Sheetal Mehta Walsh keynote speaker

Sheetal is an angel investor and advisor to several companies; She has over 17 years experience in technology, venture capital, and social entrepreneurship and has worked with thousands of entrepreneurs globally. She is the founder of Shanti Life (microfinance) where she helps poor entrepreneurs in Indian slums and villages to build sustainable businesses by providing mentoring, training, microfinance and promotion of health and well-being. She is a spokesperson on entrepreneurship and microfinance, having presented at Cambridge, LSE, Doha Forum, Big Society, House of Lords, Stanford, TEDx and other prestigious forums. She is UK Deal Maker (by appointment) for the UK Trade and Investment’s Global Entrepreneur Programme, Board Member / Investor at MetaCert a mobile security company and Virtual Visions an interactive mirror company (both based in the Silicon Valley) and acts as the advisor to London School of Economics Careers team focusing on entrepreneurship.

From 2000- 2005 Sheetal was Director of VC Relations at Microsoft where she worked with the Venture Capital community in EMEA and the Silicon Valley in order to fast track entrepreneurs with relevant product groups.

Sheetal has received several awards: Asian Women of Achievement: Social and Humanitarian (Prince Charles and Cherie Blair) for her efforts on taking technology to developing communities in India and Africa (2005); Management Today Magazine 35 Under 35; Success Magazine No 5 of top most powerful Asian women in the UK (2006), Award for Entrepreneur of the Year by Asian Woman Magazine and No 3 Ones To Watch’ section of the Asian Power 100 list – the most influential and highest achieving Asian women in Britain (2007). Asian Woman Magazine covered a story of Sheetal’s business in the Sept 2007 issue. Sheetal has been invited to Buckingham Palace for “Women in Business” reception hosted by Her Majesty, The Queen in November 2007, Alumni Award of Excellence from the University of Alberta and was nominated for the Microsoft Alumni Integral Awards 2012 and 2013. Sheetal has a Masters in International Relations (Economics) at the London School of Economics and a BA (Honors) in International Politics at the University of Alberta, Canada. She is a yoga teacher and plays drums and dohl. Sheetal is a citizen of Britain and Canada.