Syed Moiz Balkhi
Quick Facts
Biography
Syed Moiz Balkhi (Hindustani: سید معز بلخی , सैयद मोइज़ बलख़ी ) is a Pakistani American entrepreneur known for his founding of OptinMonster, as well as his work with WPBeginner, a WordPress resource. Other WordPress software Balkhi invented include WPForms and MonsterInsights, which along with WPBeginner and OptinMonster, power "over 4 million websites". In April 2016, Syed Balkhi acquired Yoast's Google Analytics plugins, which have been downloaded over 21 million times.In January 2020, Balkhi acquired Michael Torbert's All in One SEO Pack plugin, which has been downloaded over 65 million times.
Early life and career
Syed Moiz Balkhi emigrated to the United States from Pakistan along with his family when he was a child. After taking a placement test, he skipped a grade and started high school at the age of twelve.
At this age, Balkhi was very active in the Florida Cricket League, an interest he temporarily put on hold to "pursue a career in marketing."
As a junior in high school, Balkhi started mastering WordPress and then hired a team to construct websites for clients. When he saw that his customers struggled with using WordPress, in 2009, he launched WPBeginner, a tutorial website. Due to the fact that the website was accessible to the public, he was invited to speak at several WordCamp conferences.
List25 is another endeavor Balkhi is the brainchild of and its YouTube channel has clocked more than 550 million views.
Balkhi eventually also returned to the sport of cricket, becoming instrumental in helping to spread it in the United States through his marketing skills. He is a board member of the Cricket Council USA. His efforts in this area led him to be inducted in the Cricket Hall of Fame in America.
Philanthropy
Syed Moiz Balkhi has raised over $75,000 for Pencils of Promise, which were used to construct three schools in Guatemala.
In addition, in 2017, Balkhi raised funds for the construction of a school in Dob Krorsang Village through the Cambodian Village Fund.