India & U.S.: Upturn In A Downturn Theme Resonates With Audiences At NRI Global Summit 2009

SUNNYVALE, Calif.--(EON: Enhanced Online News)--Industry leaders from across the globe came together Saturday, October 24, to honor notable Indian achievers and discuss political and commercials trends affecting India and the U.S., at the annual NRI Global Summit 2009.

“With economic pressures and issues swaying companies in various directions, this summit allowed key executives and top professionals to assemble and network on avenues of interest”

Over 250 entrepreneurs and venture capitalists packed the India Community Center in Milpitas; among them were Dr. Shan Nair, co-founder of Nair & Co. and international president of the NRI Institute.

“With economic pressures and issues swaying companies in various directions, this summit allowed key executives and top professionals to assemble and network on avenues of interest,” Dr. Nair said.

The summit began with a keynote by Vinod K. Dham, famous as the Father of the Pentium and founder and executive managing director of NEA-IndoUS Ventures.

“Here in the Silicon Valley, NRI’s have been playing a key role as entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and top managers, in fostering a two-way flow of capital, skills and technology. However there is additional room for NRI’s to play an active role in strengthening cooperation between India and US in the areas of education, healthcare and energy,” Dham, who was awarded the lifetime achievement award later in the evening, said.

B.V. Jagadeesh, CEO of 3Leaf Systems, discussed the Silicon Valley’s integral role in producing successful startup companies as he spoke on the VC/Entrepreneur panel.

Joining Jagadeesh on the panel was Vish Mishra, venture director for Clearstone Venture Partners, who said the summit did a great job in addressing the issues facing entrepreneurs, mainly about raising capital and how strong business plan and a powerful referral can make a difference.

“The NRI Global Summit augments many such conferences and forums already available in Silicon Valley to benefit the Indian community,” he added.

The Summit was hosted by Raj Mathai, Emmy award-winning NBC Anchor and speakers Included Gunjan Bagla, Managing Director, Amritt Ventures; Harjiv Singh, Co-Founder and Co-CEO, Gutenberg Communications; Jagmohan Singh, National Secretary General, NRI Institute; Matt Shocklee, CEO, GSOS; Michael Dipaula-Coyle, Director Policy Advocacy, USIBC; Sandip Roy, Editor-Host, New America Media; Abrar A. Hussain, Senior Counsel, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer And Feld LLP; Aniruddha Joshi, Executive Director, Hirco PLC; Anurag Bhargava, Chairman, IREO; Arijit Sengupta, Founder, Beyondcore; Ash Kalra, Councilmember, San Jose; Atul Vashistha, Author, Offshore Nation; Bhaskar Menon, CEO, e4e; Dr. Rafiq Dossani, Executive Director, South Asia Initiative, Stanford University; Farhana Huq, Co-Founder and CEO For C.E.O Women; Gautam Godhwani, Founder, Simply Hired Inc.

Joining the above were Monica Kumar, Senior Director, Product Marketing, Oracle; Nithya A. Ruff, Senior Director, Key Accounts; Wind River Systems, R. Seetharaman, CEO, Doha Bank; Ragula Bhaskar, CEO, Fatpipe Networks; Rajesh Setty, President, Suggestica; Rennu Dhillon, Founder Genius Kids; Saad Khan, Partner, CMEA Capital; Sarah Singh, Filmmaker; Stephen Wares, VP Business Development, Nair & Co.; Summit Rai, Founder, Mobclix; Vikash Varma, CEO Of Stoke Inc.; Vikram Amar, Associate Dean, UC Davis School Of Law; Saroj Sahu, Founder, Deeya Energy; and Prashant Shah, Managing Director, Hummer Winbald Venture Partners.

The summit ended with a spectacular award program to honor NRIs and PIO for their achievements. Awardees included Vinod Dham, Executive Managing Director, NEA-IndoUS Ventures; B.V. Jagadeesh, CEO, 3LeafSystems; Vish Mishra, Venture Director, Clearstone Ventures; Pratibha Prahlad, Dancer, India; Ishaara, America’s Got Talent; Giju, Latin Dance pioneer, Anika Iyer, Founder, Skip a Birthday; Murali Krishnamurthy, Founder Chairman, Sankara Eye Foundation; Captain Mike Patel, Fellow Member, Royal Society For Encouragement of Arts; Mohan Gandhe, Marketing Controller, Padmavati Pharmaceuticals; Girija Shankar Sharma, Chief Secretary, Rajasthan Bal Kalyan Samiti, Jhadol; Peter Dhillion, CEO, Richberry Group of Companies; V. Krishnamurthy, Partner, Ashraya Developers; and Vijay Amritraj, founder, Vijay Amritraj Foundation.

Jagadeesh said, “I am humbled to receive the award. It is the work of my team and my people. I’d like to recognize my partner at Exodus, my wife and my family who worked with me day and night to help achieve these dreams.”

The night ended with lively entertainment from the San Jose Taiko, a world class performing ensemble, Giju’s Latin-Indian fusion dance and Ishaara, the America’s Got Talent Bollywood Dance troupe.

Nair & Co. was the presenting sponsor for the summit. The award-winning company provides businesses with an integrated solution in the HR, finance, tax, compliance and legal arenas making a company’s move overseas less risky, stress free and more strategic. In 2009, Nair & Co. was named among the top 100 outsourcing services providers in the world by the International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP).

Other sponsors include Ireo Management Pvt. Ltd, the first and the largest Private Equity Fund dedicated to the Indian real estate sector, Business Wire, Dharma Estate Wines, Dow Jones, Wall Street Journal, Turmeric, Sikara & Co., Sheraton Hotel, Hornblower Cruises, Stone Circle Media, Mount Madonna School, India-West, Desiclub.com, NRI Achievers Magazine, and SFIndian.com.

The NRI Global Summit 2009 affiliate partners are Churchill Club, Global Emerging Technology Institute (GETI), Harvard University Bay Area, India Community Center (ICC), Indian Business and Professional Women (IBPW), International Association of Outsourcing Professionals (IAOP), Silicon Valley Association of Startup Entrepreneurs (SVASE), South Asian Journalists Association (SAJA), South Asian MBA Association (SAMBAA), TiE-Boston, U.S. Chamber of Commerce U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC), Vokkaligara Parishat of America (VPA).