Page 18 - Pakistan Link - August 21, 2020

P18 – PAKISTAN LINK – AUGUST 21, 2020 COMMUNITY

NED University’s Alum Raises $100 Million for Silicon Valley FinTech Startup

n By Riaz Haq healthcare businesses. Its clients include his Master’s and PhD degrees from Uni- versity of Colorado at Boulder in 1990 and
Walmart, Wayfair, Ibex Global and many 1994 respectively.
P CA others. Here’s how Dr Safwan Shah, CEO
akistani-American serial entrepre- and Co-Founder of PayActiv, describes his Safwan started Infonox, a payment
neur and NED alumnus Dr Safwan business: platform company, in 2005 and sold it to
Shah has raised $100 million in TSYS in 2008 for an undisclosed amount.
Series C funding for his financial tech- “American families are facing more He then started PayActiv in 2012.
nology (fintech) startup PayActiv Inc. financial stress than they have in genera-
based in Silicon Valley, California. The tions. The timing gap between work and Safwan Shah is one of the most suc-
round was led by Eldridge Wealth Ltd, wages is the main reason workers get cessful entrepreneurs of Pakistani origin in
a venture capital firm headquartered in hit with punitive late fees, overdraft fees Silicon Valley. Safwan is very generous with
Greenwich, Connecticut. and other penalties. Cumulatively, these his time and money for NED University
fees reduce wages by seven percent every Alumni Association activities in Silicon
PayActiv allows employees to draw month. The PayActiv platform is the only Valley and elsewhere. He’s among a hand-
accumulated pay from ATM-like cash ma- system where everyone wins: employers ful of NED alumni in San Francisco Bay
chines before the end of the pay period. lift worker morale with little to no cost and Area who have done very well and made
This fintech startup offers a low-cost al- huge dividends; employees get wages when fellow NED alumni take pride in their alma
ternative to Pay Day lenders and other fi- they actually need them most; and cash mater. Other successful NED alumni in
nancial institutions that charge employees re-enters the economy faster, making com- Silicon Valley include Raghib Husain (Ca-
exorbitant fees and high interest rates for munities financially healthier.” vium/Marvel), Naveed Sherwani (SiFive),
loans against future paychecks. PayActiv Rehan Jalil (Seciriti.ai), Ashraf Habibullah
is serving more over 4 million employ- Dr Safwan Shah graduated with a (Computers & Structures Inc.) and Khalid
ees at more than 1,000 businesses across bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering Raza (Viptela).
retail, food services, business processing from NED University of Engineering in
services, and over 400 senior living and Karachi, Pakistan in 1985. After coming to (Riaz Haq is a Silicon Valley-based
the United States in 1989, Safwan received Pakistani-American analyst and writer. He
blogs at www.riazhaq.com)

Netflix Cancels Muslim and California Residents Encouraged
Hasan Minhaj’s ‘Patriot Act’ Jewish Women to Reduce Electricity Use

n By Tony Maglio edge of the series’ fate confirmed of AMWEC California is experiencing a with an on/off switch dedicated to
the cancellation to TheWrap. Hail Historic record-breaking heat wave home office or learning devices,
Netflix has canceled When reached, Netflix did not and residents are urged to such as tablets and computers.
Hasan Minhaj’s “Pa- provide a comment for TheWrap. Decision reduce electricity as growing de- Turn down the screen brightness
triot Act,” which was mand is causing a strain on the and use eco-mode and other ener-
launched in October 2018. “What a run. @patriotact has American Muslim and power grid. gy-saving features as lowering the
come to an end,” Minhaj tweeted Multifaith Women’s brightness on TVs and computer
Minhaj first shared the news on Tuesday. “I got to work with the Empowerment Coun- To help avoid a shortage of en- monitors may help use up to 20%
in a tweet. A person with knowl- best writers, producers, research- cil (AM- ergy resources and potential outag- less energy.
ers, and animators in the game. WEC) wel- es across the state, Energy Upgrade
NERGIS FROM P17 My 2 babies were born and grew comes the California encourages Californians • Stay Safe if Power is
up with the show. TY to @Netflix historic to: Down: In the event power is turned
help scientists understand how large and everyone who watched. Now announce- off for customers, check on neigh-
and how far away the colliding stars it’s time to return these screens to ment by • Avoid Peak Times: Re- bors, friends and family in a so-
are, and allow them to recreate the Best Buy.” the Unit- ducing energy usage is especially cially distance manner. Remember
moments before they collided. After ed Arab important during peak hours of 3 that this type of power shutoff is
such collisions, the measurements Always a comedian, we sup- Emirates p.m. to 10 p.m. Consider charging short term and impacted custom-
of optical light and electromagnetic pose. to normalize relations with Is- your electronic devices, starting ers would likely be without power
waves fill in the blanks that gravita- rael. AMWEC hails this coura- a load of laundry or running the for about an hour or two.
tional waves can’t answer. “Patriot Act” released 39 epi- geous step taken by UAE as a dishwasher outside of these hours.
sodes across six cycles — call them major breakthrough for those For more information, vis-
Origins of Gold “seasons” if you’d like, though the in pursuit of peace in the Mid- • Stay Cool and Energy it www.energyupgradeca.org. For
Answering my question about spacing didn’t really echo any sort dle East. Conscious: Use fans to cool your more specifics about individual
the events detected by LIGO team, of traditional TV-season model. home or set your thermostat to 78 households, contact your local en-
Nergis said the gravitational waves Then again, this is Netflix we’re This news has brought hope degrees or higher. Move any furni- ergy provider.
generated by these neutron star col- talking about. to the dreams of millions of Pal- ture blocking vents to be sure air is
lisions occurred over a billion years estinians and Israelis who wish flowing efficiently, turn the air con- ALVI FROM P1
ago at a distance of a billion light The initial “Patriot Act” series to see both the people living in ditioner off when you are not home
years. From optical light and electro- order was for 32 episodes, which peace and security. Prime Min- and pull the blinds down to keep Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, however,
magnetic measurements after these ran through December 2019. Net- ister Netanyahu’s decision to halt sunlight from heating your home. were not present nor was BNP-M
collisions, scientists were able to flix extended the order with seven the annexation indicates his de- leader Akhtar Mengal who has con-
conclude that the resulting explosion additional episodes in 2020. sire to bring safety and security • Be Aware of Household tracted the coronavirus.
from a neutron star merger produces to the region. Energy Suckers: Televisions, game
heavy elements like gold, platinum, The final episode premiered consoles, computer monitors, cof- Members of the opposition par-
and uranium. These collisions oc- on June 26, 2020. All episodes will AMWEC, a majority Paki- fee makers and other small appli- ties protested and chanted slogans
curred well after the Big Bang that is continue to exist on Netflix. stani and Jewish women-run ances should be unplugged when against the PTI government while
believed to have happened about 13.7 organization has advocated for not in use. Turn unnecessary lights the JUI-F staged a walkout shortly
billion years ago. Detecting events Minaj first shot to main- a peace between the two na- off, indoors and outdoors. Avoid after the session commenced.
that occurred closer to the Big Bang stream attention as a solo act af- tions for decades and today that using your oven while cooking and
would take much more sensitive ter hosting the first Trump-free dream is no longer elusive. limit opening your refrigerator and In his speech, Alvi congratu-
equipment than currently available to White House Correspondents freezer. lated the House for completing two
LIGO team. Dinner in 2017. Minaj joined However, this is just a start years, saying he was honored to be
“The Daily Show” in 2015. He cre- and this new friendship has • Reduce Strain from Dis- addressing it for the third time. He
ated “Patriot Act” with Prashanth founded a pathway to compre- tance Learning and Home Offices: also lauded the PTI government for
Venkataramanujam. – TheWrap hensive and long-lasting peace. Consider investing in a power strip its performance.
It has been our core belief that
with engagement, dialogue,
and diplomacy, this decades
long border conflict can be re-
solved. Those who seek real and
long-lasting peace in the Mus-
lim world must also continue
to advocate for resumption of
relations with Israel which will
bring peace and security for the
entire region. Perhaps this could
be the catalyst for a resumption
of peace talks between Pakistan
and India.

Let peace prevail.
- Anila Ali
President,
American Muslim and
Multifaith Women’s Empower-
ment Council

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