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     

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Nitesh Pillai (@nitesh.pillai) is professional model that was discovered on TikTok (where he has 100K+ followers & over 5 million likes).

He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss immigrating from Malaysia to Australia, going from being a victim of bullying to being discovered by IMG Models (an international leader in talent discovery), juggling school and his modelling career, questioning the purpose of education due to his current career path, participating in Paris fashion week, and so much more.

Follow Nitesh:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/nitesh.pillai/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Nitesh Pillai
01:37 - How Nitesh became a model; overcoming bullying
05:19 - The different perspectives his brothers provided
07:11 - Missing his family in Malaysia and the “next level” food
08:28 - Being discovered on TikTok by IMG Models 
09:32 - Misconceptions about being a model
11:13 - Dealing with last minute requests
12:22 - How his parents feel about his modelling career
13:52 - Balancing his modelling career and school
14:43 - Contemplating not finishing school; don’t tell his dad
15:49 - The longevity of a modelling career; 5-10 year shelf life
17:22 - Will his degree be useful; his passion for music, writing, and more
18:19 - Favourite places he’s been able to travel for work; Paris, Portugal
19:27 - Why Nitesh only sees himself living in Australia; a non-stop holiday
20:45 - How to adapt an “every day is a holiday” mindset; family
22:21 - Would he consider moving back to Malaysia?
24:58 - Why his parents moved to Australia; his dad’s incredible story
26:15 - What his ideal day to day looks like; stretching, sports, etc.
27:39 - How he views money and spends it for his modelling career
30:17 - Craziest stuff he’s seen in the world of fashion
32:29 - The 1% of models; wanting to create his own lane
34:06 - Learning lessons; breaking his jaw
35:57 - Advice he would give his 14-year-old self
37:39 - How he wants to be remembered by friends and family
37:54 - Creator Confessions
41:15 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan    

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Angela Asiana (@angelaasiana) is a Swiss-based musician, model & social media star.  

She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss her unique way of networking through Instagram, navigating the negative side of social media, gradually winning her parents’ approval, who her dream collaborations would be with including The Weeknd (@theweeknd) & A.R. Rahman (@arrahman), the importance of maintaining mental and physical health as an artist, quitting her job last year to pursue music full-time, the importance of gratitude, and so much more.

Follow Angela:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/angelaasiana/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Angela Asiana
00:47 - Angela speaks on what led her to a career in arts and culture
02:07 - Music being for herself and social media being a fun thing to do
04:21 - Discussing another Swiss music star in Priya Ragu
04:56 - The negative side of special media; remembering your roots
06:08 - Finding yourself in today’s world/digital era
08:30 - How Angela’s parents feel about her pursuing this career path
13:15 - Her favourite song to date
15:08 - Why she enjoys creating music videos
17:33 - Being an independent artist but open to working with a label
18:56 - Wanting to collaborate with The Weeknd and A. R. Rahman
20:26 - How she perceives herself; as an artist and musician
22:30 - What her schedule looks like; and the power of Instagram
26:15 - How she approaches networking/relationship building
28:27 - Deciding to go all-in with her dream; quitting her job
33:18 - Her biggest failures/learning lessons 
34:56 - The importance of practicing gratitude; her morning routine
38:53 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
39:33 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends/family
39:57 - Creator Confessions
45:22 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan    

Support the show

Sujan Selven (@sujanselven) is a serial entrepreneur with his latest venture, Space Group, focused on the telecommunications industry. He is also a founder of social enterprise Upcycled Tech (@upcycled_tech), which provides upcycled tech devices to improve the lives and well-being of those in need, starting with remote villages in Sri Lanka.

He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss how Jack Ma influenced him to think about positively about problems, how COVID led him to create Upcycled Tech/giving back to the Tamil community in Sri Lanka through this social enterprise, future growth plans for his business Space Group, wanting to be known for taking action instead of just talking, the importance of facing challenges head-on, and so much more.

Follow Sujan:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sujanselven/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/sujanselven/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sujan Selven
00:40 - What led Sujan down an entrepreneurial path
02:07 - Being born in Sri Lanka, migrating to Australia
04:08 - Admiration for Jack Ma; problems create solutions
06:18 - Upcycled Tech; what it is and why he started it
10:18 - Transforming Upcycled Tech to a social enterprise
13:12 - The Upcycled Tech team; how it came together
14:34 - Space Group; what prompted him to start this
16:09 - Space Group’s purpose; civil, electrical, and telecom services
17:09 - Initially not knowing where Space Group would take him
19:19 - How he secures sales (contracts) for Space Group
20:49 - How he finds talent; setting others up for success
22:38 - Reducing role with Space Group to focus on Upcycled Tech (to help enable connectivity to remote villages in Sri Lanka)
25:08 - Learning about the importance of good accounting
26:15 - His sources of learning; reading, short courses, etc.
27:35 - Balancing personal and professional obligations
29:13 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
30:40 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for
30:56 - Creator Confessions
35:08 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan   

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Aurthi Muthukumaran (@aurthi.pa) is an emergency medicine and orthopaedic surgery physician assistant and high-level tennis player.

She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss why she is a big advocate of the physician assistant role as something that young people with an interest in medicine should pursue, how a shoulder injury playing tennis when she was 13 years old had increased her academic focus, having an innate desire to give back to the Tamil community through her work at SHN (@shnfoundation), how physician assistants positively impact the patient experience while helping to remove barriers to healthcare, how she balanced a demanding academic load with her athletic pursuit of being a high-level tennis player and so much more.

Follow Aurthi:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/aurthi-muthu/)
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/aurthi.pa/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Aurthi Muthukumaran
00:46 - What led her to a career in healthcare; a tennis injury
05:02 - Being further inspired by an opponent in her varsity career
06:21 - What is physician assistant; a relatively new role
09:35 - Difference between a physician and a physician assistant
12:23 - The importance of the pandemic for physician assistants
13:57 - Canadian universities increasingly offering PA programs
14:41 - Being one of less than 1,000 PAs in Canada today
15:29 - Resonating with Scarborough Health Network; the Tamil community
16:36 - What Aurthi’s day-to-day looks like
19:57 - Retracting a patient’s abdomen; becoming desensitized over time
21:02 - Winning an ‘Excellence in Leadership’ award; her advocacy efforts
22:21 - Balancing academics and athletics from a young age
24:34 - Being used to 10-hour days; being grateful for a busy upbringing
29:48 - The importance of maintaining physical and mental health as you age
31:49 - Extrinsic motivation versus intrinsic motivation; winning habits
37:52 - Where she sees herself in the next 3-5 years; personally and professionally
40:28 - Her biggest learning lesson; a steep learning curve when switching specialties
43:29 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self; no such thing as perfection
44:34 - The personal legacy she wants to be remembered for by friends and family
45:36 - Her dad being an avid chess player; training players who are famous today
46:15 - Creator Confessions
50:02 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan  

Support the show