speed ISP, and KODE Labs, a company providing cloud-based building automation software. [2] [3] [4]
Demaj was born in Prishtina, Kosovo, in 1985. [1] His family fled to the United States from the Kosovo war as refugees in 1999 after their home was destroyed by the forces of the Serbia and Montenegro. [5] [6]
During his studies, Demaj worked with his family, which briefly entered the restaurant business before turning to small-scale real estate investment and rentals. He attended high school in Rochester Hills, and completed a BA in Political Science and an AA in Business Management from Oakland University. [7]
Demaj was eventually hired at Detroit real estate management firm Bedrock Real Estate. [8] Bedrock is owned by billionaire Dan Gilbert, who later became an investor in Rocket Fiber, one of Demaj's companies. [1] [9]
While working in the real estate industry, Demaj began to develop software and has since founded a number of companies. He first developed iziSurvey, a software tool designed to facilitate conducting surveys and presenting the results, together with three other Kosovars in 2014. [10] The project began as an internal tool for university professors, but was later offered to commercial researchers as well. [11]
The same year, he secured $31 million in financing from Dan Gilbert to launch Rocket Fiber, [12] [13] [14] a Detroit-based Gigabit ISP. [15] Demaj, along with his co-founders, were motivated to found Rocket Fiber after reading about Google's Fiber Initiative in Kansas City and the economic effects it had on the city. [16] The team envisioned installing gigabit internet as a way to attract more tech entrepreneurs to Detroit and support the local economy. [13] [17] [18]
Service launched in downtown Detroit in 2016. [19] The company has constructed 40 miles of fiber in downtown Detroit, and was acquired by Cleveland-based ISP Everstream in 2020 for an undisclosed sum. [20]
Together with his brother Etrit, Demaj took over management of Reozom in 2016. [21] The company provides a multiple listing service for real estate listings. [22]
Demaj co-founded KODE Labs, a company that provides building automation software, in 2017. [23] The software is cloud-based, as opposed to most building management software, which rely on on-site servers. The name of the company is a reference to Demaj's origin and new residence; KO is short for "Kosovo" and DE for "Detroit." [24] The company was self-funded by Demaj and his brother Etrit until 2022, when it raised an $8 million funding round led by I Squared Capital. [24]
Demaj is a partner in gjirafa.com, the largest Albanian language search engine, e-commerce, and digital media platform. [5] [25]
He is still involved in real estate industry as a developer and investor [2] and is also a co-owner of a restaurant located in the Detroit metropolitan area. [26]
Demaj has one son, Kaon, with his Kosovo-born wife, Ariana. [27]
{{
cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)
Edi Demaj | |
---|---|
Born | 1985 |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | Oakland University |
Occupation | Entrepreneur |
Known for | Co-founding Rocket Fiber Co-founding KODE Labs |
Spouse | Ariana Demaj |
Children | 1 |
Relatives | Etrit Demaj (brother) |
Website | https://edidemaj.com/ |
Edi Demaj is a Kosovan-American serial entrepreneur based in the Detroit metropolitan area. He is best known for being involved in the development of Detroit as technology hub by founding a number of technology companies, including Rocket Fiber, a high speed ISP, and KODE Labs, a company providing cloud-based building automation software. [2] [3] [4]
Demaj was born in Prishtina, Kosovo, in 1985. [1] His family fled to the United States from the Kosovo war as refugees in 1999 after their home was destroyed by the forces of the Serbia and Montenegro. [5] [6]
During his studies, Demaj worked with his family, which briefly entered the restaurant business before turning to small-scale real estate investment and rentals. He attended high school in Rochester Hills, and completed a BA in Political Science and an AA in Business Management from Oakland University. [7]
Demaj was eventually hired at Detroit real estate management firm Bedrock Real Estate. [8] Bedrock is owned by billionaire Dan Gilbert, who later became an investor in Rocket Fiber, one of Demaj's companies. [1] [9]
While working in the real estate industry, Demaj began to develop software and has since founded a number of companies. He first developed iziSurvey, a software tool designed to facilitate conducting surveys and presenting the results, together with three other Kosovars in 2014. [10] The project began as an internal tool for university professors, but was later offered to commercial researchers as well. [11]
The same year, he secured $31 million in financing from Dan Gilbert to launch Rocket Fiber, [12] [13] [14] a Detroit-based Gigabit ISP. [15] Demaj, along with his co-founders, were motivated to found Rocket Fiber after reading about Google's Fiber Initiative in Kansas City and the economic effects it had on the city. [16] The team envisioned installing gigabit internet as a way to attract more tech entrepreneurs to Detroit and support the local economy. [13] [17] [18]
Service launched in downtown Detroit in 2016. [19] The company has constructed 40 miles of fiber in downtown Detroit, and was acquired by Cleveland-based ISP Everstream in 2020 for an undisclosed sum. [20]
Together with his brother Etrit, Demaj took over management of Reozom in 2016. [21] The company provides a multiple listing service for real estate listings. [22]
Demaj co-founded KODE Labs, a company that provides building automation software, in 2017. [23] The software is cloud-based, as opposed to most building management software, which rely on on-site servers. The name of the company is a reference to Demaj's origin and new residence; KO is short for "Kosovo" and DE for "Detroit." [24] The company was self-funded by Demaj and his brother Etrit until 2022, when it raised an $8 million funding round led by I Squared Capital. [24]
Demaj is a partner in gjirafa.com, the largest Albanian language search engine, e-commerce, and digital media platform. [5] [25]
He is still involved in real estate industry as a developer and investor [2] and is also a co-owner of a restaurant located in the Detroit metropolitan area. [26]
Demaj has one son, Kaon, with his Kosovo-born wife, Ariana. [27]
{{
cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (
link)