I'm Bharat. New York City is home now, but my journey has spanned continents and passions. Along the way, I've lived in far-flung places, explored spirituality, mentored the next generation in robotics, found my voice as a storyteller, led teams at the cutting edge of technology, and embraced travel as a way to learn and connect.
In my career, I've led engineering teams across media, e-commerce, and trend forecasting. My current focus is building advanced enterprise AI chatbots, workflows, and agents. While I am a builder and leader, one of my superpowers is translating complex tech speak into ideas people can understand and act on.
Born in India, I grew up between Nigeria, India, and Sri Lanka before landing in a New Jersey high school. As an adult, I made homes in New York, Los Angeles, Mexico, and spent meaningful time in Istanbul. Each place shaped how I see the world and what it means to belong.
In high school, I joined the robotics team, where I found my first true sense of belonging that would go on to have a major impact for the rest of my life. We finished second in the world, and later, as a mentor, we had the honor of winning the world championship. Those victories were a turning point in my life, helping me understand the importance of community and competition.
FIRST Robotics became my greatest legacy. Over the past two decades, I have poured my energy into building a global community, hosting and organizing competitions that have inspired more than half a million students to pursue STEM. The ripple effect of those efforts shaped futures and sparked movements. As a bonus, this journey even landed me a small role as a referee in the feature film Rule Breakers, based on Roya Mahboob's powerful story of championing girls' education in Afghanistan. The movie was an unexpected chapter, but the true story is the impact made through robotics.
This drive to make an impact has been my compass. It's pushed me to grow in ways I never imagined, including confronting childhood traumas, building resilience while organizing events for hundreds, and evolving into a thoughtful leader. The true gift of navigating so many intersections has been the person I've become along the way.
If I had to sum it up, I'm a hands-on tech leader, a relentless community builder, and someone deeply curious about what makes us belong. I've lived a life as comfortable in code as at a dinner table in cities I barely know. The best lessons have come from standing in front of a crowd, learning that sharing ideas, stories, and a little vulnerability builds the strongest connections.
Today, I write to connect with fellow changemakers, to share stories, shift perspectives, and spark new ideas. If any part of my journey resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you. Thank you for being here; it truly means a lot.