Vijay Kumar ( @chef.vijayakumar ) is a chef-partner at Semma ( @semmanyc , the only Michelin Star [ @michelinguide ] Indian restaurant in New York City), one of the hottest food spots in the city!

He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss transitioning from engineering to being a chef to excel in the culinary mecca of New York, going from starting a business in only two months to having his authentic South Indian food be recognized by the likes of the New York Times and Padma Lakshmi ( @padmalakshmi ), him sharing the best part about running the restaurant and so much more.

Follow Vijay:
- Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/chef.vijayakumar/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Vijay Kumar
01:17 - What led him to this career path
02:59 - The demand of running a restaurant
04:42 - Wondering if he should’ve stuck with engineering
05:46 - Moving to New York City
09:34 - Coming up with the restaurant name; Semma?
10:42 - Building up his business; how long did it take?
12:24 - Cooking unapologetically
14:35 - The reception he received from non-Indian New Yorkers
16:26 - How he got a Michelin star
17:53 - Hosting Padma Lakshmi at his restaurant
20:00 - Not taking a vacation in three years
20:24 - His favourite dish to cook
21:08 - The exaggeration of cooking shows/movies
21:58 - Will he become a global brand ambassador for Indian cuisine?
22:41 - Initially aspiring to break barriers
23:37 - Are there negatives to his restaurant receiving so much attention?
24:09 - His favourite places to eat at in New York
26:20 - His favourite thing about New York City; the welcoming vibe
26:58 - One of his biggest learning lessons; COVID
28:57 - The Tamil community in New York City
30:01 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
30:57 - How he wants to be remembered by friends and family
31:48 - Creator Confessions
39:35 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan

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Sujani Siva ( @sujanisiva ) has worked for 12+ years in public health across various sectors (not-for-profit, academia and government) & founder of PH SPOT ( @phspot ). About 7.5 years ago, while concurrently working full-time for the government of Canada, she decided to build and launch PH SPOT to support the workforce in public health. To help them build their dream public health careers, where they get to not only make an impact but also find fulfillment in their careers.

She joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss rediscovering LinkedIn, being raised by a single mother, putting in processes to scale PH SPOT without spending more time, her thoughts on AI, replying to every email (hundreds) she received during the first few years of getting her company off the ground, dealing with doubt as an entrepreneur and so much more.

Follow Sujani:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/sujanisiva/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Sujani Siva
01:27 - Formative years that shaped Sujani’s life path
03:15 - How she got into public health
05:04 - Her first job ever
07:18 - Working at the Government of Canada for 10+ years
10:17 - The story behind how she started PH SPOT
15:00 - Being told that starting her company was a mistake
19:48 - How much time she spends building her business
21:30 - Her secret to building a great community
24:36 - The struggles of being a solo founder
25:48 - Has she become less social while building her PH SPOT?
27:50 - Why she prefers bootstrapping over fundraising
29:37 - Sujani’s thoughts on AI
31:45 - Dealing with doubt as an entrepreneur
35:20 - Where she sees herself in the 3-5 years
37:24 - Sujani and Ara talking about how much money you really need
40:50 - Resources she leverages to be a lifelong learner
42:12 - Trying to make quicker decisions without procrastinating
46:31 - Advice she would give her 16-year-old self
49:35 - How she wants to be remembered by friends and family
51:21 - Creator Confessions
55:53 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan

Support the show

Nish Ithayakumar is a Vancouver-raised tech entrepreneur currently living in San Francisco, running Ponyrun (formerly Nimbus), an AI-based sales tool that helps automate research for high-quality results at scale, and the company was part of the prestigious Y-Combinator program.

He joins Ara on this week’s episode of #TheTamilCreator to discuss growing up in Vancouver (including the Grizzlies), playing “way too many video games” growing up, firsthand benefits of the Y-Combinator program for his startup, the Eureka moment that sparked the birth of Ponyrun, how his investors reacted to him pivoting from Nimbus to Ponyrun, leveraging a consulting job to open doors for his tech aspirations, the path to starting his own business (Ponyrun), the pros and cons of San Francisco, the importance of being an active listener, and so much more.

Follow Nish:
- LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/nithayakumar/)

Timestamps

00:19 - Ara introduces this week’s guest, Nish Ithayakumar
01:08 - Nish speaks on his upbringing; video games and calculating what mattered
03:15 - Not being a fan of food
04:40 - Growing up during the Vancouver Grizzlies era
05:52 - From Vancouver to Toronto to San Francisco; following his passion for tech
06:43 - The challenges of transition from Canada to America for work
08:01 - Working for multiple companies before starting his own (Nimbus)
09:53 - His “Eureka moment”
11:19 - From targeting small customers to bigger ones
13:37 - How his investors reacted to him pivoting from Nimbus to Ponyrun
15:53 - Coming up with the name Ponyrun; focusing on what mattered (customers)
16:39 - Excelling at creating solutions; seeing a gap for automation
18:59 - Are the responses they’ve received positive, negative, or neutral?
21:29 - How CRM fits into his business operations
22:17 - Ponyrun surpassing Nimbus revenue in five months of operations
23:12 - Benefits of being part of the Y Combinator program; fundraising, network, etc.
25:21 - How the easy path dilutes you
26:20 - Being at an inflection point
27:25 - Is too much automation a bad; having to handhold and showcase value
29:09 - Having a product that could help generate more sales for himself
30:40 - His business model; a monthly subscription
31:06 - What are Nish’s future plans for Ponyrun?
31:57 - Does he miss Vancouver and was moving to San Francisco the right decision?
33:15 - The perception of San Francisco
35:47 - Nish’s favourite things about living in San Francisco; views, food, and more
37:10 - Where he sees himself professionally/personally over the next 5-10 years
38:34 - How his family feels about San Francisco; their role in his decision-making
39:16 - The importance of sense of community amidst today’s loneliness epidemic
40:12 - Learning lessons he’s picked up along his journey; active listening as a skill
43:41 - The Tamil community in Vancouver versus San Francisco versus Toronto
45:57 - Advice he would give his 16-year-old self
49:18 - The personal legacy he wants to be remembered for by friends and family
50:01 - Creator Confessions
1:02:15 - The Wrap Up

Intro Music

Produced And Mixed By:
- The Tamil Creator
- Yanchan

Written By:
- Aravinthan Ehamparam
- Yanchan Rajmohan

Support the show