Here at Operator Collective, we never shy away from recognizing the deep and meaningful impacts members of our community are making. This AAPI month, we’re excited to highlight some of the Asian Americans and Pacific Islander Americans of our community contributing to the culture and advancement of our tech ecosystem. These individuals have built successful careers, inspired others to embark on exciting paths, and played an instrumental role in the creation and execution of some of the largest deals and technology in the industry. Here are 11 incredible Asian founders and operators for you to know and follow.
Head of Corporate Development, Toast
Ritika Butani is the Head of Corporate Development at Toast, a cloud-based restaurant management platform. Previously she led Corporate Development for several of Block’s business units: Square, TIDAL and TBD. She also had a hand in Block’s $29B acquisition of Afterpay, which was the largest fintech M&A deal on record. She has extensive experience in investment banking, private equity, and corporate development, and has been instrumental in driving Toast’s growth through strategic partnerships and acquisition. Outside of work, she enjoys traveling, watching cooking shows, and finding new local merchants and restaurants to visit.
Mingsheng Hong (mingshenghong)
Co-Founder & CEO, Bluesky
OpCo portfolio founder Mingsheng Hong is the Co-founder and CEO of Bluesky, the platform driving the future of Data Cloud Efficiency and Workload Optimization. A self-proclaimed ‘data geek’, Mingsheng has been nerding out over data for the last 25 years. His most recent experience was at Google where he led teams to build storage and querying stacks powering Google’s $100 billion ads business and a new TensorFlow backend to improve performance for AI workloads.
GM | Director, Strategy & Operations, DoorDash
Amy Lao, GM & Director of Strategy and Operations at DoorDash, is an accomplished tech executive and entrepreneur with a deep background in finance and business. Prior to joining DoorDash, Amy served as the VP of Central Operations and Corporate Strategy at Lime where she built and managed a 40 person global organization covering business functions spanning global operations and strategy, and also built Lime's global business plan while driving business results with cross-functional teams
Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Hightouch
Tejas Manohar is the Co-Founder and CEO of OpCo portfolio company Hightouch, the leading data activation platform. Prior to Hightouch, Tejas worked as a software engineer and product manager at companies such as Microsoft, Addepar, and most recently, Segment, where he served as an Engineering Manager to the Platform team and met his Hightouch co-founders. He has extensive experience in software engineering, data analytics, and product management, and his work is revered by peers and leaders alike. When he isn’t busy working, Tejas enjoys the California sun and caring for his plants.
VP Strategy & GTM, Gainsight
Megha Mathur is a seasoned strategist and business operations professional with experience from top-tier consulting firms and tech companies. She is currently the Vice President of Strategy & GTM at Gainsight, a customer success management software company. In this role, she is responsible for driving the company's strategy, corporate development, and M&A activities. Prior to Gainsight, Megha worked at Keystone Strategy as an Engagement Manager, where she advised and led the development of the AI/ML practice within the company. She is dedicated to understanding the social and ethical implications of new technology and enjoys exploring outside.
Co-Founder, Faros AI
Shubha Nabar is a co-founder and the Chief Technology Officer of OpCo portfolio company Faros AI, a platform that leverages artificial intelligence to help financial institutions automate their workflow. Before co-founding Faros AI, Shubha worked as a Senior Director of Data Science at Salesforce, where she led the development of machine learning models for Salesforce's Einstein platform and met her Faros co-founders. Prior to that, she worked at LinkedIn as a Senior Data Scientist, and at Microsoft as a Senior Researcher in the machine learning group. Shubha has authored several research papers on machine learning, has served on the program committees of several conferences in the field, and has been recognized for her contributions to the field of machine learning.
Niji Sabharwal (nijisabharwal)
CEO & Co-Founder, AgentSync
Niji Sabharwal is currently the Co-Founder and CEO of OpCo portfolio company AgentSync, a compliance and onboarding platform for insurance agencies. Before founding AgentSync, Niji served as the Head of Sales Strategy and Operations at Zenefits where he led the producer licensing and broker compliance response team as the company worked to overcome regulatory compliance issues. Prior to that, he led sales strategy and operations at LinkedIn.
Co-Founder and Chief Architect, Hex Technologies
A highly accomplished technologist and entrepreneur, Glen Takahashi is the Co-Founder and Chief Architect at Hex, a collaborative, shareable analytics workspace that is changing how people use data. Prior to his role at Hex, Glen spent several years at Palantir, where he worked as a senior software engineer. During his tenure there, he was responsible for developing and implementing complex software systems for some of the world's largest organizations, helping establish him as a leading authority in the field of data analytics and software engineering. Outside of work, Glen is an active member of the tech community, frequently speaking at industry events and mentoring young technologists.
Head of Product, Agile and DevOps Solutions, Atlassian
Tiffany To is an accomplished product executive with over 15 years of experience leading high-performing product teams. She is currently the Vice President of Product at Atlassian, a leading provider of collaboration and productivity software. Prior to Atlassian, she served as product and marketing leads at companies such as Intel, VMware, Cohesity, Nutanix, and more. On top of her daily role, Tiffany regularly advises and invests in early stage startup companies.
Chief Communications Officer, Opendoor
Sheila Tran is a seasoned communications professional with over 15 years of experience working in the tech industry. Currently serving as the Chief Communications Officer at Opendoor, she is responsible for developing and executing the company's global communications strategy. Prior to Opendoor, Sheila has held senior communications positions at companies such as Yahoo, Polyvore, and Symantec where she was responsible for all global internal and external communications.
CFO, Ironclad
Helen Wang is currently the Chief Financial Officer at Ironclad, a legal tech startup and OpCo portfolio company, where she is responsible for overseeing the company's financial operations and driving its strategic growth. Prior to joining Ironclad, Helen held various senior finance positions at eBay, including CFO of Global Payments, where she played a key role in driving the company's financial growth and success. Helen carries 7+ years of M&A experience from Rothschild, and is recognized for her exceptional leadership skills and her ability to drive results in complex business environments
