ModernistX & Forbes 30U30 Presents: Success & the Importance of Relationships
On February 4th, AI Venture Amalgamators, in partnership with the board of Forbes 30 Under 30, hosted an exclusive invite-only panel and afterparty at the Modernist Exchange venue in San Francisco. The event was part of a series of community events to provide support and insights to its community of founders and venture capitalists.
The panel was introduced by AI Foundation CEO Rob Meadows, moderated by tech industry veteran Kelly Emo, and featured four prominent women from the Forbes 30 Under 30 list: Modernist members Aakriti “Aku” Srikanth, Sampriti Bhattacharyya, Mandy Salzman and Ernestine Fu.
Constellation Reseach’s Ray Wang kicked things off by emphasizing the importance of building relationships with others.
“This is the spirit of the valley…the valley is built on relationships, relationships that span decades…if you haven’t met someone next to you, please say hi to them.” — Ray Wang
The panelists shared their experiences and offered insights on what led them to be recognized on the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list. The discussion emphasized the value of forming strong connections and the significance of maintaining a lighthearted and curious outlook in life.
Making the Forbes 30 Under 30 List
The Forbes 30 Under 30 list is a highly sought-after recognition for young entrepreneurs, innovators, and game-changers. Every year, the list showcases outstanding young individuals making a significant impact in their fields. The four panelists shared their stories about how they made it on the list.
Ernestine reflected on the transformative moment in her life when she met Tom Ehrlich, a former dean of the Stanford Law School, while she was a student.
“Probably every single one of you has had that one individual who’s really transformed your life and transformed your career. And for me, it was this individual named Tom Ehrlich.” — Ernestine Fu
Tom became her mentor and eventually asked Ernestine to co-author a book with him (Civic Work, Civil Lessons), and through their relationship, she was introduced to venture capital. This opportunity opened doors for Ernestine and eventually led to her working part-time at a venture firm, where she convinced the partners to invest in a startup that she sourced.
At the time, the venture capital industry was largely dominated by older males, and rarely gave opportunities to young college students. Her story caught the attention of Forbes Magazine, which led to her being featured as Silicon Valley’s youngest venture capitalist on the cover of the 2011 “America’s Top Colleges’ issue, and she became part of the inaugural class of the Forbes 30 Under 30.
Sampriti grew up in India and was on the path to getting married before a life-changing event inspired her to follow her dreams and her love of building things to America, where she studied Aerospace and Nuclear Engineering at Ohio State, was a PhD Candidate in Mechanical Engineering at MIT, and worked at organizations such as NASA and the Department of Energy. Her work was featured in conferences and press blogs, and she was eventually nominated for the Forbes 30 Under 30 list by one of the MIT faculty members.
“The best way to get into Forbes 30 under 30 is just focus on what you love. I didn’t know what the Forbes 30 under 30 list was. I was just building and I love building. I love solving hard problems.” — Sampriti Bhattacharyya
Aakriti also grew up in India, where she was inspired by her classroom social dynamics and pushed by her supportive family,
“My coping mechanism was to invest in a successful future, invest in being good at whatever I did, whether it was school or my personal development or fitness.” — Aakriti Srikanth
Aakriti dove into her studies in math, computer science, and engineering, and thanks to the support of her father and godfather, this led to her enrolling in the Master’s program at Ohio State. Aakriti worked on innovative projects in machine learning and artificial intelligence before joining the industry as a founding member of the artificial intelligence teams at IBM and Red Hat. It was during her tenure at Red Hat that her manager and strong supporter Bill Wright nominated her to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list for her outstanding contributions in the field.
Aakriti Srikanth was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2019. Ernestine Fu, co-founder of Brave Capital and venture partner at Alsop Louie Partners, was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2011. Sampriti Bhattacharyya, CEO of Navier, was named to Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list in 2016. Mandy Salzman is Principal at Smash Capital and was Forbes 30 under 30 in 2016.
The Secret to Success
Success is often defined as the achievement of one’s goals, but the road to success can be challenging, and the journey can be unique for each individual. In the second half of the panel, each of the speakers shared their secrets to success.
Sampriti was inspired by the Apollo mission to the moon and the idea that anything is possible. She shared a personal story of how she survived a landslide and how that event gave her a newfound appreciation for life. She views life as a game of chances and takes risks with a sense of humor and fun.
“I look at life as a video game. It’s a place where you can go out and do whatever the hell you want, but you can have only one quarter to play and its life over. So I kind of got that sense of fearlessness because I ran away from home. And I said, ‘What is the most audacious thing that I can do?’” — Sampriti Bhattacharyya
Mandy was driven by determination and hard work. She began working in the entertainment industry as an assistant at Sony in Los Angeles, but wanted to return to Silicon Valley to pursue working in venture capital. She was not discouraged by the hundreds of rejections she received when she switched industries during a recession, “if I had let no’s tell me how to dictate what my career would be, I wouldn’t be where I am today.” Mandy also credits the ability to advocate for others and being kind to everyone that crosses your path.
“Take advantage of the opportunities that you have, even here tonight. It’s thanks to Steve Chen here at the Modernist that I ended up getting my dream job, which was ultimately working at Disney, that launched the rest of my career.” — Mandy Salzman
Aakriti reflected on the tragic loss of her godfather, a close family member and friend, in a sudden and unexpected manner. The tragedy made her realize the importance of relationships and the people in her life. She highlights how, in the fast-paced and ambitious environments of cities like New York and San Francisco, it’s easy to get caught up in productivity and work, but it’s essential to pause and reflect on the people who matter most to us.
“Some of us, we always have to keep running. We’re ambitious, we want to be productive, but just for a moment, pause and just think about the people you value the most in your life. Because that’s all you’re going to think about on your deathbed. And life is short. One day somebody’s here with you, and then they’re not. What’s most important is the relationships with the people in your life.” — Aakriti Srikanth
Are you interested in joining future Modernist events? The Modernist just launched their “Under 30” membership with a special offer available for Forbes 30 Under 30 alumni.
More club & membership details can be found here: www.Modernist.club/exchange
