05/29/2026
We gathered to celebrate the mentors of TiE Young Entrepreneurs (TYE) Seattle and pay tribute to Soma Somasegar — whose life embodied everything mentorship stands for.
Soma was a technology leader, investor, and community builder. But what people remembered most wasn’t his title or his résumé.
It was how he saw people.
He listened more than he talked. He simplified complexity. He showed up — genuinely. He believed in founders before they believed in themselves.
That’s exactly what our TYE team do every single day. Thanks to Kishor Panpaliya, Yashovardhan Wagh, Aalok 🦄 Doshi and Aravind Bala.
At TYE Seattle, mentorship means seeing potential early.
Vijay Vashee said it simply, and it stayed with everyone in the room:
“If we take care of our children, they will take care of our future.”
Thank you to Vijay Vashee, Gowri Shankar, Aravind Bala, Ezhilarasan (Ez) Natarajan, , Sharmilli Ghosh, and Haresh Ved for sharing their reflections and thoughts of Soma.
And a heartfelt thank you to Silicon Valley Bank, a division of First Citizens Bank, for partnering with TiE Seattle in honoring Soma’s legacy — and for believing in the power of community, mentorship, and paying it forward.
The greatest tribute to Soma is not only remembrance.
It is action.
To mentor generously.
To lead with humility.
To listen more.
To see people.
To invest in our children and our future.
And maybe ask ourselves — as Soma often did:
Are we having fun?
