Arun Shekar
Entrepreneur, Project Manager in IBM, MBA Student at UC Berkeley Haas School of Business
| Headline: | Entrepreneur |
| Work status: | Employed Full-Time |
| Industries: | Biotech, Cleantech, Entertainment, Internet, Media, Mobile |
| Skills: | Business, Electrical Engineering, Entrepreneurship, Event planning, Leadership, Management, Negotiation, Public speaking, Software Engineering |
| Location: | Berkeley, CA |
| Groups: | 2011 UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition, 2012 UC Berkeley Startup Competition, Haas Entrepreneurs Association at Berkeley |
| Interested in: | Brainstorming, Finding business partners, Finding cofounders, Finding team mates, Meeting new people, Professional opportunities, Promoting my startups, Recruiting for my startup, Starting a company |
| Tags: | Angel investing, bio sciences, bio tech, clean tech, impact investing, iphone, media, smart phone, social entrepreneurship, technology, Venture Capital |
| Schools: | University of California System - Berkeley, University of North Carolina System - Charlotte |
FULL BIO
I have 7+ years of experience in the IT Services/Consulting industry in various leadership positions. I have managed project finances, scope and schedule and led highly diverse teams in complex projects. I have first hand experience in understanding new business opportunities, market needs, revenue potential and maintaining successful operations, all through my past work endeavors.
I am greatly interested in social causes. I have been an active volunteer in Kiva, having organized local meetings and discussions on North Carolina, to promote international micro financing. I am a strong proponent of economically sustainable social endeavors. My main motivation for relocating to California has been the focus on social entrepreneurship at UC Berkeley. I am looking to be a part of a like minded team who would want to work in the Media, Technology, Biotech or Clean Tech sectors that could possibly also touch on social entrepreneurship.
WORK EXPERIENCE
| Employer: | Gratitude Network |
| Position: | Associate |
| Time period: | January 2011 - Present |
| Description: | Creating deal flow strategy along with senior partner & founding team
Creating strategic feeder and mentor alliances with other firms Led a team to co-author a white paper on impact investing |
| Employer: | IBM |
| Position: | Project Manager |
| Time period: | March 2002 - Present |
| Description: | 1. Managing requirements and customer interface of a $65 Million CRM initiative
2. Acting as the escalation point for all project issues 3. Identifying, assessing and implementing new business opportunities in Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America |
| Employer: | Investors’ Circle |
| Position: | Venture Fellow |
| Time period: | July 2011 - September 2011 |
| Description: | Assessed growth stage startup ideas and valuations across various sectors Provided investment decision to venture firm and strategic advice for startup firms |
| Employer: | Point Source Power |
| Position: | Independent Strategy Consultant |
| Time period: | January 2011 - June 2011 |
| Description: | Created a new product strategy by analyzing market entry conditions
Created an overall financial model validating market entry, thus helping increase revenue and add new product lines |
| Employer: | IBM, Integrated Supply Chain – CRM Team |
| Position: | IT Architect |
| Time period: | January 2002 - December 2004 |
| Description: | Identified key technology trends for IBM’s CRM initiative
Led the globalization team that enabled IBM to pursue new sales opportunities Won leadership excellence award in 2003 |
EDUCATION
| University: | University of California System - Berkeley |
| Time period: | 2009 - 2012 |
| Degree: | MBA |
| University: | University of North Carolina System - Charlotte |
| Time period: | 2000 - 2001 |
| Degree: | Computer Science, MEng |
INFORMATION
| Sports: | Sand Volleyball |
| Hobbies: | Music especially hand percussion instruments |
| Clubs: | Entrepreneur's Association at University of California Berkeley
Global Initiatives at Haas at University of California Berkeley General Management and Strategy Club at University of California Berkeley |
| Memberships: | IEEE
Project Management Institute (PMI) |
| Awards: | Leadership Excellence Award at IBM |
Arun's Contacts (4)
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Dan Steketee
Entrepeneur with 13+ years of strategic and tactical consulting experience in the financial services, start-up and technology industries (BPM, Business Intelligence, KPI's,, Vendor Management, etc) .
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Mike Ditton
Looking for the next BIG thing
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Ashmeet Kapoor
Looking to get involved with clean tech startups. Recent graduate from Brown University with a Masters in Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship, and a background in Electrical Engineering. Currently, interning at a startup in the solar industry.