Dilawar Syed Joins Worlds as Strategic Advisor

Former SBA Deputy Administrator, State Department Special Representative, and technology executive to advise on market strategy and strategic partnerships as Worlds expands adoption of its Operational AI platform

DALLAS, Aug. 5, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Worlds, the Operational AI company connecting digital systems with the physical world, today announced that entrepreneur, technology executive, and former senior federal official Dilawar Syed has joined the company as a strategic advisor.

Syed will advise Worlds on enterprise market strategy and strategic partnerships as the company expands adoption of its platform across manufacturing, logistics, and other physical operations.

Worlds brings together two critical streams of operational data: signals from cameras and sensors observing the physical environment, and digital information flowing through enterprise software and operational technology systems. By organizing that data across space and time, Worlds creates a live system of record for physical operations, giving enterprise teams and AI agents the context they need to understand conditions, identify risks, and take action.

"Dilawar has spent his career at the intersection of technology and markets, first building companies, then representing American business on the world stage," said Chris Rohde, co-founder and president of Worlds. "We have built something genuinely new and proven it with some of the world's largest companies. What we want now is to take our place in the enterprise AI ecosystem, and few people in the country understand that landscape the way Dilawar does. Having him alongside us sharpens how we see the road ahead."

"Operational AI will transform how enterprises manage the physical systems at the heart of our economy," said Syed. "Worlds is building the intelligence layer that allows companies to understand what is happening across their operations in real time, and translate those insights into safer workplaces, stronger customer outcomes, and more resilient businesses."

"Worlds has demonstrated meaningful value with leading enterprises," Syed continued. "I am excited to help the company build strategic partnerships, expand its position in enterprises, and define the emerging category of Operational AI. This work matters not only to business performance, but also to the competitiveness and resilience of American industry."

Syed has spent more than two decades building and scaling ventures in enterprise software, AI, and consumer technology. He served as president at Freshworks, where he founded and built the company's North American business ahead of its 2021 initial public offering. He later served as CEO of Lumiata, a healthcare AI company backed by Khosla Ventures.

In public service, Syed served as the U.S. Department of State's Special Representative for Commercial and Business Affairs, leading efforts to champion American companies and advance U.S. commercial interests in international markets across technology, aviation and defense, energy, and infrastructure.

He subsequently served as Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration following a bipartisan confirmation in the U.S. Senate. In that role, he helped lead the agency's delivery of capital, federal contracting opportunities, disaster response and recovery, and other resources to small businesses and manufacturers across the country.

Syed currently serves as a faculty member at The University of Texas at Austin, where his work focuses on business, industrial policy, and technology. He also advises a select group of technology companies and entrepreneurs.

About Worlds

Worlds is the Operational AI company connecting the digital and physical worlds inside a single system of work. The platform fuses the signal from cameras and sensors with data from enterprise software and OT systems into a live spatial record of everything happening in operations. A data layer that AI agents can reason over and enterprises can act on. Based in Dallas, Worlds works with leading enterprises across manufacturing, logistics, and industrial operations, helping them make their operations safer, more secure, and more efficient. Learn more at worlds.io.

Media Contact: Breana Long, [email protected]

SOURCE Worlds