George Mason Names Innovation Center for Anil and Anupama Sharma, Honoring 1989-1997 Public-Tech Career
Updated
Updated · The Tribune India · Aug 21
George Mason Names Innovation Center for Anil and Anupama Sharma, Honoring 1989-1997 Public-Tech Career
3 articles · Updated · The Tribune India · Aug 21
Summary
George Mason University has renamed its Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship as the Anil and Anupama Sharma Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, honoring the Chandigarh-born entrepreneur and his wife.
1989 to 1997 marks Anil Sharma’s early public-sector technology work in Chandigarh, where he served as District Informatics Officer and Systems Analyst and helped build the NIC district office and introduce IT systems across government departments.
That career later expanded into a U.S.-based entrepreneurial journey through Mohali-headquartered 22nd Century Technologies, where Sharma is CEO.
The newly named center is intended to connect students, faculty, entrepreneurs and business partners as a hub for innovation, new ideas and entrepreneurial leadership at the Virginia public research university.
How will this major philanthropic partnership bridge the technology and entrepreneurial ecosystems between Virginia's academic institutions and Mohali's tech sector?
What specific new startup ventures will emerge from George Mason's newly funded center and its Patriot Pitch Competition this year?
How did an immigrant arriving with limited resources in 1997 build a 6,000-employee tech empire that now funds university innovation centers?