Indian-Americans attend Sikh Chamber Of Commerce annual gala in Jersey City

October 10, 2017

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The organizing team of the Sikh American Chamber of Commerce presenting the 2017 speakers with awards at the organization’s annual gala Oct. 7 in Jersey City, N.J. From left, Sandeep Chandi, Gundeep Singh, Harpreet Wasan, Payal Kapoor, Sunny Kaila; guest speakers Kanwal Rekhi and Reshma Saujani; Kam Kaila; guest speaker Vijay Chattha; Jas Kaur; Kanwal Samra; and Rheanna Athwal. (Photo courtesy SACC)

The Indian American business community came together at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey Oct. 7, for the annual gala of the Sikh American Chamber of Commerce.. This year’s gala was the biggest yet, organizers said, with more than 500 entrepreneurs in attendance. The speakers focused on emerging business opportunities in both the United States and India.

The guest speakers at the 6th annual gala included Kanwal Rekhi, managing director of Inventus Capital Partners and first Indian-American founder and CEO to take his company public on NASDAQ; Reshma Saujani, founder of the non-profit Girls Who Code; and Vijay Chattha, founder and CEO of VSC and Wareness Studio.

This year’s theme was “Dream Bigger” and, according to organizers, the three guest speakers “embody this mantra.”

A section of the audience at the Sikh American Chamber of Commerce annual gala held in Jersey City, N.J. Oct. 7. (Photo courtesy SACC)

The Gala is meant to showcase successful Sikh entrepreneurs coming together to promote mutual prosperity, according to the organization’s website.

“I’m honored to contribute to this event and share my journey in hopes that it may inspire others to become change agents,” Saujani is quoted saying at the event, according to a press release from SACC. Rekhi discussed raising millions of dollars for startups in the U.S. and India and his work on regulatory reform in India.

“It is organizations such as the SACC and TiE, which I co-founded, that will help drive the entrepreneurial spirit in US and India that is needed in order to foster the right economic climate for Indian prosperity,” Rekhi is quoted saying. Chattha said galas like that organized by SACC were a great opportunity for the community to “find inspiration and think and dream bigger.”