Praveen Tailam
Managing Director
As a managing director Praveen overseas the operation of the TiE Angels functions and partnerships. Praveen is an investor, mentor, start-up advisor, entrepreneur and business plan competition judge. Prior experience includes Information Technology and Consulting. Praveen incorporated Redtail Consulting, a Boston area consulting firm and managed the business from 2006 thru 2012. Praveen was associated with companies in retail, banking and insurance sectors and catering to their IT infrastructure needs. Prior to being an entrepreneur his direct engagements were in managing and deploying enterprise messaging solutions at IBM, Putnam Investments, Wellpoint, Blue Cross Blue Shield etc,.
Additionally Praveen works closely with his dentist wife in managing multiple dental practices in New Hampshire area.
Praveen has Masters in Information Systems from Northeastern University and Bachelors in Mechanical Engineering. Praveen is an avid golfer and has interests in cricket and squash. Praveen is active charter member of TiE-Boston.
Ramesh Kumar
Chairman
Ramesh brings deep entrepreneurial and sector expertise in mobile marketing, mobile loyalty and big data analytics. Ramesh is Managing Director of zakipoint, a big data analytics company focused on retail, telecom and media. He also co-founded DataAnalyticsTV – an online service to teach executives data analytics.
Prior to zakipoint, Ramesh headed 2ergo Plc’s (AIM listed as RGO:L) Mobile Couponing and Ticketing business in the Americas. He sold his business, ActiveMedia Technology (AMT), a leading international mobile couponing and ticketing platform provider with presence in the UK and India, to 2ergo in July 2009.
Ramesh played several roles at AMT, ranging from Board Director, Managing Director (UK), head of M&A and alliances, head of Sales and Marketing, and Product Marketing. Customers like Orange, Sprint, Vodafone, Virgin Mobile, Airtel, Blockbuster, P&G and others used AMT’s mobile couponing platform.
Ramesh is an expert in the mobile marketing industry and a frequent speaker at industry events. He has presented his work at forums like Mobile World Congress (3GSM). He has served on the board of Mobile Marketing Association (UK), and was its Deputy Chairman.
Ramesh spent his early career in technology implementation at netdecisions (now Agilisys) and strategy consulting at Monitor Group. His work at Monitor included advising C level executives across a range of industries, including financial services, telecom, and CPG brands. He served clients in the US, the Philippines, Turkey, Spain, Portugal, Israel, and Pakistan.
Ramesh holds a BA and MEng in Engineering, Econonmics and Management from Oxford University, UK and an MSc. in Operations Management from University of Pennsylvannia. and has completed part of the Owner President Management Program (OPM) at Harvard Business School.
Deepak Sindwani
Deal Sourcing, Deal Screening
Deepak joined Bain Capital Ventures in 2009. Prior to joining Bain Capital, Deepak was a senior investment professional with Comcast Interactive Capital (CIC), the venture capital fund affiliated with Comcast Corp., where he led numerous early-stage and growth-stage investments in the media and communications sectors. Prior to CIC, Deepak was a business development consultant to three telecom-related startups and was a product manager at Lucent Technologies, where he helped launch a new web switching product. Earlier in his career, Deepak was a co-founder of an Internet software startup named ikimas, Inc. and an investment banker with Credit Suisse First Boston Technology Group.
Dr. Kiran Rao
Deal Screening
Kiran a Principal at Grove Street Advisors, a private equity fund-of-funds with over $6 billion assets under management. Kiran focuses on private equity fund investment activities across sectors, including fund due diligence and evaluation, as well as monitoring existing investments. Prior to joining GSA in 2009, Kiran was a Principal at the Boston Consulting Group. He has experience leading strategy consulting projects and developing client relationships across three continents with BCG, having worked for significant periods in BCG’s Boston, Zurich and Mumbai offices. Kiran worked on a broad range of strategy, finance, and operations projects in a variety of industries ranging from healthcare and financial services to consumer and industrial goods. He specialized in BCG’s healthcare practice area where he led cases with large pharma, medical technology and health services companies.
Kiran received his MBBS from Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (Bangalore) and his MBA from Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
Kartik Shah
Deal Screening
Kartik is a founding partner of Skyscape and after helping to grow the business the past 10 years, assisted in its sale to a New York private equity group Perseus, LLC. Kartik now serves as the Chief Technology Officer of Physicians Interactive Holding, an aggregate of three healthcare technology companies, including Skyscape. Kartik has more than 20 years experience in cutting-edge technology development, financial management, G&A/logistics and business development activities. Prior to joining Skyscape, Kartik served at Cornerstone Software as Vice President of Software Development where he managed the development and deployment of the Company’s key middleware software products which are in use at major corporations and institutions around the globe.
Kartik earned his Master’s in Computer Engineering from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from Victoria Jubilee Technical Institute (VJTI), Bombay and has completed advanced management courses offered by the Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania. Kartik was an active volunteer assisting the core members including Desh Deshpande, Adi Guzdar and Samir Desai during the initial years of formation of TiE-Boston.
Steve Dahill
PR & Marketing
Steve has led global sales, channels and marketing organizations at successful software start-ups (Raptor Systems, Axent Technologies, Funk Software) as well as at technology industry leaders (Sun Microsystems, Sybase and Juniper Networks).
Steve was Vice President of Sales at Funk Software which was acquired by Juniper in 2005. At Juniper, Steve held senior management position including Vice President of Software Sales, Vice President of Advanced Technologies – a team comprised of Juniper’s acquisitions 2003-2005: Neoteris, Peribit, Redline and Funk Software. Most recently, Steve managed Juniper’s IBM Global Sales Team.
Steve is an active member of TiE Boston’s Steering Committee and is a mentor and coach in the Entrepreneurial Program at The College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA where he received a BA degree.
Ramesh Motwane
Member Relations
Ramesh is Chairman and Founder of Eastern Contractors, Inc. He holds BS in Civil Engineering from Northeastern University, Boston. He is responsible for crafting and executing construction of Institutional infrastructure as a General Contractor, Electrical, Communications and Mechanical (HVAC). In March 2003, Northeastern University honored Ramesh with their selection to induct him as Director of National Council. The Company grew from nothing to half a Billion Dollars Bonding listed amongst the TOP 100 privately held business owned by Indians in the United States.
In “India Abroad-Ventures International 100″ the Company ranked first in the construction business, ranked first in the Northeast region, and fifth in the United States Residual Treatment Facility (MWRA) $ 214 Million Project. They were awarded The Massachusetts Historical Commission 1998 Preservation Award “Quinsigamond School Worcester”. Ramesh is a Charter Member of The IndUS Entrepreneur-Atlantic (TIE). He also accompanied President Clinton on his India visit in March 2000. He served on the board of Trustees of Mass. Bay Community College as well as on the board of Governors on Privatization of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He is a past President of India Association of Greater Boston (IAGB).