Vijay Kumar ( @chef.vijayakumar ) is a chef-partner at Semma ( @semmanyc , the only Michelin Star [ @michelinguide ] Indian restaurant in New York City), one of the hottest food spots in the city!

He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss transitioning from engineering to being a chef to excel in the culinary mecca of New York, going from starting a business in only two months to having his authentic South Indian food be recognized by the likes of the New York Times and Padma Lakshmi ( @padmalakshmi ), him sharing the best part about running the restaurant and so much more.

Follow Vijay:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/chef.vijayakumar/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Vijay Kumar
01:17 - What led him to this career path
02:59 - The demand of running a restaurant
04:42 - Wondering if he should’ve stuck with engineering
05:46 - Moving to New York City
09:34 - Coming up with the restaurant name; Semma?
10:42 - Building up his business; how long did it take?
12:24 - Cooking unapologetically
14:35 - The reception he received from non-Indian New Yorkers
16:26 - How he got a Michelin star
17:53 - Hosting Padma Lakshmi at his restaurant
20:00 - Not taking a vacation in three years
20:24 - His favourite dish to cook
21:08 - The exaggeration of cooking shows/movies
21:58 - Will he become a global brand ambassador for Indian cuisine?
22:41 - Initially aspiring to break barriers
23:37 - Are there negatives to his restaurant receiving so much attention?
24:09 - His favourite places to eat at in New York
26:20 - His favourite thing about New York City; the welcoming vibe
26:58 - One of his biggest learning lessons; COVID
28:57 - The Tamil community in New York City
30:01 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
30:57 - How he wants to be remembered by friends and family
31:48 - Creator Confessions
39:35 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan

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Sujani Siva ( @sujanisiva ) has worked for 12+ years in public health across various sectors (not-for-profit, academia and government) & founder of PH SPOT ( @phspot ). About 7.5 years ago, while concurrently working full-time for the government of Canada, she decided to build and launch PH SPOT to support the workforce in public health. To help them build their dream public health careers, where they get to not only make an impact but also find fulfillment in their careers.

She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss rediscovering LinkedIn, being raised by a single mother, putting in processes to scale PH SPOT without spending more time, her thoughts on AI, replying to every email (hundreds) she received during the first few years of getting her company off the ground, dealing with doubt as an entrepreneur and so much more.

Follow Sujani:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sujanisiva/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sujani Siva
01:27 - Formative years that shaped Sujani’s life path
03:15 - How she got into public health
05:04 - Her first job ever
07:18 - Working at the Government of Canada for 10+ years
10:17 - The story behind how she started PH SPOT
15:00 - Being told that starting her company was a mistake
19:48 - How much time she spends building her business
21:30 - Her secret to building a great community
24:36 - The struggles of being a solo founder
25:48 - Has she become less social while building her PH SPOT?
27:50 - Why she prefers bootstrapping over fundraising
29:37 - Sujani’s thoughts on AI
31:45 - Dealing with doubt as an entrepreneur
35:20 - Where she sees herself in the 3-5 years
37:24 - Sujani and Ara talking about how much money you really need
40:50 - Resources she leverages to be a lifelong learner
42:12 - Trying to make quicker decisions without procrastinating
46:31 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
49:35 - How she wants to be remembered by friends and family
51:21 - Creator Confessions
55:53 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan

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Nish Ithayakumar is a Vancouver-raised tech entrepreneur currently living in San Francisco, running Ponyrun (formerly Nimbus), an AI-based sales tool that helps automate research for high-quality results at scale, and the company was part of the prestigious Y-Combinator program.

He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss growing up in Vancouver (including the Grizzlies), playing “way too many video games” growing up, firsthand benefits of the Y-Combinator program for his startup, the Eureka moment that sparked the birth of Ponyrun, how his investors reacted to him pivoting from Nimbus to Ponyrun, leveraging a consulting job to open doors for his tech aspirations, the path to starting his own business (Ponyrun), the pros and cons of San Francisco, the importance of being an active listener, and so much more.

Follow Nish:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nithayakumar/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Nish Ithayakumar
01:08 - Nish speaks on his upbringing; video games and calculating what mattered
03:15 - Not being a fan of food
04:40 - Growing up during the Vancouver Grizzlies era
05:52 - From Vancouver to Toronto to San Francisco; following his passion for tech
06:43 - The challenges of transition from Canada to America for work
08:01 - Working for multiple companies before starting his own (Nimbus)
09:53 - His “Eureka moment”
11:19 - From targeting small customers to bigger ones
13:37 - How his investors reacted to him pivoting from Nimbus to Ponyrun
15:53 - Coming up with the name Ponyrun; focusing on what mattered (customers)
16:39 - Excelling at creating solutions; seeing a gap for automation
18:59 - Are the responses they’ve received positive, negative, or neutral?
21:29 - How CRM fits into his business operations
22:17 - Ponyrun surpassing Nimbus revenue in five months of operations
23:12 - Benefits of being part of the Y Combinator program; fundraising, network, etc.
25:21 - How the easy path dilutes you
26:20 - Being at an inflection point
27:25 - Is too much automation a bad; having to handhold and showcase value
29:09 - Having a product that could help generate more sales for himself
30:40 - His business model; a monthly subscription
31:06 - What are Nish’s future plans for Ponyrun?
31:57 - Does he miss Vancouver and was moving to San Francisco the right decision?
33:15 - The perception of San Francisco
35:47 - Nish’s favourite things about living in San Francisco; views, food, and more
37:10 - Where he sees himself professionally/personally over the next 5-10 years
38:34 - How his family feels about San Francisco; their role in his decision-making
39:16 - The importance of sense of community amidst today’s loneliness epidemic
40:12 - Learning lessons he’s picked up along his journey; active listening as a skill
43:41 - The Tamil community in Vancouver versus San Francisco versus Toronto
45:57 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
49:18 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family
50:01 - Creator Confessions
1:02:15 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan

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Usha Srinivasan has a fascinating career spanning over 30 years - as a scientist, market research consultant, innovation ecosystem builder, entrepreneur, and now also an Angel investor. She is the Founding Director of Brampton Venture Zone ( @bvzbrampton ), a non-equity, purpose-driven incubator operated by TMU and funded by the City of Brampton. Before that, she was VP of Partnerships at Elevate Tech Festival ( @elevatetechca ) and COO of a Food tech startup. Her most significant role in the past 15 years has been with MaRS Discovery District ( @marsdiscoverydistrict ), where she was VP of venture and talent programs. She spent ten years building entrepreneurship programs and supporting the growth of regional innovation centers across the province of Ontario with her team. Her career experiences working in academia, corporations, consulting firms, and startups also included living and working in multiple countries worldwide, including Iran, Dubai, the UK, the US, and Canada. She is dedicated to being a lifelong learner and always has a side hustle - including a French patisserie and a record label business. She believes in a life driven by purpose and unconditional giving.

She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss her work as Founding Director of Brampton Venture Zone, being born in South India (Chennai) and living internationally, the 10+ years she spent at MaRS Discovery District building entrepreneurship programs, never applying for a job as it was advertised but rather pitching herself to make opportunities, being a lifelong learner and embracing new challenges, being a breast cancer survivor, and so much more.

Follow Usha:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/srinivasanusha/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Usha Srinivasan
02:29 - Usha speaks on the skills/perspective developed by moving every three years
05:33 - How she accidentally ended up in Toronto
09:10 - Will she ever go back to the United States?
10:18 - Working for MaRS as employee #25
15:35 - Why she left MaRS; the importance of relationship-building to secure jobs
17:51 - Managing a full time job and family while starting a bakery (Petit Paris); her experience
23:38 - The importance of making mistakes; encouraging her kids to be lifelong learners
26:40 - How did Usha transition from coaching her kids to becoming their friends
29:08 - The food-tech start-up (House Chef) she worked with prospering before COVID
37:02 - Brampton Venture Zone; what it is and what her role entails
40:34 - Companies that have experience rapid growth/and that she’s excited about
45:50 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
47:22 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends and family
48:38 - Creator Confessions
56:53 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan

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Peter Duraisami ( @peter.duraisami ) is the CEO at The Scott Mission ( @thescottmission ).

He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss his journey from working in a kitchen to becoming CEO, an innate desire to bring justice to the poor and finding his faith in 1997, not wanting to leave India but feeling compelled by God, seeing unseen levels of poverty during COVID, making the transition from the business world to a life of Ministry, and so much more!

Follow Peter:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-duraisami-785b4b35/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Peter Duraisami
00:52 - Growing up as the youngest of 8 in India; finding his faith
03:50 - Where are his siblings now?
04:59 - Why Peter picked Canada; feeling compelled by God
08:22 - Transitioning from business to a life of Ministry
11:21 - How he got involved with The Scott Mission; Tyndale in 1990
13:05 - His progression at The Scott Mission; kitchen to CEO
15:11 - The Scott Mission’s impact and his role over the years
22:42 - How The Scott Mission has been able to sustain itself
26:27 - Where Peter sees himself in the next 3-5 years
28:44 - How his family has supported him through his career
30:47 - Peter’s connection to his Tamil identity
33:08 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
35:44 - Creator Confessions

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan

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Suba Umathevan ( @suba.umathevan ) is the CEO of DROSOS FOUNDATION, a Switzerland-based non-profit committed to unlocking the potential of young people.

She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss the work she's done in the non-profit work for the last 10+ years including at the DROSOS FOUNDATION and Plan International Switzerland, being raised in Switzerland and having Tamil values instilled in her from a young age, how she got her TEDx talk opportunity, wanting to become a Swiss diplomat due to discussions about politics with her dad, personal and professional growth she’s experienced along her career journey, her direct approach being a byproduct of her Germanic upbringing, viewing herself as a “connector", her admiration for Oprah Winfrey, and so much more!

Follow Suba:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/suba009/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Suba Umathevan
01:10 - Suba speaks on her formative years; turning trauma into resilience
02:58 - Why her parents chose to flee to Switzerland
04:59 - Was the world more welcoming to refugees back in the day?
07:47 - The Tamil community being more populated in Toronto versus Switzerland
09:00 - Why Suba pursued a career in the non-profit world
10:51 - The cost of living in Switzerland
12:17 - Plan International; what they do and a key milestone for Suba
15:22 - Transitioning from a Director-level position to a C-Suite role
18:26 - What is the DROSOS foundation; unlocking young people’s potential
23:21 - 15,000 foundations existing in Switzerland; the history behind it
24:26 - Why Suba prioritizes connecting with her team versus coaching them
29:08 - The DROSOS foundation entering its 20th anniversary; new vision
30:45 - Pursuing education in Canada; how the country shaped her
32:33 - What the Tamil community is like in Switzerland
35:04 - Tedx Talk; how the opportunity came to be
36:28 - Several failures during her first year at Brussels
38:43 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
39:24 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for
40:15 - Creator Confessions
46:47 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan

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Alex Emmanuel is a UK-born, Canadian Expat living in New York City who went to work his way up at several start-ups (Skillshare, Grailed, etc.) before going all in with some friends to co-found a gaming app called 1v1me (@1v1meapp) that successfully raised a Series A while also being profitable.

He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss wanting to have gone to culinary school, how engineering was a tool that allowed him to pursue his passion of creating technology, prioritizing education over compensation early on in his career, growing his business 77% MoM (Month over Month) over the first 13 months of operations ($14,000 in sales for the first month to over $3 million in a recent month), why he opted to raise money vs bootstrapping, and so much more.

Follow Alex:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/alexander-emmanuel/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Alexander Emmanuel
01:28 - Alex speaks on growing up in Ottawa; moving to bigger cities like NY
02:37 - The impact of his parents working for Nortel/in the tech scene
03:48 - Growing up in a tight-knit family; cousins are like siblings
04:19 - Getting laid off and moving to New York within a span of two weeks
06:14 - How the first iPhone sparked Alex’s passion for engineering
09:14 - Carleton having an underrated engineering school
10:50 - Could he have achieved the same success in Toronto that he’s seen in NY?
13:44 - Staying at multiple companies for long periods before starting his own venture
16:30 - The moment he decided to start his own company
23:37 - How his company’s staking model works
24:11 - Biggest factors that have contributed to his company’s success
27:54 - The game titles he works with (Madden, NBA 2K, Call of Duty)
29:16 - Not needing licensing due to fair use laws
30:51 - Why Alex opts for raising money over bootstrapping
34:09 - His learning habits operating a 24/7 business; doing
36:11 - How he handles having to be switched on all the time; being intentional
38:39 - Learning lessons during the course of his career; why timing is everything
41:36 - The Tamil community in New York; and food spots
43:59 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self; from lazy to disciplined
45:09 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family
46:03 - Creator Confessions
52:19 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan

Support the show

Cheyanne Ratnam (@rising.phoenix7) is the Co-founder & CEO of the Ontario Children's Advancement Coalition. She is passionate about equity, developing inclusive and accessible anti-racist spaces and processes, and social innovation. As a social entrepreneur she has dedicated much of her life/expertise in child welfare, homelessness, and equity issues. She is passionate about youth homelessness, child welfare, SDoH, childhood sexual abuse, GBV/IPV, youth development, mobilization and ethical engagement, equity, anti-racism, & human rights issues. Her life experiences spanning various identities and histories sparked much of her life's work and recognition for her work.

She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how she’s impressively overcome several unfortunate life circumstances to come out on the other side (including being homeless, dealing with violence, and healing from generational trauma), why peace is expensive, Canada measuring wellness from an economic perspective versus New Zealand’s benchmark, being a target of human trafficking, why family is chosen, and so much more.

Follow Cheyanne:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/cheyanneratnam/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/rising.phoenix7/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Cheyanne Ratnam
01:49 - Cheyanne speaks on how her past led to her current life trajectory
09:12 - Healing is a lifelong journey; her experience with it
12:01 - Addressing the prison pipeline; prevention versus intervention
20:23 - The long-term cost saving effect of mitigating homelessness
22:53 - Affordable housing for the homeless/those who can’t afford a home
25:38 - Cheyanne speaks on being a target of human trafficking
30:37 - Starting the Ontario Children’s Advancement Coalition
40:35 - Why pure intention is not enough for actual change
46:12 - Her strategy behind being socially innovative and sustaining her life
50:04 - Cheyanne speaks on being in survival mode since the age of 8
52:58 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
54:53 - Her definition of family; it being chosen
59:21 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for
1:00:53 - Creator Confessions
1:22:27 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan

Support the show