Shahrzad Rafati is an Iranian Canadian entrepreneur and technology executive whose career has been closely connected to the development of digital media and online video. Born in Tehran, Iran, she immigrated to Vancouver, British Columbia, as a teenager. She later studied computer science at the University of British Columbia, completing her Bachelor of Science degree in 2005. Her background in technology and her experience as an immigrant would become important parts of the perspective she brought to entrepreneurship and the digital media industry. The Government of Canada has described Rafati as a Persian Canadian entrepreneur and the founder of BroadbandTV.

Rafati entered the technology and digital entertainment industry at a time when online video was still developing. In 2005, she founded BroadbandTV, commonly known as BBTV, in Vancouver. The company initially explored opportunities around internet television before moving into online video. Rafati developed a business model focused on helping media companies and content creators manage, distribute and monetize video content across digital platforms. This approach became particularly relevant as YouTube and other online video platforms grew. Forbes identified Rafati as a digital video pioneer and reported that she founded BroadbandTV in 2005.

One of the early challenges BBTV addressed was the relationship between professional media companies and user generated content. As audiences began uploading copyrighted television, sports and entertainment material to online platforms, media companies faced questions about rights management and monetization. BBTV developed technology and services that allowed rights holders to identify and manage their content online. The company subsequently worked with major entertainment organizations, including the NBA, Sony Pictures and other media companies. The Government of Canada later described BroadbandTV as a global digital company that Rafati grew into a major video property.

BBTV's growth attracted significant international investment. In 2013, European media group RTL Group acquired a 51 percent stake in BroadbandTV for approximately US$36 million. The investment gave the company additional resources to expand its international operations and develop its position in the rapidly growing online video market. Rafati continued to lead the company as it expanded its relationships with creators, brands and major media organizations.

Rafati's work eventually extended beyond the traditional boundaries of media technology. BBTV developed services for content creators, including tools and infrastructure designed to help creators build audiences and generate revenue from online video. The company became part of the broader creator economy, a sector that has grown as platforms such as YouTube enabled individuals and independent organizations to distribute content directly to global audiences. Rafati described her original vision for BBTV as contributing to the democratization of content, a goal she connected to her own background and observations of the emerging digital media environment.

In 2020, BBTV became a publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The company completed its initial public offering in October of that year. In January 2024, BBTV completed a transaction that took the company private again. Following the transaction, the business continued under Rafati's leadership. The company has since operated under the RHEI name, with its business increasingly focused on artificial intelligence, digital media and tools for creators and media companies.

Today, Rafati is the CEO of RHEI, the company that evolved from BroadbandTV. RHEI describes itself as a technology company focused on using artificial intelligence to amplify human creativity, expand audiences and build digital fandoms. Its current products include Made, an AI platform designed to assist creators with activities such as content ideation, production, thumbnails, audience engagement and content strategy. RHEI states that its services reach a global audience of approximately 600 million unique monthly viewers across 150 countries.

Rafati has also held roles involving Canadian economic and international initiatives. In 2018, she represented Canada on the G20 Business Women Leaders Task Force. In 2019, the Government of Canada announced her appointment as Vice Chair of Invest in Canada, the federal agency responsible for promoting investment into the country. These roles placed her experience in technology and entrepreneurship within broader discussions about business leadership, investment and women's participation in the economy.

Her professional recognition has included being named to Fast Company's list of the 100 Most Creative People in Business and Canada's Top 40 Under 40. She was also recognized by Ernst & Young as the 2018 Pacific Entrepreneur of the Year in the Technology category. In 2020, University Canada West awarded her an honorary doctorate. These recognitions reflect different aspects of her career across technology, entrepreneurship and digital media.

Shahrzad Rafati's journey from Tehran to Vancouver and from a computer science graduate to the founder of a global digital media company illustrates a career built around the changing relationship between technology, entertainment and audiences. She founded BroadbandTV before the creator economy became a mainstream business sector and subsequently led the company through major changes in ownership, public markets and technology. Through RHEI, her work has continued into artificial intelligence and creator technology, connecting her early experience in digital video with the current development of AI powered tools for creators and media companies.