8 Super-Connector Directors in Startup Grind’s Global Community
Chapter Directors are a core part of Startup Grind’s DNA, serving as community leaders who spearhead local events and help attendees make memorable connections. They’re the ones loudly rallying their communities to make change. And ultimately, it’s our Director’s leadership that transforms a startup community from what could be into what it can be — a beneficial and tangible resource for entrepreneurs across the world.
In all ways, Startup Grind Director’s exemplify the Startup Grind value of “help others before helping yourself.”
And because they’re so core to our mission, we always want to give them proper kudos and highlight their contributions to our community whenever possible. Today, we’ve gathered a list of some of our most super-connected Directors in the Startup Community. The following Director’s have been key in helping Startup Grind’s mission reach far and wide. Whether they are driven by passion for technology, purpose to help entrepreneurs or desire to make change in their home communities, these Directors proudly represent their roots and are integral in building the most diverse and connected startup community in the world.
Let’s meet them!
1. Siva Raghavi — Director Coimbatore, India
“Being a chapter director comes from a basic self-driven motivation that I can always do more for developing my local chapter. I’m someone with a personal interest in developing the entrepreneurs community and solving problems for job seekers, freelancers, and other leaders who may need support when faced with challenges. It feels amazing to helps startups find resources reach milestones!
My goal is to always be a chapter director with a visionary process to push startups towards proper scalability and sustainability.” Say hi to Siva on LinkedIn!
2. Rishita Sharma — Director Jammu, India
“Hi! My name is Rishita and I’m the Chapter Director of Startup Grind Jammu, and also the youngest Director at Startup Grind. Being a Director allows me to empower the people of my city to develop their entrepreneurial skills through resources and education. Initially, it was a difficult task for me to spread the word about the Startup Program as there was an internet ban in my region. But through perseverance, I’ve continued to grow our Chapter and create a supportive and active startup community. I stay motivated by continually reminding myself of Startup Grind’s values of helping others and making friends.” Say hi to Rishita on LinkedIn!
3. Mehul Shah — Director of the Surat Chapter
“I’m CA Mehul Shah, partner of firm Rasesh Shah and Co. and Startup Evangelist from Surat, which is rated as one of the fastest growing economic cities in the world. As a Director, I help the local Startup community reap global benefits through quality events and partner benefits. I’ve represented 100+ Startups to date, mostly in the area of Financial Modelling and Startup valuations. I also act as Co-Founder of iKoVerk Studios Coworking.
During my time as Director, we’ve hosted speakers like Mr. Abhishek Desai, Founder of Cricheroes App and Mr. Kapil Sharma, Former Co-founder of Sendin Blue. And most recently, we successfully hosted the Startup Grind Pitch Battle with 100+ attendees.” Say hi to Mehul on LinkedIn!
4. Declan McLaughlin — Director of Edinburgh, Scotland
“I wear a few hats! I’m business development lead for tech startup BackHug (helping sore backs at home) and a virtual nutrition coach for tech entrepreneurs. My biggest passion by far is well-being and how best we can look after our physical, mental and social health. This is my biggest motivation as Chapter Director to keep the Scottish community flourishing. We have helped startups in Scotland to learn from top experts and to meet inspiring entrepreneurs worldwide by providing them access to the SG membership. My experience as Director has been that making ‘friends not contacts’ goes a long way!” Say hi to Declan on LinkedIn!
5. David Stengle — Princeton, United States
“I founded the Princeton, New Jersey Chapter in 2014 and have done nearly 100 events. I won the ‘Most Humbly Bragged’ Director award in 2020. I also serve on the Startup Grind Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
As a Director, I provide connections, coaching, pitch reviews, pitch competition exposure, and community building. In addition, I formally mentor in several programs, and several members of my team mentor as well.
Startups drive innovation and growth, but the startup ecosystem is hard to enter. I focus on widening access. Startups for all!” Say hi to David on LinkedIn!
6. Shahar Matorin — Director of Tel Aviv, Israel
“I’m an entrepreneur, a husband, and a father who loves people, life, and to see the world from a height that allows me to experience a global horizon. I focus on supporting one of the smallest and most innovative countries — Israel — to become a global brand of diversity, friendship, innovation, and disruption. My passion is helping startups grow upwards and my motivation is to be a leader of an entrepreneurial community. I have great faith in Startup Grind’s vision to educate, inspire, and connect all entrepreneurs in the world. Say hi to Shahar on LinkedIn!
7. Tal Berman—Director of Rishon Lezion, Israel
“I got the opportunity to run an SGx chapter in Rishon Lezion. After a few modifications, I started almost a year ago. Due to the pandemic the chapter’s growth came to a short hold. However, living in a country where uncertainty is actually the norm, we managed to run monthly events in support part of the global #SGvirtual platform.
Israel is an island. We have a small market of 9 million people on one hand and a political situation (which actually gets better) on the other. Therefore, we feel it’s a great opportunity to connect our startups globally and help them create global opportunities via SG.” Say hi to Tal on LinkedIn!
Inspired by Our Directors? Join the Community!
Earlier in 2020, Startup Grind celebrated its 10th Anniversary. Staying true to its primary vision in educating, supporting and connecting entrepreneurs and startup teams through the best in-person experiences at thousands of events and conferences locally and internationally.
Now, Startup Grind has evolved in providing its global community of Chapter Directors, Partners and Startup Founders by extending its offerings to them, virtually, giving them the opportunity to access the entrepreneurial ecosystem anywhere in the world.
This newly adapted pandemic reality allowed Startup Grind’s Startup Membership Program to reach new heights by expanding its startups vetting process, offering access to high quality and exclusive resources, online experiences and the most curated network of the best companies in the world. Change and growth provide an ideal time for the Startup Team to tap into creative resources, new partnerships, and continued invaluable support from its hundreds of Chapter Directors globally.
We’d love to have you join us! Learn more about our Startup Membership here.
