The Startup Village here is all cheers over US President Barack Obama nominating one of its advisors to a senior position in the US administration.
Kerala-born Arun M. Kumar, a member of the advisory council of Startup Village, was on Friday named an Assistant Secretary in the Department of Commerce. He will also be the Director General of the US and Foreign Commercial Service and International Trade Administration.
Kumar, who was a member of the board of directors at KPMG, a top multinational consultancy company, has been a member of the Startup Village Advisory Council since the telecom technology incubator’s inception in April last year.
“The Startup Village team extends its heartiest congratulations to Arun Kumar on a well-deserved appointment,” said Sanjay Vijaykumar, Chairman of the Startup Village’s Board of Governors, in a statement. “We believe his nomination will greatly strengthen our efforts to build a bridge between the Silicon Valley and the Indian startup scene and to help young entrepreneurs here take their businesses to the global level.”
A business manager, strategist, and consultant, Kumar has advised a number of startup founders and invested in numerous such ventures.
“His association with our incubator has been very valuable in terms of the backing and encouragement we have received,” said Startup Village CEO Sijo Kuruvilla George.