Rushi Manche co-founded a blockchain technology company that introduced the first modular blockchain network to integrate high performance, liquidity, and composability. In his early twenties, he and his partner decided to leave their internships and withdraw from Vanderbilt University to pursue their venture's vision entirely. Their early commitment led to raising $3.4 million in pre-seed funding from over 25 angel investors. This foundational support enabled them to build a team of over 70 members and initiate the creation of a system designed to transform the blockchain development experience.

In 2023, just one year after the company’s launch, they successfully closed a $38 million Series A funding round. This significant milestone was backed by leading venture capital firms, including Hack VC, Placeholder, Archetype, Maven 11, Robot Ventures, Figment Capital, Nomad Capital, Bankless Ventures, OKX Ventures, dao5, and Aptos Labs. His leadership and technical input were central to establishing a platform designed for secure, scalable, and cross-chain applications.

Rushi Manche addressed significant challenges in blockchain infrastructure, especially interoperability and security. He believed blockchain programming provided a more reliable and efficient solution than traditional systems. The goal was to give the developers the tools to build applications that could operate safely and effectively across multiple networks, enhancing the overall user experience in decentralized environments.

The company's modular framework divided the blockchain system into layers, each responsible for specific tasks. This approach improved the platform’s flexibility, scalability, and maintainability. A programming language developed by a major tech company was utilized to construct a secure Ethereum Layer 2 network. The platform also launched a token to support ongoing development and network operations.

Before starting the company, he worked as a software engineer at Aptos Project, contributing to the development of decentralized exchanges and cross-chain index funds. He also founded Ensemble, an AI-powered test preparation platform that partnered with 53 high schools to provide free academic support to students nationwide.

His experience also includes a role at UnitedHealth Group, where he migrated seven APIs from on-premises to AWS cloud infrastructure, resulting in an 84% reduction in costs. He also upgraded backend systems to improve scalability and performance. As a freelance Full-Stack Developer, he redesigned and modernized a platform using updated frameworks, integrating cloud-based services to enhance functionality.

He holds a Seal of Biliteracy in French and has completed several technical certifications through Udemy in areas such as blockchain development, machine learning, natural language processing, and full-stack web development.

His academic and professional work has earned him several honors. In 2021, he received the Ingram Scholarship at Vanderbilt University. He was awarded the Burger King McLamore Scholarship and was a semifinalist for the Elks National Foundation and Coca-Cola Scholarships. He earned the title of National AP Scholar for achieving high scores across multiple AP exams.

Additional recognitions include winning the New Jersey State Stock Pitch Competition and receiving the Certified Young Investment Analyst designation through the Young Investors Society. He was among the top three percent of the Diamond Challenge Entrepreneurship Competition for presenting an app focused on reducing food waste. In 2020, he received the New Jersey State Governor’s Jefferson Award for public service. He was a finalist in the Seton Hall Pirates Pitch Business Plan Competition, where he proposed a solution to address educational inequality.

Alongside his academic and professional achievements, he and his family have supported healthcare-related charitable efforts in India for over a decade. He volunteered with organizations in high school, including UNICEF and the Samaritan Homeless Interim Program.

Born in Springfield, Illinois, Rushi Manche enjoys playing basketball, traveling, and spending time in nature.

Rushi Manche co-founded a blockchain technology company that introduced the first modular blockchain network to integrate high performance, liquidity, and composability. In his early twenties, he and his partner decided to leave their internships and... Show more

Electrical Engineer, Registered Professional Engineer

Electrical Engineer, Registered Professional Engineer Show more

Karen Dimitrijeski is a Digital Quality & Automation Consultant with over 10 years of experience in Quality roles supporting regulated IT across the Medical Device, Pharmaceutical, and Biotechnology industries. She translates complex global regulatory expectations into clear, actionable solutions that position Quality as a strategic partner, not a bottleneck. Her core expertise includes risk-based GxP system validation (CSV/CSA), data integrity, lifecycle management, and audit readiness.

Her background spans Quality System Management, systems administration, and business ownership for global, enterprise-scale regulated applications supporting hundreds of sites and thousands of users. She has partnered closely with infrastructure operations, IT security, data-center qualification teams, ITSM process owners (change, incident, problem, and access management), and SaaS/IaaS suppliers to ensure that enterprise systems remain compliant, resilient, and audit-ready throughout their lifecycle.

Karen builds scalable, system-agnostic automation architectures that modernize regulated software ecosystems, strengthen governance, and accelerate digital transformation—enabling Quality, ITSM, Security, and Infrastructure teams to operate as aligned partners rather than siloed functions.

Karen Dimitrijeski is a Digital Quality & Automation Consultant with over 10 years of experience in Quality roles supporting regulated IT across the Medical Device, Pharmaceutical, and Biotechnology industries. She translates complex global regulator... Show more

Precious Osaro is a Senior iOS Engineer with 8+ years of experience building secure, scalable, high-performance mobile systems across FoodTech, FinTech, HealthTech, and Security industries.

He has led engineering at Carbon and Reliance Health, designing modular architectures, enterprise-grade mobile pipelines, and modern authentication systems, including Passkeys and OPAQUE.

Precious specializes in on-device AI, mobile performance engineering, and building intelligent app experiences powered by Apple’s Core ML, Vision, Natural Language, and MLX frameworks. He also mentors engineers globally and speaks about leadership, architecture, and the future of mobile-edge intelligence.

Precious Osaro is a Senior iOS Engineer with 8+ years of experience building secure, scalable, high-performance mobile systems across FoodTech, FinTech, HealthTech, and Security industries. He has led engineering at Carbon and Reliance Health, des... Show more

Harish Balakrishnan is an accomplished IT professional with 19 years of experience leading quality assurance and systems integration projects across healthcare, retail, finance, and airlines. He has deep expertise in Oracle XStore POS, Salesforce CRM, Oracle HCM, and mainframe technologies, with a proven track record as a QA Manager, QA Lead, and SME driving complex enterprise transformations.
He has successfully managed large-scale programs at Kaiser Permanente, Citibank, Continental Airlines, and RR Donnelley, overseeing system modernization, cloud migrations, and enterprise-wide payment and case management solutions. Harish is a PMP, Salesforce (ADM 201, Sales Cloud, Service Cloud), CSM, SAFe 4, and ITIL certified, bringing strong leadership in Agile and Waterfall environments.
With extensive experience in onsite-offshore delivery, test strategy, automation frameworks, and stakeholder collaboration, Harish combines technical depth with business process insight to deliver measurable improvements in system performance and user experience.

Harish Balakrishnan is an accomplished IT professional with 19 years of experience leading quality assurance and systems integration projects across healthcare, retail, finance, and airlines. He has deep expertise in Oracle XStore POS, Salesforce CRM... Show more

Christiane Hoppe-Jones is a Senior Scientist at American Water with more than 17 years experience in the analysis and treatment of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs). Since joining American Water in 2019, Christiane has worked on many research projects about PFAS in source and drinking waters.

Christiane Hoppe-Jones is a Senior Scientist at American Water with more than 17 years experience in the analysis and treatment of chemicals of emerging concern (CECs). Since joining American Water in 2019, Christiane has worked on many research proj... Show more

Senior technology leader with 19+ years of experience architecting and scaling hyperscale distributed systems, Big Data, and AI/ML platforms, currently leading architecture for Walmart Health & Wellness.
Former VP of Architecture at Optum and Principal Engineer at Amazon, with a proven track record of building high-impact, revenue-generating platforms and growing large global engineering teams.

Senior technology leader with 19+ years of experience architecting and scaling hyperscale distributed systems, Big Data, and AI/ML platforms, currently leading architecture for Walmart Health & Wellness. Former VP of Architecture at Optum and Princi... Show more

Feed Focus and Starve Distractions
Mpumelelo Pinky
IT Support
Sip and Cloud Community Founder
CloudBoost and Faith Inspired Tech with Pinky
AWS Certified Cloud Ambassador
Tech Mentor and Community Volunteer
AI Engineer in Training

Feed Focus and Starve Distractions Mpumelelo Pinky IT Support Sip and Cloud Community Founder CloudBoost and Faith Inspired Tech with Pinky AWS Certified Cloud Ambassador Tech Mentor and Community Volunteer AI Engineer in Training Show more

Xavier Cardona is a highly experienced trainer on fatherhood engagement, domestic violence, and men and trauma, and a facilitator of Nurturing fathers’ groups and support groups for fathers. He has participated in over 50 training events for child welfare staff in Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Texas, Kansas, and Florida. He also has provided specialized training on fatherhood and domestic violence for child welfare staff (Department of Children & Families—DCF) in Massachusetts.

Xavier Cardona is a highly experienced trainer on fatherhood engagement, domestic violence, and men and trauma, and a facilitator of Nurturing fathers’ groups and support groups for fathers. He has participated in over 50 training events for child w... Show more

Darshan Honale is a Venture Capitalist & AI Transformation Strategist at i2VC and co-founder of Rivargo. He advises PE-backed operators, financial services firms, healthcare groups, and traditional industries on the design and deployment of AI agent programs. Darshan is also a venture partner and an active syndicator with deep experience connecting industry experts with emerging technologies. He specializes in vertical AI use cases, operational automation, and aligning AI initiatives with board and investor expectations.

Darshan Honale is a Venture Capitalist & AI Transformation Strategist at i2VC and co-founder of Rivargo. He advises PE-backed operators, financial services firms, healthcare groups, and traditional industries on the design and deployment of AI agent ... Show more