The Rev & Rachel Foundation supports transformative organizations in education, culture & arts, and technology — helping build the talent, creativity, and institutional strength that will shape Armenia's next chapter.
Armenia stands at a defining moment. We believe lasting change happens when exceptional people and institutions are given the resources and networks to realize their full potential.
"We have the opportunity in Armenia to be truly world class and be important to the world — far more than just being a crossroads between other places."
— Rev Lebaredian, DigiTec 2025From early learning to higher education and professional development — equipping Armenia's next generation with world-class skills and critical thinking.
Preserving a 3,000-year heritage while creating space for contemporary Armenian expression to reach and inspire global audiences.
Positioning Armenia as a hub for innovation, entrepreneurship, and applied research that creates both economic opportunity and national resilience.
Rev Lebaredian · Board Member
A global network of after-school learning centers where teens develop skills in technology and design through self-directed, project-based education. Born in Yerevan, now inspiring youth across four continents.
Visit TUMO
Rachel Lebaredian · FOTFA Board Member
Placing high-achieving young leaders in under-resourced schools across Armenia, building a diverse fellowship of educational advocates committed to equity and systemic change.
Visit TFA
Rev Lebaredian · Board Member
A US-accredited university in Yerevan affiliated with the University of California, AUA bridges American academic excellence with Armenia's future — developing leaders, researchers, and innovators who build the nation.
Visit AUA
The Children of Armenia Fund transforms rural communities through integrated programs in education, health, and economic development — bringing opportunity to Armenia's most vulnerable villages.
Visit COAF
A free educational program for young adults focused on the creation of analog products — beautiful things you can touch. TUMO Studios bridges traditional craft and modern design, nurturing a new generation of Armenian makers and creators.
Visit TUMO Studios
Armenia's flagship university, founded in 1919. YSU is home to world-class faculties in science, humanities, and law — a cornerstone of Armenia's intellectual and cultural life for over a century.
Visit YSU
Rev Lebaredian · Board Member
Fueling Armenia's innovation ecosystem by connecting startups, researchers, and policymakers — building the infrastructure for a knowledge-based economy that competes on the world stage.
Visit AIF
A world-class deep learning research lab based in Yerevan, producing groundbreaking work in NLP and machine learning that puts Armenia firmly on the global AI map.
Visit YerevaNN
A technology-focused platform empowering Armenian youth with digital skills, entrepreneurial thinking, and connections to the global tech landscape.
Visit Bazoomq
Rev Lebaredian · Board Member
Elevating spiritual excellence through the power of classical music. Armenia's premier symphony orchestra brings world-class performance to audiences in Yerevan and beyond — making the world a better place through noble art.
Visit ASSO
A nonprofit dedicated to supporting artists and creators worldwide during tumultuous times. Recreate. Rethink. Reimagine. Rebuild — championing cultural expression and the enduring power of storytelling.
Visit StrobiaRev and Rachel's journey began in 1996 at a costume party in Santa Cruz, California, where a film student and a young computer graphics engineer met and quickly connected over creativity, technology, and a shared curiosity about the world. After graduation, Rachel moved to Los Angeles to join Rev, and together they immersed themselves in projects that fused storytelling with emerging visual technologies — the earliest expression of a partnership that would come to unite imagination, innovation, and purpose.
In 1998, Rev and Rachel founded Steamboat Software. Three years later, they were married in New Orleans, a city whose cultural depth, artistic vitality, and strong sense of community left a lasting imprint on their lives. In 2002, Rev joined NVIDIA, beginning a global chapter that carried the family from Los Angeles to Austin, then to Moscow, Shanghai, and ultimately to Los Gatos, California. Living across different places and cultures deepened their belief that a child's future is shaped not only by talent, but by access, belonging, and the strength of the community around them — a belief made even more personal with the births of their sons, Daron and Zareh, during their years in Moscow.
Beginning in 2005, Rev and Rachel also started traveling regularly to Armenia. Over time, those visits became far more than family trips. They evolved into enduring relationships with educators, artists, innovators, and nonprofit leaders, and into a profound sense of connection and responsibility to a place that came to feel like home. Armenia and New Orleans gradually emerged as the twin anchors of their philanthropic vision: places of extraordinary resilience, creativity, and cultural richness, where investment in young people can have a lasting and transformative impact.
In 2023, they founded the Rev and Rachel Foundation to turn that vision into sustained action. The foundation reflects the values that have guided their life together: creativity, curiosity, generosity, and a deep belief in human potential. Drawing on Rev's leadership in AI, simulation, and technological innovation, and Rachel's commitment to family, storytelling, and community, the foundation advances educational opportunity, creative and STEM learning, and youth empowerment in Armenia, New Orleans, and the communities they hold close.
VP, Omniverse & Simulation Technology · NVIDIA
LinkedInRev Lebaredian is a pioneering technologist with over 30 years of experience in the computer graphics industry, whose career reflects the evolution of modern computing — from film visual effects and real-time graphics to physical AI and advanced simulation. As Vice President of Omniverse and Simulation Technology at NVIDIA, he leads the product, engineering, and research teams of NVIDIA Omniverse, an operating system enabling developers to build physical AI and robotic system simulation applications.
He began his career working in rendering at Warner Brothers Digital and Disney Dream Quest Images, before launching his own venture, Steamboat Software. Since joining NVIDIA in 2002, he has led the development of several real-time, multi-GPU scalable rendering, physics simulation, and AI platforms and technologies.
Rev is also a widely respected speaker and writer on the convergence of AI, graphics, and simulation, and on how these technologies are transforming robotics, manufacturing, and scientific discovery. Beyond his work in technology, he serves on the boards of TUMO, the American University of Armenia, the Armenian Innovation Foundation, and the Armenian Symphony Orchestra, reflecting a long-standing commitment to education, culture, and innovation.
Grounded in his Armenian heritage, Rev has dedicated both his professional expertise and philanthropic energy to Armenia's future. He believes that technology and education are powerful engines of national renewal, and that one of the diaspora's greatest contributions is a lasting belief in what is possible.
Co-Founder & Director · Rev & Rachel Foundation
LinkedInRachel Lebaredian brings to the foundation a deep commitment to education, community, and the enduring value of philanthropy rooted in human potential. As Co‑Founder and Director of the Rev and Rachel Foundation, she helps shape its vision, partnerships, and grantmaking, with a focus on expanding educational opportunity, supporting youth development, and strengthening the institutions and initiatives that serve the next generation.
Her work is grounded in a long‑standing belief that creativity, culture, and access to opportunity are essential to the health and resilience of communities. Through the foundation, she has helped advance initiatives in Armenia, New Orleans, and other places important to the family, with an emphasis on education, creative and STEM learning, and clear pathways for young people to thrive.
Rachel brings thoughtful leadership, discernment, and a deep commitment to values‑driven philanthropy. She believes that lasting impact is built through sustained partnership, strategic investment, and an unwavering conviction in the potential of young people and the communities that support them.
Foundation Members
Member · Rev & Rachel Foundation
LinkedInDaron Lebaredian is a student at Tulane University studying Physics and Computer Science. As an active member of the Rev & Rachel Foundation, he brings intellectual curiosity, energy, and a deep interest in science and technology to the family's efforts to expand education, innovation, and opportunity in Armenia and New Orleans.
Member · Rev & Rachel Foundation
LinkedInZareh Lebaredian is a senior at Los Gatos High School with a deep interest in the natural world and a strong commitment to environmental stewardship. As he prepares to study Environmental Science at university next year, he brings a thoughtful, future-oriented perspective to the foundation's mission of investing in a more sustainable and hopeful future for Armenia and beyond.
We'd love to hear from you — whether you're a grantee, a partner organization, or simply someone who shares our belief in Armenia's future.
