Adjunct Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering
Education
Biography
From a very young age, Sid learned not to leave change to chance.
At 7 he learned to be self-sufficient in treating the genetic blood disorder (Hemophilia) he suffered from. At 14, he learned to balance intellect and humility and published his first book of poetry. At 16 he convinced his parents that his future must be shaped in America and migrated to US without his family. Working through engineering school he learned that self-sufficiency begins with selflessness; to succeed one must be able to continually deliver value to friends, family and society.
Embracing his entrepreneurial talents, at 21, Sid started and exited his first company while at college. Pursuing his curiosity around the purpose of life, he explored various spiritual and philosophical schools of thoughts. At 25, he taught comparative Eastern and Western philosophy. Sid’s professional career was built on being a trusted advisor. At 27, he became the youngest partner of a national management consulting firm serving fortune 500 clients.
Early in his career, Sid realized that trust, flexibility, agility and authenticity are the cornerstones of progress. During the next three decades, he supported large scale acquisitions, acted as the principal investor and operator in company turnarounds. As serial entrepreneur, Sid founded and led several early-stage and hyper-growth companies from inception to acquisition. Many times over, he shouldered the responsibility for meeting payroll and wrote checks to acquire or invest in companies; learning to think both like an investor and a founder; facing, accepting, and overcoming his share of failures and successes in ideas and ventures. Along the way, Sid learned that the wounds of failures are the pathways to our next best version.
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As an educator, he has influenced the minds of many across the globe. To see students comprehend concepts through the sparkle of their eyes, is Sid’s true passion. He has taught Strategy, Finance, Venture Capital, Negotiation and Data Analytics to MBAs and Graduate level Engineers at University of Southern California (USC), Chapman University, and University of California in Irvine (UCI). He has also created and delivered leadership and management programs attended by thousands of corporate executives. Sid considers the privilege to impact others on their life path and to provoke and motive them to discover their authentic self and excel as his greatest accomplishment.
As a professional fund manager and angel investor, Sid has mentored dozens of entrepreneurs, met with hundreds of start-up companies, and reviewed countless business plans. In his support of the entrepreneurial community he served as a mentor for Kaufman Foundation and a commercial evaluator for National Science Foundation. Sid contributed to the California Legislature in empowering the small business community. He founded The Indus Entrepreneur (TiE) organization in South Coast and served as the president of the largest seed funding organization in US.
As an advisor and board member, he has counseled corporate leaders across a wide spectrum of industries and scale – from fortune 500 to a man and a laptop ventures. In his journey, Sid appreciates the perspectives of conglomerates, middle market players and start-ups. Working with some of the most exciting leaders and organizations, Sid has learned the value of people and cultures, experimentation and innovation, and clarity of thought and communication.
As a thought leader, he has been featured at TEDx as well as on various Television, Radio programs and Podcasts. Amongst others, his articles have been published in Inc. and Forbes. His case studies are available on Harvard Business Review and used by educators globally. His book the Caterpillar’s Edge made the top 100 best business and strategy books on Amazon and is recommended to MBA students by various universities. His new book “The Entrepreneurial Philosophy” is scheduled for a late-2020 release.
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Sid has earned a reputation as the “Entrepreneur philosopher.”
He believes in our individual ability to shape our destiny. There are always infinite opportunities ahead of us, regardless of our origins and limitations. Our transformational mindset and ability to embrace uncertainty and leave our addictions to sameness behind are key to realizing our next best version - to evolve. To be impactful, Sid believes that we have to realize that we are the sculptor, the artist who is always working on and perfecting our masterpiece – the sculpture of self. He considers entrepreneurship a talent that we all possess. A talent that is stimulated as we acknowledge our capabilities and pursue our love of wisdom – our Personal Entrepreneurial Philosophy (PEP)
Sid continues to believe that progress is rooted in staying relevant and not leaving change to chance.
