The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) DC will honor three entrepreneurs with the TiE DC Legends Award, to be presented at the Annual Gala on Friday, Dec. 12, at Wolf Trap, 1551 Trap Road, in Vienna.
Selected by the Board of Directors, the Legends Award recognizes individuals for risk-taking, mentoring of young entrepreneurs, philanthropy and years of dedication to the greater Washington, D.C. community.
This year’s honored guests are:
- Ken Bajaj — Founder of AppNet, a Web design and e-commerce integration firm that grew to be the fourth largest interactive media services company in the U.S. AppNet was sold to Commerce One in 2000 for $2 billion. Earlier, partnered with his wife Kavelle, founder and CEO of I-Net, to build and grow 23rd largest woman-owned company in the U.S. in 1995.
- Frank Islam — Founder of IT company, the QSS Group in 1994, built to 2,000 employees before its acquisition by Perot Systems in 2007. Committed philanthropist and civic leader with special interest in education and the arts, serving on boards and advisory councils of several institutions, including John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Brookings Institution, Johns Hopkins University and George Mason University.
- Sharad Tak — Entrepreneur in the fields of computer systems, telecommunications, broadcasting and power plant development. Founder of STX in 1971, provider of systems integration solutions for NASA and DoD, built to 1,100 employees, before acquisition by Hughes Aircraft. Founder of Tak Communications, a broadcasting company with nine network affiliated television and radio stations from Hawaii to Buffalo, New York and Florida.
TiE fosters entrepreneurship globally through mentoring, networking and education. TiE’s focus is on generating and nurturing the next generation of entrepreneurs. With more than 11,000 members, including more than 2,500 Charter Members in 61 chapters across 18 countries, TiE hosts a wide range of programs and events, including TiEcon, the largest professional and networking conference for entrepreneurs.
