You won’t believe this story of successful software entrepreneurship unless you hear it for yourself. I have never seen anything like it.

Nine years ago, my friend Saeed Eslami got a job with a large construction company while getting his master’s at the University of Arizona.

He saw a huge problem that needed to be solved in the construction industry.

So in his spare time, he built 3D augmented reality software to solve this problem

Then he started to sell the product and it took off.

With customers and revenues, he quit his job to create VisualLive (acquired by Unity) just over 4 years ago.
Check it out at visuallive.com.

He focused solely on solving his customer’s problems, and selling, then hiring engineers.

His Tempe, AZ company now serves thousands of big customers and has 35 employees.

Earlier this year, Saeed sold VisualLive to Unity. Startup to super-successful sale in 5 years.

But here’s what’s really amazing:

• Saeed moved to the US nine years ago from Iran–with no experience in construction, software, or tech startups.
• He learned to speak English, code software, start a business, learn his industry, and every detail of running a software business using YouTube and the Internet. Really.

Literally no previous experience and no context at all for SaaS startups until after he started selling the software.

• He took no outside funding. It was completely funded by customer sales with revenues. It was profitable every year.
• He and his scrappy team created the leading 3D augmented reality software solving one of the biggest problems in the construction industry.

He changed a huge industry.

• He also created unbelievable life-changing wealth for his family–without knowing that a software company could be sold for such a price until several years into running the business!

It’s an amazing story. You won’t believe it until you hear it.

Saeed is a special person and an incredible entrepreneur. Congrats Saeed!

Check out the awesome interview with Hamid Shojaee on the AZ Tech Podcast here.