2008 office bearers of TiE presenting a memo to Dr. Sanjay Gupta

Dr. Sanjay Gupta delivering the keynote address

The speaker expatiated at length the manner in which discussions take place among Indian families back home in India. He shared the experiences he had during his sojourn in India. He said: “I still remember the discussions in lunches and dinners that I had with all my uncles, aunts, cousins and other family members. We talked about movies, cricket, politics and businesses and so on. We see entrepreneurship in spirit in these family talks.”

Dr. Sanjay Gupta cited many examples to drive home the point that the quality of entrepreneurship was an innate trait in the South Asian community. He also shared his experiences visiting countries worldwide to fulfill his journalistic assignments. He claimed he had visited 18 countries across the world but India still remained his favorite. He told the audience how the villagers in Tsunami-affected areas in Tamilnadu managed their affairs. They behaved like adepts in crisis management by forming different groups to tackle the various issues they were facing.

The speaker added: “I always give talks on medicine. But the atmosphere was different here. It looked like a secret club of entrepreneurs. I wanted to merge myself into the group of entrepreneurs of the evening.”

The keynote address, punctuated with anecdotes, was both informative and entertaining. Dr. Raj Pandya introduced Dr. Sanjay Gupta to the audience.
 

The anniversary celebration included lively dance recitals to the latest Hollywood/Bollywood tunes, sumptuous dinner with an extensive desert bar, awards presentation to successful entrepreneurs and a couple of addresses by distinguished guests. Silent killers - a musical group of Prem - enthralled the audience with some titillating Bollywood tunes.

Commending the achievements of TiE Atlanta, Suren Dutia, CEO of TiE Global remarked: “It is indeed a great honor and privilege to be in the presence of galaxy of presidents of companies, thought leaders and guests.” He said Atlanta has grown into one of the most active business groups networking and focusing on entrepreneurship in Metro Atlanta. He appreciated the efforts put in by Nandan Sheth and his team for celebrating the 10th anniversary of TiE Atlanta in such a grand manner.

Shirley Franklin, Mayor of Atlanta, had sent a congratulatory message to TiE Atlanta through her Chief of Staff Greg Pridgeon. In her message, the Mayor lauded the services of TiE Atlanta.
 

Izenda CEO Sanjay Bhatia receiving the upcoming entrepreneur award	Nandan Sheth receiving the mayor's message from Viren Mayani

Awards were presented to successful entrepreneurs in different categories. Kiran Lingam received the award of ambassador of the year. The leadership award went to Kirit Patel and Asish Thakur; the upcoming entrepreneur award to Sanjay Bhatia; and the best CFO award to Asish Pal. Anil Khatod, president-elect, presented a lifetime service to community award to Vir Nanda, a TiE member.

Media Perx, a TiE member, presented an interesting and informative documentary tracing the 10-year history of TiE Atlanta.

The program began with the melodious rendition of both American and Indian national anthems by Dr. Aparna Pandya

Earlier, welcoming the gathering, Nandan Sheth, president of TiE Atlanta, recalled with pride the accomplishments of TiE Atlanta and set out the goals for the ensuing decade.
He said: “TiE Atlanta’s contribution to the local community is much greater than its ability to organize great events or attract world class speakers. With close to 400 members and 35 mentors TiE has added hundreds of millions of dollars to the Georgia economy”.

Currently the TiE Atlanta has over 60 growth companies owned and managed by its members. These companies are collectively valued at over $1billion and employ several hundred Georgia residents.