Dollar Gujarati
By Daksh Shah
As immigrants ourselves, we want to understand the different paths that successful immigrant Gujaratis have taken to establish themselves since this will help us navigate our journey in America.
Dollar GujaratiJan 10, 2021
#19 - Jay Shah on how to start a company in US as an immigrant | Dollar Gujarati
Show Introduction:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, A show about Gujarati entrepreneurs and businessmen, and the stories behind their success in America.
We talk about their struggles and opportunities on the road to success in the land of opportunity.
Guest Introduction:
Jay left a comfortable high paying job at Facebook to pursue his entrepreneurial dreams and start BlkBox. Blkbox automates performance marketing.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-shah-77a98260/
Blkbox: https://blkbox.ai/
More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3SdQkxStIvo0HyZVn6v3Ye_Es9_Wfg1D
#18 - Nupur Mehta on Networking Like a Pro | Dollar Gujarati
About the guest: Nupur Mehta
Shifted to Silicon Valley at the age of 13 with her family. Dropped out of USC to found her own startup.
Selected and funded by Y-Combinator, the prestigious startup accelerator which has an acceptance rate lesser than Harvard University.
Started her second company OTAInfo which protects internet-enabled devices from attacks such as Zoom Bombing.
Despite being a young millennial, she is heavily influenced by traditional Gujarati values of Positivity and Frugality.
OTAinfo: https://www.otainfo.com/
Check out our YouTube channel to see her amazing presentation!
If you are enjoying listening to our guest, please support us below.
https://anchor.fm/dollar-gujarati/support
#17 - Rahim Fazal on the Sales Strategy for B2B and D2C startups | Dollar Gujarati
Rahim Fazal is back with his take on Sales. Let's hear SV Academy's Founder and CEO take on the challenge to design a Sales strategy for a B2B EdTech startup and a D2C Home Automation startup - Let's learn Sales from one of Silicon Valley's best in class Sales Leader.
Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dollar-gujarati/support
#14 Y-Combinator's Ankit Gordhandas on how to acquire initial users | Dollar Gujarati
Show Introduction:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, A show about Gujarati entrepreneurs and businessmen, and the stories behind their success in America.
We talk about their struggles and opportunities on the road to success in the land of opportunity.
Guest Introduction:
Ankit Gordhandas is a Mumbai-born technology entrepreneur. Ankit came to America for a Bachelors in Electrical Engineering from MIT. He worked for a few years in the biomedical engineering field, before starting his company, Intersect Labs. Intersect Labs provides Predictive Analytics for your data using Machine Learning in 3 simple clicks.
Today we will learn how Ankit acquired his first users for Intersect Labs. He recommends reading Paul Graham's essay on doing things that don't scale.
More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3SdQkxStIvo0HyZVn6v3Ye_Es9_Wfg1D
#16- Vikram Patel on how to get US investors for Indian Startup | Dollar Gujarati
Show Introduction:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, A show about Gujarati entrepreneurs and businessmen, and the stories behind their success in America. We talk about their struggles and opportunities on the road to success in the land of opportunity.
Guest Introduction:
Today we talk to startup founder, Vikram based in India who got his funding from the US. Vikram Patel is the CTO and Co-Founder of DocVita- a voice enabled medical assistant. Lets learn the secret behind how he was able to bring on US investors despite being located in Indore, a Tier 2 city in India,
For full Video : https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkZ366Nogr2zupCPUJtiT3w
#15 Y-Combinator's Jinal and Forum Jhaveri on how to get first paying customer | Dollar Gujarati
Show Introduction:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, A show about Gujarati entrepreneurs and businessmen, and the stories behind their success in America.
We talk about their struggles and opportunities on the road to success in the land of opportunity.
Guest Introduction:
Today’s founders are power couple Forum & Jinal Jhaveri. They both came to America for a Masters Degree in Computer Science in 2001 together. Jinal worked for a few years as a software developer whereas Foram worked as a Manager at PwC, until they received their Green Cards through the EB1 category. They immediately switched gears in their life to start their first company LogN, a digital services based company.
Soon after having their first child and realizing the problems in the school admission processes in the US they started their second company School Mint to make this process digital. Both their companies are running successfully and have crossed the decade mark.
#13 Rahim Fazal on Starting a company as an Immigrant | Dollar Gujarati
Show Introduction:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, A show about Gujarati entrepreneurs and businessmen, and the stories behind their success in America.
We talk about their struggles and opportunities on the road to success in the land of opportunity.
Guest Introduction:
Rahim Fazal is a Canadian-born technology entrepreneur. He is notable for co-founding Involver, a provider of social media management software. Involver which was then acquired by Oracle in 2012.
Involver was the technology platform that powered the first sponsorship of a Facebook Page. Facebook partnered with Involver to build applications for large events like Election Day, the FIFA World Cup.
Today we will learn how Rahim immigrated to US and started his company on a H1B and eventually got his green card.
Currently he is the Co Founder and CEO of SV Academy, your way to get into the tech industry without coding.
SVAcademy: https://sv.academy/
Rahim Fazal: http://www.rahimfazal.com/
More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3SdQkxStIvo0HyZVn6v3Ye_Es9_Wfg1D
#12 - Jay Patel on the Art of Being Frugal | Dollar Gujarati
Show Introduction:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, A show about Gujarati entrepreneurs and businessmen, and the stories behind their success in America.
We talk about their struggles and opportunities on the road to success in the land of opportunity.
Guest Introduction:
Our guest today is Jay Patel who is a second-generation Indian American. He studied Computer Science, worked as a developer in multiple companies before he founded his company FlexEngage. They serve big-name clients such as Under Armour, Michael Kors, Aldo, and many more. From my understanding, they read your shopping pattern and then show you similar items to purchase so you remain their loyal customer. I think it's an interesting time to talk to someone who is serving retail clients as they have been hit hardest by the Pandemic. Let's learn from Jay today how his being Gujarati has helped him in being stringent with his money and survive the pandemic without letting any employees go.
FlexEnagae: https://www.flexengage.com/
More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3SdQkxStIvo0HyZVn6v3Ye_Es9_Wfg1D
#11 - Vijay Goradia
Show Introduction:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, A show about Gujarati entrepreneurs and businessmen, and the stories behind their success in America.
We talk about their struggles and opportunities on the road to success in the land of opportunity.
Guest Introduction:
Our guest today is Mr. Vijay Goradia. Mr. Vijay was born in Mumbai, and that was where he started his first company at the age of 17. He is the Founder of Vinmar International, a global distributor of Chemicals and Polymers. Vinmar markets petrochemicals in over 100 countries with annual revenue of more than USD 4 Billion (yes that is right ! Billion with a B). Mr. Vijay is also the founder of Pratham USA, the largest international educational NGO which has helped millions of children get an education.
More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3SdQkxStIvo0HyZVn6v3Ye_Es9_Wfg1D
#10 - Dr Sudhir Parikh
About Show:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, A show about Gujarati entrepreneurs and businessmen, and the stories behind their success in America.
We talk about their struggles and opportunities on the road to success in the land of opportunity.
About Guest:
Dr. Sudhir is a 2010 Padmashree Awardee. He’s also a recipient of the 2005 Ellis Island Medal of Honor, the highest civilian honor for U.S. immigrants to contribute to community service.
He is a specialist in allergy, asthma, and immunology, and has grown his private practice from New Jersey.
Dr. Sudhir is also the Chairman of Parikh Worldwide Media Inc., the largest Indian-American publishing group in the United States.
#9 - Dipak Shah
Show Introduction:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, A show about Gujarati entrepreneurs and businessmen, and the stories behind their success in America.
We talk about their struggles and opportunities on the road to success in the land of opportunity.
Guest Introduction:
Dipak Shah came to the United States with only $6 in his pocket, a bag of clothes and a bag of food. As a student, he had to work to feed himself, his wife and his 6 month old son at $2-$3 per hour. But his aspirations were very high. He bought a pharmacy from $8000 - his life savings. He grew his business from one store in New York to a network of 23 stores today - earning him a handsome income while he celebrates his birthday on the beach. In this episode with Dipak Shah, we dive into the mathematics of opening a retail pharmacy and the struggles of operating your first business, before success becomes a virtuous cycle.
More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3SdQkxStIvo0HyZVn6v3Ye_Es9_Wfg1D
#8 - Shruti Gandhi
Show Introduction:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, A show about Gujarati entrepreneurs and businessmen, and the stories behind their success in America.
We talk about their struggles and opportunities on the road to success in the land of opportunity.
About Guest:
Shruti Gandhi is the Managing Director of Array VC, a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage startups Computer Science professor in the CS department at Columbia University. She is the founder of Array Ventures. Array invests in startups that are built on Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and Big Data. Shruti deep tech early-stage companies. Six of her portfolio companies have exited to companies such as Apple, Paypal, and Samsung with 10x returns. Post engineering, she was investing in early-stage companies at True Ventures and Samsung's venture fund.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shrutigandhi/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/atShruti
Array VC: https://array.vc/#/
Listen to more episodes here.
#7 - Sunil Nayak - Part 2
Listen to part 1 here: https://anchor.fm/dollar-gujarati/episodes/4---Sunil-Nayak-eh84q0
About Guest:
Mr. Sunil is the quintessential Gujarati immigrant in America. He is CEO of InZenn Hospitality which owns 25 motels along the east coast. He came to the USA in search of a better opportunity but had to start work as a front desk clerk in a motel. Learn how he leveraged $25,000 of his savings to own 13 convenience stores to finally buy his first $1.5 million dollar motel. We will talk about how he survived visa denials, being stranded at the airport on his first day in America, and being shot at in NYC (not once but thrice)! He has also started AIANA(The Association of Indian Americans in North America) and Chalo India, the institution which brought PM Narendra Modi to the USA in 2014. The annual event held by his institutions sees participation from 30,000 Gujarati's from all over the world.
Show Introduction:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, A show about Gujarati entrepreneurs and businessmen, and the stories behind their success in America.
We talk about their struggles and opportunities on the road to success in the land of opportunity.
#6 - Keval Desai
Show Introduction:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, A show about Gujarati entrepreneurs and businessmen, and the stories behind their success in America.
We talk about their struggles and opportunities on the road to success in the land of opportunity.
Guest Introduction:
Keval Desai is a General Partner at InterWest Partners, a Silicon Valley Venture Capital firm. He runs a $100M fund that has invested in companies like Canva, which is now valued at $6 Billion. Keval came to the USA for his Master's in Engineering, and subsequently an MBA from UC Berkeley. You'll learn how the Startup-VC world works, how do VCs make money and how you can become one.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevaldesai/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kevaldesai
Interwest Partners: https://www.interwest.com/
More Episodes: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3SdQkxStIvo0HyZVn6v3Ye_Es9_Wfg1D
#5 - Viral Acharya
Show Introduction:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, A show about Gujarati entrepreneurs and businessmen, and the stories behind their success in America.
We talk about their struggles and opportunities on the road to success in the land of opportunity.
Guest Introduction:
Our guest today is Dr. Viral Acharya. Dr. Viral is a Professor of Economics at New York University’s School of Business. He was the youngest Deputy Governor of the RBI and held the position from January 2017 to July 2019. Dr. Viral has taught at London Business School, before being called back to his alma mater in New York during the 2008 financial crisis. Dr. Viral is an alumnus of New York University, IIT Bombay, and, perhaps most importantly, Fellowship School in South Bombay.
Bio: https://www.stern.nyu.edu/faculty/bio/viral-acharya
Buy his new book: https://www.amazon.in/Quest-Restoring-Financial-Stability-India/dp/9353884896/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=9789353884895&qid=1594651117&sr=8-1
Donate to Pratham: https://prathamusa.org/
#4 - Sunil Nayak
About Guest:
Mr. Sunil is the quintessential Gujarati immigrant in America. He is CEO of InZenn Hospitality which owns 25 motels along the east coast. He came to the USA in search of a better opportunity but had to start work as a front desk clerk in a motel. Learn how he leveraged $25,000 of his savings to own 13 convenience stores to finally buy his first $1.5 million dollar motel. We will talk about how he survived visa denials, being stranded at the airport on his first day in America, and being shot at in NYC (not once but thrice)! He has also started AIANA(The Association of Indian Americans in North America) and Chalo India, the institution which brought PM Narendra Modi to the USA in 2014. The annual event held by his institutions sees participation from 30,000 Gujarati's from all over the world.
About the show:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, a show about successful Gujarati entrepreneurs and professionals in America. We talk with them about their ideas and struggles on the road to success in this land of opportunity.
As immigrants ourselves, we want to understand the different paths that successful immigrant Gujaratis have taken to establish themselves since this will help us navigate our journey in America.
Liked this episode?
Click here to listen to our conversation with Sam Pitroda: https://anchor.fm/dollar-gujarati/episodes/1---Sam-Pitroda-efn12l
#3 Dr. Dayal Meshri
About Guest:
Dr. Dayal Meshri is the president CEO of advanced research chemicals, one of the biggest fluorine manufacturers in the world. ARC today has annual revenue in excess of 25 million dollars with clients like DuPont, General Motors, and Dow chemicals. After working as a research director in a company for 18 years, dr. Meshri took the plunge to build his own company. In this episode, we learn how he took a calculated risk in his 40’s to accomplish his dream of becoming an entrepreneur
About the show:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, a show about successful Gujarati entrepreneurs and professionals in America. We talk with them about their ideas and struggles on the road to success in this land of opportunity.
As immigrants ourselves, we want to understand the different paths that successful immigrant Gujaratis have taken to establish themselves since this will help us navigate our journey in America.
Liked this episode?
Click here to listen to our conversation with Sam Pitroda: https://anchor.fm/dollar-gujarati/episodes/1---Sam-Pitroda-efn12l
#2 Nupur Mehta | Dollar Gujarati
About the guest:
Nupur Mehta
Shifted to Silicon Valley at the age of 13 with her family. Dropped out of USC to found her own startup.
Selected and funded by Y-Combinator, the prestigious startup accelerator which has an acceptance rate lesser than Harvard University.
Started her second company OTAInfo which protects internet-enabled devices from attacks such as Zoom Bombing.
Despite being a young millennial, she is heavily influenced by traditional Gujarati values of Positivity and Frugality.
OTAinfo: https://www.otainfo.com/
Liked this episode?
Click here to listen to our conversation with Sam Pitroda: https://anchor.fm/dollar-gujarati/episodes/1---Sam-Pitroda-efn12l
#1.5 - Sam Pitroda Part 2
Show Introduction:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, A show about Gujarati entrepreneurs and businessmen, and the stories behind their success in America. We talk about their struggles and opportunities on the road to success in the land of opportunity.
Guest Introduction:
Mr. Sam Pitroda is best known as the father of Indian Telecom. During his tenure as Advisor to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Mr. Pitroda led 6 technology missions. He is the man behind the STD/PCO booths that enabled Indians to speak to each other. Sam is an Engineer, Entrepreneur, and Inventor. He has close to 100 patents in his name and has published five books. He has spoken at the convocation ceremonies at IIM Ahmedabad and IIT Kanpur and many other prominent institutions around the world. I am very honored to have you on our show.
#1 - Sam Pitroda
Show Introduction:
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, A show about Gujarati entrepreneurs and businessmen, and the stories behind their success in America. We talk about their struggles and opportunities on the road to success in the land of opportunity.
Guest Introduction:
Mr. Sam Pitroda is best known as the father of Indian Telecom. During his tenure as Advisor to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Mr. Pitroda led 6 technology missions. He is the man behind the STD/PCO booths that enabled Indians to speak to each other. Sam is an Engineer, Entrepreneur and Inventor. He has close to 100 patents in his name and has published five books. The patent of mobile wallet is also owned by him which he later sold to Master Card.
Learn about courage and starting your life back from scratch multiple times to achieve dreams. For Mr. Pitroda - the dream is to build a Nation "India".
Trailer - Dollar Gujarati
Welcome to Dollar Gujarati, a show about successful Gujarati entrepreneurs and professionals in America. We talk with them about their ideas and struggles on the road to success in this land of opportunity.
Why are we doing this?
As immigrants ourselves, we want to understand the different paths that successful immigrant Gujaratis have taken to establish themselves since this will help us navigate our journey in America.