After raising just over $1M in seed funding from 14 angels across Silicon Valley, Russia, Dubai and London, I’m building the next generation Internet Security Company for smart devices, called MetaCert. With the biggest data set of its kind worldwide, MetaCert helps families, schools and enterprises provide better protection against harmful and inappropriate content. Now focused on solving the security threats behind mobile apps that use WebView.
In 2004 I became an investor and Partner in one of Dublin’s most glamorous Michelin star Indian restaurants called Jaipur in Malahide, Dublin.
In 2003 I founded a software testing company called Segala, generating $2.2M revenue in year one. It was profitable within months and later became one of the most respected test houses in the mobile industry. Segala was the first test house worldwide, to become an Associate member of the GSM Association.
I started my Internet career when I joined AOL as a young startup during the mid 90’s. I started as a technician and soon after I became the first Technical Accounts Manager and International Beta Coordinator in Europe.
I spent 12 years in the UK where I was Chair of the British Interactive Media Association (BIMA) for 3 years and Advisor to the British Council on its Digital Pioneer Program with Hong Kong and Advisor to its Creative Entrepreneur Program with India. I gave regular speaking engagements throughout Europe and was a judge at many startup awards. I’ve spoken at numerous Universities including Hass Business School Berkley, University College Dublin and National University of Ireland in Galway.
I have been Advisor to numerous tech startups in the UK and Ireland as well as Angels Den, Europe’s largest Angel Network. I helped to stimulate the startup ecosystem in the UK by creating some of the most widely attended networking events for entrepreneurs and investors. I am currently on the Board of iTagged, an artificial intelligence platform with social applications.
I have contributed to more than 10 Industry technical standards and specifications and was one of the seven original founders of the W3C Mobile Web Initiative and I co-instigated the creation of the W3C standard for content labeling, formally replacing PICS in 2009.
Nihaal is a Private Equity Finance Solicitor at a Tier-1 law firm in the City of London. He specialises in acquisition finance with a particular focus on advising private equity houses and financial sponsors on their domestic and cross-border leveraged finance acquisitions and investment holdings. He also sits on the India Group Committee at his law firm. As part of his professional career, Nihaal has spent 6-months on secondment as Legal Counsel in the private equity division of an international specialist bank and asset manager.
By background, Nihaal read Law at the University of Warwick and achieved a Master of Laws with distinction at the University of Law. He has spent 6-months working in leading Indian corporate law firms in Mumbai and New Delhi from which he has developed strong relationships within India.
Nihaal is also a board member of City Hindus Network, a 3,000 member strong networking organisation in London; he was recently elected as Vice-Chairman.
Among his many community activities, Brent has served on the Senate of the University of Alberta, Chaired the Edmonton Public Library Board of Trustees, held an executive position on the University of Alberta Alumni Council , and was a long time board member of a multicultural fundation serving the needs of south Edmonton communities.
Sue dispenses a plethora of capital through innumerable loan workshops to: organizations, groups, churches, associations, chambers of commerce, non-profits, colleges, franchises, and entrepreneurial organizations. She is proud, along with other banks, to work directly with the SBA, as well as SCORE (Service Corps of Retired Executives), Women’s Business Centers, and SBA Small Business Development Centers (SBDC’s).
An inspirational speaker, she has been highlighted in countless speaking engagements, as well as in newspaper articles, magazines, television, radio, conventions, and CNN. Together with her numerous awards and with the assistance of the lenders she has partnered with, she has been responsible for their achieving the #1 SBA lender status in West Virginia, South Carolina, Louisiana, Tennessee, Hawaii, North Carolina, and in the top five lenders category in other districts.
Sue Malone has a degree in accounting and an MBA in finance. As such, she brings not only the requisite education and expertise, but also the proven commitment to care deeply for the success of this Nation’s small businesses.
Lia has been involved with Shanti to help bring out other people’s art. Ideas are born and at many times lost, but if given the opportunity to shine they will not fade away. This is one of the goals Lia is working towards along with Shanti. Not only to bring the beauty and craftsmanship to a variety of designs, but to help people in India have their ideas shown.
Emma Baier is a student at the University of California, Davis, and is currently interning for Shanti Life, working to assist in Shanti’s web development, writing of online content, and event planning and set-up.
Majoring in Design and Cognitive Science (with a Computational Emphasis) and pursuing a minor in English, Emma is set to begin her third year of study in the Fall. The work she does for Shanti shows her passion for everything that it stands for, as well as a bit of her emerging simple yet bold style of design and writing. She plans to graduate from UC Davis in 2021, and aspires to have a career in design and technology.
Anurag Varma is Head of Global Government Government Affairs for Infosys Limited, a global technology consulting firm where he develops and executes public policy strategies involving national and regional governments in each of the company’s key markets, including the U.S., Canada, European Union, Australia and India. Prior to joining Infosys, Anurag served as public policy counsel before the U.S. Congress and Administration on behalf of foreign sovereign clients, Indian private sector interests and Indian American trade associations. Among the wide variety of trade and policy matters covered by Mr. Varma, he served as lead U.S. policy counsel for the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC) on the passage of legislation for the U.S.-India Civil Nuclear Agreement and also for U.S. corporate efforts to limit the adverse impact of U.S. immigration legislation on U.S.-India relations. Over his career, the sovereign entities represented by Mr. Varma have included the Governments of India, Sri Lanka, the Republic of Korea, the Maldives, and a national political party in Bangladesh on U.S. policy.
Mr. Varma also provided strategic trade advice, engages U.S. and Indian government officials, and coordinates legal strategy for U.S. multinationals facing market entry and other policy matters in India.
Mr. Varma also represented numerous national organizations of Americans of Indian descent in Washington, D.C., including the Asian American Hotel Owners Association whose 15,000 Indian American members own 50% of all U.S. hotel properties.
In addition to his public law and policy work, Mr. Varma served on the lead plaintiffs’ counsel teams for national civil rights class action cases on behalf of African American farmers and Native American farmers resulting in settlements of over $2 billion and $760 million, respectively.
Community Involvement
- Member, Presidential Rank Award Review Board (2014, 2015)
- Member, Advisory Board, Resnick Program for Food Law and Policy, UCLA Law School (2014-present)
- Member, United Way Worldwide, Leadership Council for India (2007–2013)
- National Board Member, Indian American Leadership Initiative (2003–2013)
- Pro bono counsel (Global Advocacy Team), Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Center for Human Rights (2003–2011).
Speaking Engagements
- Speaker, “Addressing USDA Discrimination With Civil Rights Litigation,” UCLA Law School, January 28, 2015
- Speaker, “ObamaCare & How Government Impacts Your Business,” Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) Annual Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 21, 2014
Before he set up Moracle in 2008, he has worked with over 60 diverse charities and not for profit organisations on financial matters including: external and internal audits, due diligence work, systems and procedures reviews, investigations, benchmarking, financial reporting and governance.
After all his experience, knowledge and qualifications gained over the years in his former employments, Morlai felt that he could make a career by training accounting graduates in helping smaller charity clients, and also by assisting with management information systems, accountancy matters as well as audit matters. So he decided to leave haysmacintyre in 2008 to set up his own audit firm called Moracle. As a success, Morlai has now been running Moracle for nearly 6 years with over 80 clients in the charity or non-charity sectors.
In 2010, he also set up Moracle Foundation as a vehicle for Moracle, the Firm to invest some of its resources into a charitable venture that gives back to the communities in which it operates. The vision of Moracle Foundation is to provide realistic and sustainable vocational training opportunities to accountancy trainees and graduates from disadvantaged backgrounds, in a manner that augments local and community benefits.
Hundreds of Colleges, Universities and specialist training and distance learning institutions provide academic training to prepare accounting technicians and accountancy students. After passing the different stages of the academic exams, graduates/students need to build up a vocational record documenting their practical work experience covering different competency areas. This vocational training is provided by accountancy firms with the required portfolio of senior qualified staff and practice licenses. The large multinational accountancy firms provide trainee contracts, paying attractive salaries. For most trainees from disadvantaged backgrounds, training is provided by small accountancy practices/firms.
There is a dearth of schemes that purposefully recruit and place these trainees with a view to getting them fully qualified, through an efficient and socially beneficial framework. Moracle Foundation operates within a niche by providing work placement and vocational training to disadvantaged trainees, who would work under supervision from qualified and experienced accountants, to provide subsidised accounting support to community organisations and social enterprises.
Morlai uses much of his spare time working for voluntary organisations and he is also a Steward at his local Church.