Rady School Alumni Honored As San Diego's "Next 40 Top Business Leaders Under 40"

SAN DIEGO - Aug. 30, 2018 - PRLog -- The Rady School is privileged to count these exceptional individuals among its ranks. One created a system that allows visually impaired individuals to navigate the world with more autonomy. One developed a more sustainable approach to farming. Both are alumni of the Rady School of Management who have harnessed their MBA degrees to start innovative companies making major breakthroughs in their industries. Suman Kanuganti (MBA '14) and Pierre Sleiman (MBA '13) were honored by the San Diego Business Journal as "San Diego's Next 40 Top Business Leaders Under 40." Each year, the publication devises a list of business leaders making a difference in the San Diego community. Four alumni of UC San Diego – including Kanuganti and Sleiman – were named on the list.

Entrepreneurship and innovation are two major curriculum focuses at the Rady School, and both alumni who received the designation took advantage of the school's core sequence, Lab to Market, to help launch and grow their businesses. In addition, Aira is a graduate of Rady's StartR Accelerator. Today, Aira – developed by Kanuganti – and Go Green Agriculture – championed by Sleiman – are growing, earning recognition and funding, expanding operations across the country and making positive contributions to economy.

About the Alumni

Suman Kanuganti launched Aira Tech Corp while pursuing his MBA at the Rady School. During his time in the FlexMBA program, Kanuganti also worked at Qualcomm as a product development consultant. Inspired by a visually impaired friend's tenacity and ambitious nature, Kanuganti created Aira, a technological platform that connects blind and visually impaired 'explorers' with remote agents that enable them to navigate the world with increased autonomy. Using smart glasses, explorers are able to share their field of vision with the agents who can help them with tasks, such as navigating grocery stores, locating bus stops, maneuvering through airports and more. Aira continues to expand, forming partnerships with popular ridesharing mobile application Lyft, and securing contracts with universities and airports across the country.

Pierre Sleiman is the founder of Go Green Agriculture — a hydroponic produce company created to encourage sustainable urban farming. Sleiman created a system that uses 80 percent less water and one-fifth of the land traditionally needed to grow a variety of crops, all while yielding produce year-round. His farming systems are used across the country, and his produce can be found in both large scale grocery chains and local markets. In 2014, his commitment to innovation and sustainability was recognized by President Obama when he was chosen for President Obama's "Champions of Change" award in "The Future of Agriculture."

To find out more about how the Rady School helped Pierre develop his business, go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebg73zz23Q0