Our Team

Thomas Thekkethala, Founder

Mr. Thekkethala is an entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist with over twenty-five years of experience financing, operating, and scaling global technology companies through their growth and acquisition. He is currently the Managing Partner of TOLIMA LP, which invests in and advises disruptive innovation-driven technology companies in AI, cloud computing, and digital engagement. TOLIMA is the primary source of financial support for the foundation.

Prior to founding TOLIMA, he served as the Founder and Managing Partner of JT Ventures which invested in and mentored early-stage technology companies through growth and successful exits. Notable investments include CrosStor (acquired by EMC), Allegro (acquired by Cisco), Fidelia (acquired by NetScout), Ibrix (acquired by HP), and Sixth Sense Media (acquired by EVOL). As a serial entrepreneur, he led multiple technology companies from inception through product strategy, market validation, and global expansion. Companies he co-founded include SRG (acquired by CNSL), CCSS (acquired by MCLD), Fidelia (acquired by NetScout), and Sixth Sense Media (acquired by EVOL).

He also served as CEO of Evolving Systems (NASDAQ: EVOL) a real-time digital engagement company, where he completed the acquisition, integration, and optimization of two software companies and their product portfolios, accelerating revenue growth and profitability. The company grew to over 100 mobile operator customers in 75 countries, reaching more than two billion consumers, leading to the company’s acquisition by PartnerOne Software.

He received his Masters’ degree from the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis, where he also served as an adjunct faculty member for several years and spoke at numerous industry conferences worldwide. He strongly believes that expanding access to education in rural areas can transform lives and uplift communities.

Matt Thekkethala, Founder

Hi, I'm Matt Thekkethala. I am a writer and a Michener Fellow at the University of Texas in Austin. I was named a Fulbright scholar after graduating from Yale University, where I was challenged every day to think globally. I developed a passion for children’s education in high school while volunteering and living at Sneha Care Home and Snehagram, two residential institutions for HIV+ orphaned or abandoned children and adolescents in rural India. I am very proud that the Snehagram holistic model that I helped pioneer, has helped our HIV+ students receive their high school diplomas, a first for any program of this kind in India.

At Yale, I co-founded the Yale Undergraduate Legal Aid Association (YULAA) and worked with the New Haven Legal Aid Assistance to support U-Visa and VAWA applicants. I also co-founded the Yale Human Rights Society and led the weekly ‘Wilbur Cross Human Rights Workshop’ that engaged New Haven high school students with domestic and international human rights issues. I also conducted research on trafficking of minors in Connecticut which culminated in the presentation of a memorandum amending a trafficking statute at the Connecticut State Legislature.

As a Fulbright Scholar, I taught high school students in rural Malaysia, and later worked and taught at Camphill and Raphael Village communities for children and adults with exceptionalities like Autism and Downs Syndrome in the New York and Louisiana. My extended family and friends inspire me with their passion and commitment to make a difference in our community and the world. I created the Learn for Life Foundation to inspire young people in developing communities around the world, to make a difference in their worlds. I want to teach my students to think of themselves as global citizens, each of whom can change the world through the power of education. Please join me in making a difference in people’s lives.

Kishore Seshadri - STEM and Rural Education Advisor

Kishore is a Product Management executive who has held senior executive positions, always working on pioneering the first release of new products, at both startups and publicly listed technology companies in the US. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kseshadri/

Kishore was the Product Manager responsible for Ethernet and ATM Switch products at Bay Networks (acquired by Nortel Networks) and part of the early team at Redback Networks (IPO in 2000; Acquired by Ericsson) and Product Manager for the industry's first Broadband Remote Access System (B-RAS) and the industry’s first edge router with built-in subscriber management. He was a member of the founding team & Vice President Product Management at Apigee, a pioneer in the API management space (IPO in 2015; Acquired by Google). He was VP Product Management Mu Dynamics (acquired by Spirent), which delivered one of the first automated security test platforms and worked as Director Product Management at Cisco Systems (NASDAQ: CSCO) overseeing the industry’s first terabit/slot core router and the WAE Service Provider SDN platform. He also served a Vice President / General Manager for

Aruba Networks Wide Area Networking and Cloud products and is currently VP Product Management in the area of secure cloud networking at Ubyon.

Kishore started his career at Intel where he was part of the Intel Processor Architecture and Network team. He received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bangalore University and graduate degree in Computer Science from the University of Kentucky. Kishore has been granted several patents across many areas of networking and is on the advisory boards of several startups. He is passionate about rural children’s education, flying and photography.

Samir Pius George, Public Policy Advisor

Samir Pius George is a St. Stephen's (India) Graduate and public policy professional who is passionate about solving governance problems in India. Currently, he works with The Education Alliance (TEA) in Tamil Nadu (TN) as part of a Project Management Unit (PMU) of the School Education Department to improve the delivery of public education in all government schools in TN. His areas of interest include Education and Urban Governance and he is building a specialization in Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL), a crucial aspect of creating robust and sustainable change.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/samir-pius-george/

Neil Bjorkman, Legal Advisor (USA)

Neil Bjorkman is the Head of Government Relations, North America at Tata Consultancy Services. He is the company's lead advocate encouraging the U.S. Government and Congress to adopt laws that will deepen the bilateral relationship and spur trade with India. In his previous role, he was credited with helping secure India’s status as a “major defense partner” of the United States. He served as the Policy Counsel for the Majority staff of the Committee on Rules in the United States House of Representatives, where he handled Chairman Pete Sessions’ India portfolio. In 2007-2008, Neil served as the Judicial Clerk to Justice Dalveer Bhandari at the Supreme Court of India, where he helped craft a landmark constitutional judgment on affirmative action in university admissions. Neil is a graduate of Saint John’s University, speaks Hindi, Malayalam and Spanish and earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-bjorkman-9a75689/

Rani George, Program Coordinator (India)

Sneha Care honored Rani as the “2012 Volunteer of the Year” for her active involvement with the children’s programs and part-time teaching. In her words, “Following the loss of my parents and my brother in 2008, the children of Sneha Care and Snehagram have become an addiction. It has been wonderful to work with the kids and watch them change, grow and give back more than I can possibly give them. My years in Mother Teresa’s City of Joy, Kolkotta, kindled in me a passion to give back in whatever way I could, and Sneha Care became my home away from home in Bangalore”. Rani received her bachelor’s degree in history from Stella Maris College, Chennai where she was Vice President of the student union and was actively involved in volunteering for social causes.

Maria Thekkethala, Intern

Hi, I’m Maria Thekkethala, a dedicated student at Rutgers University, New Jersey, with a passion for learning and leadership. At Rutgers, I’m committed to academic excellence and social justice. I’m also a proud athlete, competing on the Rutgers Club game team. I’m thrilled to be working with the Learn for Life Foundation team on raising awareness and support for disadvantaged children's education in rural communities in India.