Florida News
MIAMI CHAPTER OF TiE LAUNCHED
Leaders of the South Florida entrepreneurial eco-system announced the launch of the Miami Chapter of TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs), a global organization which fosters entrepreneurship, at the recent eMerge Americas 2018. TiE Miami will serve communities in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach. The only other TiE chapter in Florida is in Tampa (https://tampa.tie.org).
Speaking on the launching of TiE Miami, Seema Chaturvedi, President and Charter Member of TiE Miami, prior TiE Global Board member, founder of Accelerator Group LLC, noted, “Miami has talent, ideas, enterprise and diversity. Through TiE Miami, we hope to contribute to Miami’s entrepreneurial eco-system while also connecting it to TiE’s global network of entrepreneurs.”
Anil Gajwani, founding Charter Member, successful Miami entrepreneur, noted, “TiE brings to bear a slew of resources. The key aspect however is mentorship. Having someone next to you who is a sounding board can turn out to be a tremendously valuable resource.”
Welcoming the announcement, founding Charter Member, serial entrepreneur, Manuel Medina, Cyxtera Technologies, commented, “Miami has a burgeoning tech scene with a lot of innovation. Having close ties with India and a prestigious group of entrepreneurs is exactly what we were looking for in Miami.”
With its launch, TiE Miami announced initiation of enrollment of its first mentoring cohort of 15 aspiring or early stage entrepreneur ‘mentees.’ Over the next four months, established mentors/Charter Member will provide guidance and real-world advice.
TiE is a global not-for-profit organization with 63 chapters in 17 countries. It is estimated that globally stakeholders of TiE have created more than $200 billion in wealth.
For more information, visit miami.tie.org
Palaniyandi FAMILY OF INDIALANTIC (BREVARD COUNTY) GIFTS $100,001
Brevard Schools Foundation recently announced that the Palaniyandi family of Indialantic has donated a gift of $100,001 in honor of family patriarch, Pillai Palaniyandi, who recently celebrated his 103rd birthday. The funds will support The Supply Zone for Teachers, a service of Brevard Schools Foundation.
Education is a cause close to the Palaniyandi family, and especially to Pillai aka “Thatha” who began his career as a primary school teacher and retired as a high school principal. Pillai, a world traveler, also wrote text books which were used to teach third grade through 10th grade in India. He also won Teacher of the Year for his state in 1970. Carrying on the proud tradition, one of Pillai’s grandsons, Arjun Ravindran, won Teacher of the Year in Kansas City, Mo., just days before this gift was made.
“We have been longtime supporters of The Supply Zone and of the work of Brevard Schools Foundation” said Ambika Ravindran, daughter-in-law of Pillai. “We have seen the need grow here in Brevard County, and we also know how hard it is for teachers to try to supply their students with materials when they themselves are struggling to pay their own bills.” Part of the funds will provide new teachers with supplies to help them as they start their teaching career. The gift will also be used to help ensure hygiene kits are available to students who need them most. Each kit costs $14 and Ravindran has made it her personal mission to keep these kits on the shelves.
”We’re overwhelmed by this generous gift in honor of ‘Thatha’,” said Janice Kershaw, president of Brevard Schools Foundation. “It will allow us to honor his lifelong work in education for years to come.” Kershaw said that part of the gift will be placed in an endowment honoring Pillai, so that resources will be available to meet future needs.
The Supply Zone for Teachers, a service of Brevard Schools Foundation, is a resource center that has been providing free school supplies to local teachers and students at high-poverty schools since 2014. This “store” is stocked entirely through donations. Established in 1987, the Brevard Schools Foundation is a non-profit organization, which matches community resources with the needs of schools. For information, visit www.brevardschoolsfoundation.org
PRACTICEFORCES’ Kunal and Parul Jain of TAMPA BAY Awarded 2018 USF Fast 56
USF President Judy Genshaft, left, Kunal Jain and April Monteith,
chair of the USF Alumni Association Board of Directors.
Kunal and Parul Jain, co-founders of PracticeForces, a provider of medical billing and revenue management services, were recently honored with the prestigious 2018 USF Fast 56 award. The award ceremony was held at the Marshall Student Center at USF Tampa.
USF Fast 56 recognizes the fastest-growing businesses owned or operated by USF alumni. The nominated companies are ranked by percentage of cumulative annual growth in revenue for the most recent three fiscal years.
Clearwater-based PracticeForces offers medical billing, coding and Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) services through its cloud-based Electronic Medical Record (EMR) platform to physicians and hospitals in the United States. Their turnaround time and expertise in revenue cycle management comes with more than 15 years of experience and various certifications. Parul is a certified coder from American Academy of Professional Coders, and Kunal attended the executive program in Global Healthcare Innovation from Harvard.
“It is indeed an honor to receive the prestigious 2018 USF Fast 56. It is recognition of the hard work and dedication of every member of the Practice Forces team,” said Kunal Jain. “The USF Fast 56 is a great platform for the USF alumni to give back to the university and create the next generation of entrepreneurs, which is something that I am really passionate about.” Today, PracticeForces employs 300 billers and coders in India and more than 25 at its Clearwater headquarters. He started PracticeForces in 2004. Parul joined the company a year later. Kunal also is founding member of the TiE Tampa Bay Angel Fund, a multi-million-dollar fund dedicated to investing and mentoring startup businesses.
For information, call PracticeForces at (727) 771-1300 or visit www.practiceforces.com
HEALTH FAIR HELD AT TAMPA HINDU TEMPLE
More than 300 attendees and nearly 20 physicians participated in the 20th annual Community Health Fair on May 19 at the Hindu Temple of Florida community hall in Tampa. The volunteer-run community service has been a tradition at the temple since 1998. Volunteers and physicians alike worked together to bring free screenings and health information services to the public.
HEARTFULNESS EVENT SET JUNE 17 IN ORLANDO
Heartfulness Meditation will present a “Heartfulness – wellness, yoga and music concert” from 1 to 5 p.m. June 17 in Orlando. Attendees can:
- Learn the techniques of Heartfulness meditation with trainer Joshua Pollock, co-author of the bestselling book “The Heartfulness Way.”
- Enjoy Indian classical music by Shashank Subramanyam (Grammy-nominated exponent of the bamboo flute) and Irshad Khan (world-renowned Indian classical surbahar and sitar player).
- Also, Health and Wellness Talk and Yoga Session.
Tickets for the event at UCF Student Union, Pegasus Ballroom, 12715 Pegasus Drive, begin at $15; students are free. Ticketed attendees receive complimentary bestselling book “The Heartfulness Way” ($16.95 value).
Register at hfnorlando.eventbrite.com