Rafe Furst
Encyclopedia
Rafe Furst is an entrepreneur, angel investor
, cancer awareness advocate and part time professional poker player. Furst currently works on and advises many projects that involve technology and social entrepreneurship
. He regularly blogs about complex systems
on EmergentFool. Furst's ideas about the intersections between his different pursuits have been frequently cited on the Freakonomics
blog.
.
, which funds research that helps people understand how to prevent cancer; educates the public about how to prevent cancer; and reaches out to communities across the country through resources, events and partnerships with other organizations. Furst is a member of the advisory council for the Decision Education Foundation, an organization that teaches sound decision making science to young people.
Since that time Furst has applied his academic and entrepreneurial background to encourage research to find a cure. In 2007, Furst received the “Excellence in Cancer Awareness” award from the Congressional Families Action for Cancer Awareness program. In March 2010, Furst received the “Cancer Champion Award” from the Prevent Cancer Foundation
.
In 2005, Furst finished first in the $1,500 no limit Texas hold 'em Ultimate Poker Challenge
. Furst picked up his first World Series of Poker
bracelet in 2006 when he won a $1,500 pot limit hold'em preliminary event.
Furst is also an exclusive professional poker player at Full Tilt Poker
, an online poker website that opened in July 2004.
On September 20th, 2011, Furst was named as a defendant in a complaint by the U.S. Department of Justice against Tiltware, LLC, the parent company of Full Tilt Poker. The complaint alleged money laundering offenses by Full Tilt Poker, and that Full Tilt is a "global Ponzi scheme." This was the first time that Furst was named in a public complaint as a part owner of the company, and his ownership stake was listed at 2.6%. The amended complaint opens the possibility that along with the other owners of Tiltware, Furst's assets could be seized.
Angel investor
An angel investor or angel is an affluent individual who provides capital for a business start-up, usually in exchange for convertible debt or ownership equity...
, cancer awareness advocate and part time professional poker player. Furst currently works on and advises many projects that involve technology and social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship is the work of social entrepreneurs. A social entrepreneur recognizes a social problem and uses entrepreneurial principles to organize, create and manage a venture to achieve social change . While a business entrepreneur typically measures performance in profit and return, a...
. He regularly blogs about complex systems
Complex systems
Complex systems present problems in mathematical modelling.The equations from which complex system models are developed generally derive from statistical physics, information theory and non-linear dynamics, and represent organized but unpredictable behaviors of systems of nature that are considered...
on EmergentFool. Furst's ideas about the intersections between his different pursuits have been frequently cited on the Freakonomics
Freakonomics
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything is a 2005 non-fiction book by University of Chicago economist Steven Levitt and New York Times journalist Stephen J. Dubner. The book has been described as melding pop culture with economics, but has also been described as...
blog.
Education
Furst holds an M.S. in Computer Science and B.S. in Symbolic Systems, both from Stanford UniversityStanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.
Early career
Furst began his career as an artificial intelligence researcher at the Kestrel Institute. Furst left academia to co-found his first company, Pick’em Sports, in 1996, which was sold to a public company in 1999.Angel Investing and Advising
After the success of Pick'em Sports, Furst has helped launch and run several other successful ventures. Furst co-founded and served as Chief Technical Officer for Expert Insight, an educational media company. Furst is both an investor in and an advisor to BugleMe, which is a service that enables celebrities to connect directly to fans with audio messages. Furst is a technical advisor to iTripTV, a destination marketing company that helps travelers connect with destinations through rich media across multiple platforms. Furst is also an advisor to All Day Buffet, whose mission is to change the world through creativity and business.Board Positions
Furst sits on the Board of Directors and Advisory Boards of both non-profit and for-profit companies. Furst is on the board of directors for the Prevent Cancer FoundationPrevent Cancer Foundation
Prevent Cancer Foundation is a registered charity, and one of the nation's leading health organizations devoted to the early detection and prevention of cancer.-Description:Since their founding in 1985 they have played a prominent role in the promotion of cancer prevention,...
, which funds research that helps people understand how to prevent cancer; educates the public about how to prevent cancer; and reaches out to communities across the country through resources, events and partnerships with other organizations. Furst is a member of the advisory council for the Decision Education Foundation, an organization that teaches sound decision making science to young people.
Cancer Advocacy
In 2003, Furst and his friend Phil Gordon launched the Bad Beat on Cancer initiative that encourages poker professionals to donate 1% of their winnings to fight cancer.Since that time Furst has applied his academic and entrepreneurial background to encourage research to find a cure. In 2007, Furst received the “Excellence in Cancer Awareness” award from the Congressional Families Action for Cancer Awareness program. In March 2010, Furst received the “Cancer Champion Award” from the Prevent Cancer Foundation
Prevent Cancer Foundation
Prevent Cancer Foundation is a registered charity, and one of the nation's leading health organizations devoted to the early detection and prevention of cancer.-Description:Since their founding in 1985 they have played a prominent role in the promotion of cancer prevention,...
.
Professional Poker
In addition to his other activities, Furst is also a part time professional poker player.In 2005, Furst finished first in the $1,500 no limit Texas hold 'em Ultimate Poker Challenge
Ultimate Poker Challenge
The Ultimate Poker Challenge was a series of weekly poker tournaments acting as super-satellites into the series semi-finals.The first and second seasons are available on NTSC DVD...
. Furst picked up his first World Series of Poker
World Series of Poker
The World Series of Poker is a world-renowned series of poker tournaments held annually in Las Vegas and, since 2005, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment...
bracelet in 2006 when he won a $1,500 pot limit hold'em preliminary event.
Furst is also an exclusive professional poker player at Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker
Full Tilt Poker is an online poker card room that opened in June 2004 with the involvement of poker professionals Howard Lederer, Phil Ivey, Andy Bloch, Mike Matusow, Jennifer Harman and Chris Ferguson...
, an online poker website that opened in July 2004.
On September 20th, 2011, Furst was named as a defendant in a complaint by the U.S. Department of Justice against Tiltware, LLC, the parent company of Full Tilt Poker. The complaint alleged money laundering offenses by Full Tilt Poker, and that Full Tilt is a "global Ponzi scheme." This was the first time that Furst was named in a public complaint as a part owner of the company, and his ownership stake was listed at 2.6%. The amended complaint opens the possibility that along with the other owners of Tiltware, Furst's assets could be seized.