Raffi Dér Khorenian

Raffi co-founded Appward alongside Dave with a bold vision: to deliver the modern, unified low-code platform that manufacturing organizations truly deserve—one that natively powers every aspect of MRP, MES, and ERP without the usual patchwork of disconnected systems. Leveraging more than two decades of combined experience in engineering, software architecture, industrial automation, and manufacturing, Raffi dedicated over a decade of hands-on architectural design, development, and leadership to turn that vision into reality. As an inventor with a strong entrepreneurial knack, he played a pivotal role in building the platform from the ground up — assembling DevOps teams, championing talent acquisition, and shaping high-performing engineering groups. Today, Appward offers a robust and growing suite of over 80+ native apps, all unified under a single intelligent backend that makes leveraging AI seamless and powerful for customers with diverse needs. In his current role as COO, Raffi oversees a wide range of operations, including sales and business development, product roadmap strategy, security & compliance, and future expansion initiatives — always with an eye toward delivering exceptional value to manufacturers. Raffi caught the software bug early while completing his engineering degrees. He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the American University of Beirut, a Master’s from Clemson University, and MBA from UCLA Anderson. His career blends deep expertise and leadership in software development in manufacturing engineering and industrial automation, spanning industries from aerospace to pharmaceuticals. When he’s not immersed in technology or operations, Raffi cherishes time with his family.