Speakers

Keynote Speaker

S. D. Shibulal

Cofounder, Infosys; Cofounder, Axilor Ventures; Member, Board of Trustees of Boston University; Member, Metropolitan College Dean’s Advisory Board

S. D. Shibulal (MET’88) a prominent figure in the tech industry, cofounded Infosys, a multinational corporation providing business consulting, information technology, and outsourcing services. From its inception in 1981 onward, he led the company in different capacities. He served as CEO and managing director from 2011 to 2014, during which Infosys continued to grow and innovate, enhancing its global footprint and expanding its service offerings. Shibulal played a crucial role in developing the Global Delivery Model, which revolutionized the delivery of outsourced IT services.

In 2014, Shibulal cofounded Axilor Ventures, a platform that supports early-stage startups through funding, acceleration, and incubation. One of India’s most active seed funds, with a portfolio of more than 100 companies, Axilor Ventures invests in 8 to 12 startups annually.

Shibulal serves on several global leadership forums and advisory boards. He is trustee of the Infosys Science Foundation, a not-for-profit trust; a member of the Board of Trustees, Boston University; and a member of the Board of Managers of Haverford College, Philadelphia. He is also the chair of the High Power Digital Advisory Committee (HPDAC) of Kerala.

He holds a master’s degree in computer science from Boston University, and a master’s degree in physics from the University of Kerala, India.

Panel Discussion on Entrepreneurship and Technology

Panel Moderator

Ralph H. Groce III

President and COO, Scroobious; Chair, Metropolitan College Dean’s Advisory Board; Member, Boston University Advisory Board

Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ralph H. Groce III (CGS, Questrom, MET) is an accomplished entrepreneur, visionary thinker, and dedicated advocate for change. He has founded and successfully managed multiple businesses, amassing several patents along the way. His ventures have been at the forefront of innovation, contributing to economic growth and creating opportunities.

Groce currently serves as president and chief operating officer for Scroobious, a startup initiative focused on creating equitable access to investment capital. Prior to joining Scroobious, Groce served as chief information officer, global head of operations technology at Wells Fargo, where he successfully combined his entrepreneurial mindset with technology leadership.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Groce is an avid sports enthusiast, a music lover, an author, an ardent reader of literature, and a passionate traveler. His deep commitment to giving back to the community and making a positive impact on the lives of others is a driving force in his personal and professional journey. His vision and values come together to create a compelling narrative in his upcoming book, We Have Nothing to Lose… A Dark Optimist Call to Action, an embodiment of his dream for a brighter future and his commitment to leadership and positive change.

Groce holds a bachelor’s degree from Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, a graduate degree from Boston University’s Metropolitan College, an MBA from Queens University McColl School of Business, and the honor of receiving an honorary doctorate from Johnson C. Smith University.

Panelists

Steve Akers

Founder, CEO, and President, MaxCogito; Member, Metropolitan College Dean’s Advisory Board

Steve Akers (MET’94) is president and CEO of MaxCogito, Inc., a company building products that leverage blockchain and other technologies utilizing cryptography to allow customers to securely exchange data between counterparties to financial transactions.

Akers has cofounded or founded four different companies, leveraging the knowledge he gained at BU MET to augment his entrepreneurial talents. Prior to his start-up career, Akers held engineering and senior executive positions at Hewlett-Packard and various Boston-area computer companies, where he contributed to several technology areas, including networking protocols, secure communications, and data encryption.

His first startup, Spring Tide Networks, Inc., built the world’s first Internet switching and routing platform, allowing service providers to instantiate high-capacity firewall security services, including Virtual Private Networking technology augmented with data encryption services. IBM used this technology to build a secure private network linking many of its sites over fully encrypted high speed data lines. Spring Tide Networks was acquired by Lucent Technologies (now Nokia), where Akers chaired the Architecture Council, a consortium of Bell Laboratories executives and senior research fellows.

Another of Akers’ companies worked closely with Bloomberg LP to provide data insight services for highly sensitive financial documents and messages. Bloomberg acquired that company, at which point Akers led teams in Boston and New York to provide data analytics services to Bloomberg businesses serving some of the largest banks and investment firms in the world.

Akers earned his Master of Science in Computer Science from Boston University’s Metropolitan College and is a proud member of the Metropolitan College Dean’s Advisory Board. As entrepreneur in residence at Metropolitan College, he has been invited to give lectures and provide insights and advice to faculty and students.

Tanya Bakalov

Founder and CEO, HelloTeam

Tanya Bakalov is the CEO and founder of HelloTeam, a modern employee engagement and performance management platform that is redefining the way companies engage and retain top talent. She is also managing partner at VT Technology Ventures and a member of the Horn Entrepreneurship National Advisory Board at the University of Delaware.

In 2005, Bakalov left her position as a senior consultant at Deloitte & Touche to cofound SevOne, where she served as COO and chief people officer. Under her leadership, the company grew to more than 500 employees worldwide and generated nearly $100 million annually, making it the industry leader in digital infrastructure management software.

Using her experiences in scaling SevOne, Bakalov created HelloTeam in 2016 to address a growing problem in the workplace: providing business leaders with data and insights needed to build strong data-driven people strategies. In collaboration with her global team, Bakalov advances the mission to empower each individual within an organization: boosting productivity, transforming the employee experience, and enhancing overall business and company culture.

Bakalov’s groundbreaking work as a two-time female founder earned her several awards, including the prestigious 2016 EY Entrepreneur of the Year® award. She holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting and an MIS from the University of Delaware.

Siobhan Dullea

Executive Director, Innovate@BU

A prominent business leader and innovator, Siobhan Dullea (CAS’91) is the executive director of Innovate@BU, Boston University’s initiative to foster a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship among students. She has worked at the C-level for the last 15-plus years in multiple organizations—as chief client officer, chief growth officer, COO, and CEO—and has directly managed customer success, finance, growth, HR, operations, product, and technology teams.

Prior to Innovate@BU, Dullea was the president and CEO of MassChallenge, a global network of zero-equity startup accelerators, where she played a significant role in fostering innovation and entrepreneurship, helping startups secure over $9 billion in funding and creating numerous jobs.

Dullea has also held executive positions at companies such as The Grommet and C Space. Her career is marked by her ability to drive growth, build partnerships, and support the entrepreneurial ecosystem. She has deep experience in developing and scaling global organizations and leading through periods of significant change, including growing a business from startup to acquisition. In 2019, Dullea was named a Boston Magazine “Visionary on the Rise” and in 2021 she was included in the FCW Fed 100, the most prestigious award in federal information technology.

Dullea earned her bachelor’s degree in political science and business administration from Boston University.

Snejina Zacharia

Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Insurify

Snejina Zacharia is the founder and CEO of Insurify, America’s top-rated virtual insurance agent. Under her leadership, Insurify has redefined how consumers compare, purchase, and manage insurance policies through its AI-driven platform. With over 60 million quotes served annually and $300 billion in insurance coverage facilitated, Insurify has received numerous accolades, including recognition on Forbes‘ Next Billion Dollar Startups (2022, 2023), Inc.’s 5000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America (2021, 2022, 2023), and Forbes’ Fintech 50 (2021, 2023).

A member of the board of advisors of the Mass Fintech Hub, Zacharia has been celebrated for her entrepreneurial excellence, earning prestigious awards such as EY’s New England Entrepreneur of the Year® (2021) and being named among Key Executives’ Top 25 Tech CEOs of Boston (2024). She has over 20 years of experience in entrepreneurship and enterprise software, including her tenure at Gartner, where she built and scaled multimillion-dollar businesses across global markets.

Zacharia holds an MBA from the MIT Sloan School of Management and continues to lead Insurify in its mission to innovate the insurance industry, empowering millions of customers with accessible and transparent insurance solutions.