The series is rooted in the legacy of Dr. Narinder Kapany, who founded the Sikh Foundation in 1967 and made groundbreaking contributions at UC Santa Cruz’s Baskin School of Engineering. It felt fitting to carry this forward in partnership with UCSC’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development (CIED), connecting students, professionals, and community members here in California and far beyond.
Over the past year, we’ve had the joy of hosting the “My Journey: Sharing the Successes of Entrepreneurs and Innovators” series—a program that became a space for learning, reflection, and connection.
This series was created to look beyond business models and research milestones, and instead focus on the human side of entrepreneurship and innovation. Each session featured an in-depth conversation with a leading entrepreneur or innovator, followed by time for the audience to ask their own questions. What made these events special was not just the expertise on display, but the honesty of our speakers as they opened up about their challenges, their resilience, and the balancing act of pursuing discovery while living a full life.
Throughout the year, we had the privilege of learning from inspiring leaders such as:
- Harpinder (Harpi) Singh, Partner at Innovation Endeavors, who reflected on entrepreneurship and the importance of resilience in building ventures
- Dr. Supreet Kaur, Associate Professor of Economics at UC Berkeley, who shared insights into research, economics, and collaboration
- Mandeep Arora, Venture Capitalist at Nordic Ventures and CEO at Furno Materials, who spoke about scaling ideas and building impactful companies
- Dr. Daniel Adams, Chief Scientist at Neuralink, who offered a behind-the-scenes look into scientific discovery and innovation at the frontier of neuroscience
- Dr. Ratinder Paul Singh Ahuja, CTO and Vice President at Pure Storage, who discussed leadership, technology, and navigating challenges in the tech industry
- Dr. Jagdeep Singh Bachher, Chief Investment Officer at the University of California, who shared lessons on leadership, balance, and managing change at scale
Together, they helped us explore themes like:
- The ups and downs of scientific research and collaboration
- The emotional realities of building something new
- How innovation often grows out of setbacks
- What it means to find balance between work, creativity, and personal life
For us at the Sikh Foundation, these events were more than talks—they became moments of shared inspiration. We saw students light up with new ideas, professionals reflect on their own journeys, and communities come together across borders to celebrate the spirit of entrepreneurship.
If you weren’t able to join us live, you can still experience these conversations. All of the sessions are available on our YouTube channel here: Watch the full playlist.
As we look ahead, we hope to continue creating opportunities like this—platforms where stories spark inspiration, and where the personal journeys of innovators remind us that success is not just about achievement, but about resilience, creativity, and community.