Ardy Arianpour fled Tehran (capital of Iran) at the age of six with his family and four suitcases. Forty years later, he helped close a $1 billion acquisition, saved his own father’s life with his technology, and built a health data platform that brings together 150 million patient records.
The 46-year-old founder and CEO of Seqster grew up in San Diego (USA), the city where his family settled after escaping the war in Tehran in 1986.
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While most teenagers worked at lemonade stands or ice cream shops, Arianpour worked at the Salk Institute and, at age 16, taught himself how to trade stocks online. In 1998, he was featured in Time magazine for achieving great returns as a young investor and investing resources in his retirement, all while still in high school.
But his big break didn’t come from stock market gains. After studying biological sciences at university and earning an MBA from the Marshall Goldsmith School of Management, he spent years growing Ambry Genetics as a senior vice president, where he led its $1 billion acquisition by Konica Minolta — and made so much money in the process that he could have retired.
“After my success at Ambry, I honestly didn’t need to work anymore and could have spent the rest of my life on a beach,” Arianpour tells Fortune. Instead, he founded Seqster.
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The idea was simple: Critical patient data is scattered throughout the healthcare system, fragmented across different platforms, and almost never brought together in one place when it is needed most.
What he didn’t expect was how quickly it would become personal. Shortly after the company launched in 2016, his father was diagnosed with colon cancer.
Using Seqster, Arianpour gathered his father’s scattered medical records, assembled a team of specialists, and came up with a treatment plan in just six hours. His father had surgery in less than a week.
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“That’s when everything became clear,” he adds. “This wasn’t just a data platform. It was a way to transform fragmented information into practical knowledge that could save lives.”
Something similar happened when his wife suffered severe episodes of cardiac arrhythmia and was told that specialized care could take nine months. He used Seqster to consolidate his medical records, speed up access to the right doctors, and get surgery in a matter of weeks.
Today, Seqster brings together 150 million patient records, integrates with more than 20 electronic medical records systems and counts Fortune 500 companies valued between US$5 billion and US$300 billion among its clients.
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In just the first three months of 2026, Arianpour launched four new products, including an AI-based clinical trial recruitment tool capable of analyzing 10,000 patients in less than an hour.
Outside of work hours—to the extent that this concept applies to him—Arianpour continues to live in San Diego. Most days, he skips lunch, spends $500 a month on acai and carrot juice, and can’t remember the last time he took a real day off.
He even closed a deal on New Year’s Day. But when you can escape, Ibiza is your idea of the perfect vacation.
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Fortune’s The Good Life series shows how rising leaders spend their time and money outside of work.
Being part of senior executive leadership is a high-pressure job, with long hours, responsibilities to the board and intense scrutiny. But what is the life of a top executive like outside of working hours? See what he told us.
Money
What’s the best financial decision you’ve ever made — and how much did it earn or save you?
The best investment I ever made was in Seqster itself. I put in my own money when no one else was supporting it, because I believed in what we were building. This conviction cost me nights of sleep and savings, but I wouldn’t change a thing.
And the worst?
The most valuable resource is time, and my worst investment was spending time with big tech companies without getting anything in return.
What’s in your wallet?
I have a photo of my wife, a fortune cookie message from Panda Express (I’m extremely superstitious), and I always carry a $100 bill for emergencies — my dad taught me to always have $100 in case credit cards aren’t possible. My favorite card is the Chase Sapphire Reserve. It offers the best benefits for airport and hotel lounges since I travel for work every week.
Do you invest in stocks?
I have been investing in the market since I was 16 years old. In fact, a fun fact that most people don’t know about me is that I was the first “online trader” during the internet bubble and was featured in Time magazine and the Chicago Tribune in 1998 for my stock picks. I started at Charles Schwab way back when.
My best advice for beginners is to invest 10% of earnings in the S&P 500 and precious metals and don’t touch that money.
What personal finance advice would you give your 20-year-old self?
Don’t worry about the future. Take big risks. It’s okay to fail and learn. Live your best life and do your best work.
Routine
What is your home like: sophisticated apartment in the city or spacious house in the suburbs?
I’m totally urban: I live high above San Diego, with the city lights on one side and the ocean view on the other.
I love Top Gun, so I set up our offices near Miramar Road, where I started the company.
What does your morning routine actually look like — be honest?
I keep everything very simple. I usually wake up early at 5am, check if there is anything urgent, do a quick workout or run and then start my day.
I don’t want to spend time thinking about what to wear to work, so I created our uniforms 10 years ago. I wear a Seqster t-shirt, a Seqster hat and Seqster “Converse” sneakers.
How much do you spend on caffeine per day?
$0 on caffeine unless I have a Coke with my animal-style In-N-Out burger. I never drink coffee. Instead, I just drink acai and carrot juice. This costs me a lot ($500 a month) because I’m addicted to living on juice!
What about quick meals?
I only have lunch if it’s a lunch meeting. Otherwise, I skip lunch and make big dinners. When I’m on the run, I always carry a protein bar.
Where do you grocery shop?
At Whole Foods. On the weekends, I sometimes go to a local farmers market near my house.
We spend somewhere between $300 and $400 a week on food. I never shop online; I can’t stand it when someone else chooses my fruits and vegetables, because they never get it right!
I only buy fresh produce and we cook the food on the same day. Almond butter helps me perform at my best — it’s always in my cart!
How often do you eat out versus cook at home?
Because of business meals, I probably go out to eat two or three times a week. But when I’m at home, we cook — and I never like to eat out during the week.
When we go out, it’s usually for something really worth the occasion: a good dinner, something to celebrate.
What is your life like after work?
I usually finish work around 7pm, go to bed at 1am and work, on average, between 60 and 70 hours a week. I try to make the hours count, instead of just counting the hours.
I play Xbox to disconnect from reality and have fun. My favorite games are Forza 6, an amazing open-world racing game with photorealistic graphics, and of course, I love Call of Duty.
I’ve also been a hardcore fan of Halo since I bought my first original Xbox in 2001.
How do you relax after work?
I run. There’s something about being outdoors and moving that clears my mind like nothing else can. Sometimes without headphones, just the city and my thoughts.
What is your view on work-life balance at the top?
I think the idea of “balance” is wrong. It suggests a static state, and that’s not how a founder’s life works. There are phases. There are weeks when work demands everything, and there are weekends when I fiercely protect my personal time.
Rewards
What’s the one subscription you can’t live without?
Apple Music. I love all types of music and depending on whether I’m walking, running, driving or even flying, I listen to different genres depending on my activity and mood.
Do you have any tech gadgets you’re proud of?
My Apple Watch. I’ve had one for years, and at this point it already feels like a part of my body. I use it for everything: monitoring workouts, tracking sleep and staying on top of messages without taking my cell phone out of my pocket every five minutes.
How do you celebrate a big win? Do you still reward yourself when you reach career milestones?
When we reach a big company milestone, I take my wife out to dinner somewhere really special. Not just a good restaurant, but a dinner whose reservation had to be planned in advance. This ritual is important to me. It marks the moment.
What’s the most expensive gift you’ve ever bought for yourself?
A watch. I bought green Rolexes Hulk for myself and my team when Seqster was founded. It cost more than I would like to admit publicly. I don’t regret it one bit. I’m wearing mine on my wrist right now.
How many vacation days do you take per year? And can you really switch off?
I can’t remember the last time I took a day off. There are always 10 texts, 10 emails, and a hookup or two. We even closed a deal on New Year’s Day.
Take us on a journey with you: where did you go this year?
Most of my travel is for work, and to be honest, I’ve gotten pretty good at making the most of it.
If I’m in Europe for a conference, I add a day or two and really get to know somewhere.
I love Ibiza: the music is the best, the energy is unlike anywhere else and the food is extraordinary. It’s not exactly the traditional kind of vacation, but it works for us.
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