(Rice Magazine article, November 2015)
Founder of SnapStream: I’m the founder of SnapStream, makers of TV search and TV-to-Twitter-and-Facebook software. We’re how the Daily Show, John Oliver and a few hundred other organizations record and search television. We’re also used to grab bits of TV and quickly share them to Twitter and Facebook (here are some examples).
Here’s a local TV piece that ran in December 2015 about SnapStream.
And here’s an interview I did on CNBC in June 2014 talking about SnapStream.
Investor in Start-ups: I’m also an investor in 60+ early stage companies and a limited partner in few venture capital funds. I have been attending Y Combinator Demo Days and investing in YC companies since 2012 (a few companies I’ve invested in: Cruise, LendUp, CircuitHub, women.com, Swapbox). I’ve also invested in companies like Shyp, Pillow, and Beepi through AngelList (see my AngelList profile). I love investing in Houston companies when the opportunities are right — a few of my Houston investments: Braincheck, CloudCalc, Fannin Partners, Surge Accelerator, Procyrion.
When I drove my Tesla for Lyft (as an investor in Uber): I like to try products before I invest — this is how I get a feel for the makers behind a company — and this lead me to driving my Tesla for Lyft when they first launched in Houston (through one fund I’m an investor, I’m a small investor in Uber).
Some personal history: I was born in Houston, TX and when I was 11, my family picked up and moved to New Delhi, India for 5 years where I attended the American Embassy School. I returned to Houston and finished up high school at St. John’s School followed by my undergrad in Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering at Rice University. Yes, very technical background, but I also took drawing classes and a year of introductory Art History and was the photo editor of the Rice Thresher for a little while.
Family is a big part of my life. My wife and I spend a lot of our time raising our lovely children. We live next door to my Mom and Dad in a sort-of extended family setup. And I have three sisters and two brother-in-laws — all of whom are brilliant and accomplished and inspire me to want to do great things.
Someone I knew at Rice always had the tagline “aprendiz de todo, maestro de nada” in his emails– this applies to me. I’m passionate and interested in a lot of different things including photography (though recent work has been limited to, well, my children), India (I love traveling there — see pics from a past trip to Sikkim), running, art, and Montessori education (I’m on the board of my children’s Montessori School here in Houston, the Post Oak School).
Updated: March 2016
bad to know that this domain is already taken. i wished to have that 😡
Sorry I didn’t run into you at the event in Fremont. I’m assuming you’ve reserved the Model S?
Love your blog!
Thrilled to know that you love art, being technical may bring glory, money and lot but art brings in love, togetherness, without art life is just numbers and nothing.