Sandhya Mukkamala

Co-President

Sandhya Mukkamala is a Partner and Co-Founder at ASTUTE and an accomplished CPA in the State of California. She advises clients on R&D tax incentives, technical accounting, forensic audits, as well as works closely with clients’ CFOs/Controllers to develop stronger processes and controls within the business. She has more than 15 years of experience in audit and review engagements, and complex Merger & Acquisition due diligence audits for private and public accounting sectors.

Prior to founding Astute, Sandhya has served as M&A due diligence auditor for several years in a reputed public accounting firm in Silicon Valley. She has led the audit team in planning, structuring, and performed M&A due diligence activities across all functional areas such as financial, products, operations, and technology etc. She has also served as an external Auditor for various high-tech, automotive, retail, manufacturing, and service industries nationally and globally. As an acumen auditor, she helped companies uncover millions of dollars lost due to fraudulent activities or lack of control over processes, addressed complex accounting and financial reporting challenges.

Besides Auditing and Corporate finance, Sandhya has extensive experience in R&D tax credit consulting projects, performed numerous financial and M&A due diligence audits, resolved complex Accounting for Income tax provisions, SEC Reporting, internal controls testing and fraud testing over financial reporting for a multitude of industries from early startups to Pre-IPO to public companies nationally and globally.

Her unique understanding, problem-solving skills and providing reliable solutions have benefited clients in various industry sectors.

Deepti Dawar

Co-President

Deepti Dawar is the COO & Partner at Diya TV - America's largest South Asian Broadcast TV Network. She brings with her over a decade of experience in Design, Branding & Operations.

Porter Wong

Director

Mr. Wong is an executive in residence of Plug and Play Technology Center, Mentor at the U.S. National Laboratory Entrepreneurship Academy, mentor at the University of California Entrepreneurship Academy, mentor at Clean Tech Open,  Porter is also an executive in residence at  Alley/Verizon Ventures Palo Alto. He is a consultant of the US Department of Commerce MBDA (Minority Business Development Agency) Northern California Business Centers and California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development’s Small Business Technical Assistance Expansion Program. Porter is also a member of Ontario, Canada PV Caucus. Ontario, Canada PV Caucus is a working body that provides influential inputs to the government to shape solar photovoltaic governmental industry wide regulation and policy. Mr. Wong served as Chairman of IEEE Computer Society Santa Clara Valley Chapter. Prior to actively working with startups, he held c-level and senior management positions with four successful technology startups, two went IPO and two were acquired by Fortune 500 companies.

Maitjian Welke

Director

Maitjian Welke is the Founder and Co-Owner of CMIT Solutions Silicon Valley which is an IT Managed Service Provider specializes in IT infrastructure, Cyber Security, IT Consulting & CIO/CISO services.    Maitjian Welke has Computer Science background and extensive IT & Software Engineering experience of over 20 years working in fortune 500 corporations including IBM, SUN, CISCO, AMEX, NCR and GOOD Technology prior to starting CMIT Solutions here in Silicon Valley in 2009.   Maitjian has served on the Board of Industry Council for Small Business Development as the CIO since 2014.  As an active VAR Channel Partner for fortune 500 computer manufacturers, she has been recognized in the Women of the Channel by CRN Magazine multi years in a row for her leadership and accomplishments.  Maitjian is passionate about helping small and medium corporations with their Technology and Cyber Security.  Her article on Email Security was published in the CIO Story Magazine in the 2015 Cyber Security and Cisco Edition.  She had been invited to be on the Cyber Security Panelists for a number of Cyber Security Summits and Expos in San Jose, Fresno and Los Angeles and provided a number of Cyber Security webinars for professionals in recent years.

Peter Lee

Director

As Sourcing Manager of Wells Fargo’s Supplier Diversity team, Peter is the primary point of contact for the Western Region and responsible for leading specific line of business supplier diversity growth initiatives.

Peter manages partnerships with Wells Fargo Lines of Business in the areas of Commercial & Wholesale Banking and Corporate Risk. Of Asian descent, Peter has served as an advocate for Asian Owned business growth and development.  He currently serves on the Board of the Western Region, US Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce (USPAACC) and as the Board Treasurer for the Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council (NWMTNMSDC).  Further he is a member of the Certification Committee for the Western Regional Minority Supplier Development Council (WRMSDC). Prior to his relocation to San Francisco, CA, he was an active volunteer and community leader in Chicago, IL, serving a women’s homeless shelter, a food bank and at his church.

Mr. Lee received his Bachelor of Science in Finance from University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign, and his Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Sonu Ratra

Director

As Co-founder of Akraya and Founder of Women Back to Work, Sonu Ratra is a strong believer that with success comes responsibility.  Sonu Ratra has been recognized as a highly motivated and focused thought-leader in the Talent and Staffing industry.  Besides leading Akraya’s aggressive growth strategies, Ratra serves on the Board of Directors at the Institute of Economic Empowerment for Women to support their Peace through Business program.  She also serves on the Foundation Board at the Silicon Valley Leadership Group.  A past winner of the Enterprising Woman of the Year Award, Ratra has received several accolades including the Woman of Influence Award, Northwood’s Outstanding business leader award, the Business Journal’s Community Impact Individual Champion award and Silicon Valley Leadership Group’s Doer’ award.

An entrepreneur with a charitable heart, Ratra is passionate about giving back to the community. Over the years, she has been an avid supporter for women’s empowerment. She is currently spearheading the initiative  “Women Back to Work,” a workforce re-entry program for women.  Akraya, Inc. is a Global Staffing and Managed services company headquartered in  Santa Clara, California.  Named Best Places to Work for three consecutive years, Akraya is also ranked by the Staffing Industry Analysts as the Best Staffing Company to Temp and Work for.