Twenty-one of Britain’s leading Asian Tech Pioneers were honoured, by equality charity Diversity UK, on the publication of its annual Top 100 Asian Stars in UK Tech list. The list celebrates diversity in the digital sector with a focus on disruptive technologies and celebrates its seventh anniversary this year.
Lopa Patel MBE, list curator and Chair of Diversity UK said: “It is inspiring to see so many Pioneers scale new heights over the past year, which has continued to be challenging for all of us in so many ways. I am delighted that the Top 100 Asian Stars in UK Tech list has marked its seventh anniversary with a stellar list of nominees, including another year with a record number of new nominees (60%) and that we have been able to honour twenty-one amazing Asian Tech Pioneers who have been selected by a judging panel of their own peers.
The Asian Tech Pioneers index now stands at 71 individuals and it is pleasing to see that newer sectors like greentech and healthtech are now being represented well against categories like business (22%) and investors (18%). Among the Asian Tech Pioneers list are accelerators, influencers, investors, and VCs whose collective efforts will be really needed in the coming years if Britain is to bounce back entrepreneurially from the impact of the pandemic, but it is doubly thrilling to see women coming through the ranks to reach the top too."
Women Asian Tech Pioneers recognised for supporting the tech ecosystem include Pratima Aiyagari, Venture Partner at Nauta Capital, which invests in early-stage (mainly Seed and Series A stage enterprise software companies) in deep tech domains; Joyeeta Das, Chair at AI company Gyana and Associate Venture Partner at SuperSeed ventures, working with the best deep tech startups to achieve their highest potential and Deepali Nangia, Co-founder of Alma Angels and Venture Partner at Speedinvest who has been an advisor to female founders in the London ecosystem for 8 years now. Women make up 18.3% of the Asian Tech Pioneers list.
The official list of the Top 100 Asian Stars in UK Tech 2021 was published yesterday by Diversity UK and aims to highlight the ground-breaking business models, apps, funding and support networks being created by Asian digital entrepreneurs. The list addresses the perceived lack of diversity in the tech sector and showcases the wealth of talent that is currently growing the British tech scene. The list also showcases the top five Asians in the UK involved in business, greentech, healthtech, investors and startups, as chosen by expert judges.
The Top 100 Asian Stars in UK Tech list and Diversity UK are the brainchild of the digital entrepreneur Lopa Patel MBE who has long been recognised as an evangelist for STEM and the tech industries in the UK.
The full list of Asian Tech Pioneers 2021, in alphabetical order by surname:
1. Ajaz Ahmed BEM, Founder - Freeserve
2. Pratima Aiyagari, Venture Partner - Nauta Capital
3. Ruhul Amin, Co-Founder - Onfido
4. Azeem Azhar, Founder - Exponential View
5. Iggy Bassi, Founder & CEO - Cervest AI
6. Joyeeta Das, Chair - Gyana
7. Imran Ghory, Partner - Blossom Capital
8. Amit Gudka, Co-Founder - Bulb Energy
9. Vinoth Jayakumar, Partner - Draper Esprit
10. Ron Kalifa OBE, Chairman - Network International
11. Mustafa Khanwala, Founder & CEO - Mishi Pay
12. Deepali Nangia, Venture Partner - SpeedInvest
13. Daniel Ng, CEO - CyberOwl
14. Jeffrey Ng, Chief Scientific Officer - Founders Factory
15. Chintan Patel, Chief Technologist & Engineering Director - Cisco UK & Ireland
16. Suman Saha, Co-Founder & Medical Director - Doctify
17. Hitesh Sanganee, Head of Emerging Innovations - AstraZeneca
18. Bhavneet Singh, Founder & CEO - Sandbox Partners
19. Arnie Sriskandarajah, Managing Director - Round Hill Ventures
20. Sumanta Talukdar, Co-Founder - Wave Optics
21. Alick Varma, Founder & Chairman - Osper
