Entrepreneur and student Ghaith Balbeisi: a man with a plan

HFC student and entrepreneur Ghaith Balbeisi has been in business for himself since he was 10. His business pursuits have taken an amazing rise since that time, but he still remembers how that first experience made him feel.

“I set up a little table and a tiny chair in front of the local mini-market and sold rubber band bracelets,” recalled Balbeisi, of Canton. “It wasn't about the money; I just loved doing it. I loved making something, putting it in front of people, and watching them decide it was worth buying. That feeling is still with me.”

He continued: “Years later that same instinct showed up when I was reselling luxury fragrances as a teenager, studying margins and pricing psychology before I even knew what economics was. That curiosity evolved into a genuine obsession with how markets work, how capital moves, and how technology is reshaping both. By the time I enrolled at HFC, I had already incorporated my first company. Finance wasn't just a major; it was a huge part of my life.”

HFC provided him flexibility to pursue academics and run his businesses

A native of Jordan and the eldest of four, Balbeisi immigrated to the United States in 2019. He is a graduate of Salem High School in Canton. He is studying economics and finance at HFC and will earn his associate degree in business administration at the end of August. Afterward, he will transfer to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he will finish his bachelor’s degree in economics.

In addition to finishing up his degree requirements at HFC, Balbeisi, who speaks fluent Arabic and conversational Spanish, is also studying for the FINRA Security Industry Essentials Exam. He holds the following certifications:

• Bloomberg Market Concepts
• Wall Street Prep
• Goldman Sachs

“The College gave me the flexibility to pursue my academic goals without pausing the businesses I was already building,” explained Balbeisi. “I was able to stay close to the Detroit ecosystem, which is where a lot of my work is based, while laying the academic foundation to transfer to U-M. It was a strategic decision as much as an educational one.”

Scholarly research on Loneliness as a Macroeconomic Variable

HFC business administration instructor Christopher Rakovalis has been very influential on Balbeisi. Under Rakovalis’ mentorship, Balbeisi independently developed a macroeconomic research paper titled "The Silent Tax: Loneliness as a Macroeconomic Variable in Post-Pandemic America,” exploring how post-COVID 19 loneliness is functioning as a drag on economic productivity and consumer behavior.

“I approached Professor Rakovalis about reviewing the analysis, and his feedback helped sharpen the work considerably. It's not a typical topic for a community college student, which is exactly why I pursued it,” he said. “The economics curriculum here at the College is more rigorous than some people realize, and the access to professors who genuinely invest in their students has made a real difference. The independent research I've done here is something I'll carry into U-M and beyond.”

At HFC, Balbeisi is president and founder of the Finance and Investment Club. He is also a member of:

• The Arab Student Union
• The Muslim Students Union
• The National Society of Leadership and Success

HFC enabled him to move quickly and prepared him in extraordinary ways

“HFC has given me the ability to move fast,” he said. “HFC doesn't put you in a box. I've been able to pursue independent research, launch a club, and still have the bandwidth to run companies on the side. That kind of environment is rare, and I don't take it for granted.”

Balbeisi also founded and manages the following companies:

• Balbeisi Labs: An AI software company that builds vertical AI products across automotive, legal, medical, education, and consumer markets.
• Unity Fund: A community-driven nonprofit initiative focused on supporting underserved communities through fundraising and volunteer efforts.
• Moneta Exchange: A platform focused on tokenizing real-world assets using blockchain.

“HFC has prepared me professionally more than I ever anticipated,” he said. “Managing a full course load while simultaneously running Balbeisi Labs and leading a nonprofit organization has required a level of discipline that HFC's environment helped me develop. I've closed clients, built software products, and served over 150 people in Detroit through my nonprofit organization, all while being a full-time student. HFC didn't slow that down – it supported it.”

Balbeisi continued: “There's an outdated stigma about community colleges. The truth is, some of the most driven, resourceful people I've met are here. If you use the time well, you can transfer to any top university, build real-world experience, and graduate with little or no debt. That's not a consolation prize – that's a smart play.”

Balbeisi has no plans to slow down any time soon. Quite the opposite, actually!

“I’m 19, still in school, and nowhere near finished,” he said. “I've been fortunate to turn a lot of ideas into real things at a young age. Through Balbeisi Labs, I've built and launched several AI products currently being pitched and sold to businesses across different industries. I'm building toward launching Balbeisi Capital, my private equity holding company, which already has five active divisions spanning AI software, real estate, and asset tokenization. Long term, I want to help my parents retire. They have sacrificed enormously for our family. Beyond that, I plan to scale my philanthropic work through Unity Fund, both locally in Detroit and internationally in Palestine, Lebanon, Sudan, the Congo, and anywhere there are people in need.”