About
Founders and team
The people behind SHEQONOMI, described in the words they publish about themselves. Where a claim could not be checked from here it is not repeated — the figures SHEQONOMI quotes live on the impact page with the basis for each one attached.
Founders
Who started it
SHEQONOMI was co-founded by a mother and daughter.
Co-Founder & CEO
Anu Bhardwaj
Deep Tech Founder for the Bottom Billion | EdTech & AI Audio Pioneer | Private Equity & Digital Assets
Anu Bhardwaj is a Deep Tech founder for the bottom billion — building the world's first multi-device, multi-platform AI, EdTech, and tokenization system that delivers Education for All leveraging the power of AI & Audio. Co-Chair of Blockchain for Impact at the UN.
Co-Founder & Chief Inspiration Officer
Arya Bhardwaj
Chief Inspiration Officer, Angel Investor, Philanthropist
As Chief Inspiration Officer of SHEQONOMI, Arya leads the platform's vision for the next generation of women and girls in AI, audio, and blockchain. At age 7 (November 2018), she co-founded Krypto 4 Kids, a global blockchain literacy program.
Recognition
The one award with a paper trail
Stated here because it can be checked end to end. It is the only figure on this page.
Grand prize winner · $150,000 · 2021
IsDB Transform Fund — Grand Prize
Ranked first of 5,000 applications from 173 countries in the Islamic Development Bank's Transform Fund Call for COVID-19 Global Innovation.
Basis: Islamic Development Bank Transform Fund award announcement, 2021. Contract signed and publicly announced.
Leadership
The founding team
Roles, affiliations and biographies as each of them publishes them. Every link goes to a profile or firm page you can check.
Interim CTO · Nov 2020 – Dec 2023
David H. Holtzman
Internet Pioneer · Cryptographer · Author · Blockchain Strategist
One of the architects of the modern internet. As CTO of Network Solutions, Holtzman ran the DNS master root server — overseeing growth from 500K to 20M domains. Chief Scientist at IBM, Booz Allen & Hamilton, U.S. Navy cryptographer & submariner, DoD intelligence analyst. Author of Privacy Lost and Surviving Identity Theft. Father of four daughters. Tech Ronin. #HEFORSHE.
Chief Digital Strategist
Aron Dutta
Former Head of Blockchain, IBM · Founder & CEO, Ambika Inc. · Cisco · Booz Allen · #HEFORSHE
Former Head of Blockchain at IBM. Founder & CEO of Ambika Inc. (U.S./Bermuda). Serial venture-backed entrepreneur: Scient Corp. NASDAQ, Viant Corp. NASDAQ. Senior Executive: IBM, Cisco Technologies, Booz Allen & Hamilton, Salomon Brothers, Department of Defense, TRW. Digital Futurist & Superconnector. #HEFORSHE champion.
General Counsel
Cherie K. Dibbell Durand
Partner, Hulsey Law Group · Dartmouth A.B. 1985 · UVA Law J.D. 1990
Partner at Hulsey Law Group with 31+ years of complex civil litigation. Specializes in civil RICO, medical device, international litigation, and health care fraud. Has been advising Anu Bhardwaj for two decades, bringing rigorous legal expertise and fluency in Spanish.
Chief Legal Adviser
Douglas S. Ellenoff
Founding Partner, EGS LLP · Fordham Law J.D. · Vassar College B.A. · #HEFORSHE
Founding partner of EGS LLP (est. 1992), a pioneer in SPACs, PIPEs, Crowdfunding, and Registered Directs with 1,000+ SPAC offerings. Ranked by Chambers & Partners USA in equity capital markets. Has been advising SHEQONOMI since inception and Anu Bhardwaj for over a decade. #HEFORSHE champion.
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