In 2006, I sold 300 stock options from my employer (GE Medical Systems) and founded TrustSquare. This was during a different era of Indian entrepreneurship — before startup culture was what it is today. Before accelerators, before pitch competitions, before everyone had a business plan and venture capital in their sights.
We were simply solving a problem we saw. And that experience of building, learning, failing, and growing shaped everything that came after. Today, I'm moving into a different phase. I'm building a startup fund that will give seed capital to students — young people with ideas, with hunger, with the willingness to take a risk on something they believe in.
But here's the thing about ecosystem: you can't build in isolation. The startup community isn't just about capital or ideas. It's about connections. It's about being part of conversations that matter. It's about knowing where the talent is, where the ideas are being born, where the energy is.
That's why I'm reaching out to the Tri-City startup ecosystem. I want to be connected. I want to know the people who are building, who are thinking bigger, who are taking risks. I want to be part of the groups, the events, the spaces where innovation is happening.
If you're someone active in this space — as a founder, as an investor, as someone organizing community, or simply as someone who believes in helping the next generation build — let's connect. Your recommendations matter. Your introductions matter.
The conversations that happen among builders — those are the ones that change everything.
Can & Able. T-96. 96 days to go.
