About Me

(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