By Shivank Taksali, news correspondent
Forbes Magazine has selected Nidhey Pan, a freshman business major with a dual concentration in entrepreneurship and finance, to be featured in an upcoming issue for his entrepreneurial efforts. Pan has also received an invitation from the magazine to attend the Forbes Reinventing America Summit in Chicago on March 11 and 12.
The two-day invitation-only summit brings together professional investors, industry leaders, inventors, entrepreneurs, CEOs and policy makers to discuss the role of innovation and economic growth across the nation, according to a Feb. 10 press release from Forbes Media.
“I started jumping [when I received the invitation]” Pan said. “I am very thankful to the Forbes Magazine organization, the university and [Alpha Kappa Psi].”
This year’s conference marks the second Reinventing America Summit that Forbes has hosted. Over the two days, topics of discussion will include heartland innovation, the Great American Oil Boom, attracting smart talent, the role of autonomous machine in higher levels of productivity, innovation in 3-D printing and advanced manufacturing tools, investing in entrepreneurial talent, understanding the new materials boom and closing the skills gap for economic self-sufficiency, according to the press release.
“I’m very happy to see him going ahead with his ambitions,” Atman Patel, an entreprenuer in India who founded the trading business Stallion Enterprise, which manufactures and exports yarn, said in an email to The News. As a family friend of Pan’s, he has mentored Pan through the beginnings of her entrepreneur career.
“Being recognized by Forbes keeps him motivated for pursuing higher goals in life,” Patel said. “This also makes me proud as his guiding mentor.”
Even though he’s only a freshman at Northeastern, Pan has already made a mark.
“Coming in as a freshman, he has a lot of experience already,” William Huang, vice president of Alpha Kappa Psi (AKPsi), the professional business fraternity, and a sophomore in the College of Engineering, said. “I was surprised by how much he knows. Ambitious and humble are two words I would use to describe him.”
Hailing from the city of Rajkot, Gujarat in western India, Pan is the CEO of PAN Chaat Box, which aims to implement Indian food trucks in the city of Boston. He founded the venture last September.
“The world has become so small that there are international dishes everywhere you go, so why not capitalize on this opportunity?” Pan said.
He saw an opportunity in the food industry in Boston and started PAN Chaat Box to provide a solution to consumers.
“It will be beneficial to the Indian students in a way that they can enjoy the homely taste of Indian street food near the premises of Northeastern,” Pan said. “Students will be introduced to Indian street food and its culture.”
Pan’s business instincts don’t stop with PAN Chaat Box. He is also the CEO of PAN Capital Services Limited, a firm in Rajkot that provides services in foreign exchange advisory, commodity exchange and trading.
“There are quite a lot of challenges that I face to manage it – having 10 and a half hours of time difference along with the school work and being part of many student organizations on campus,” Pan said.
Managing his financial services company in India does not hinder him from getting involved on campus. Pan is also a brother of AKPsi, the executive vice president of the Family Business Club and a member of the Entrepreneurs Club and the International Business Club.
“He definitely deserves it,” Huang said of Pan’s success.
Pan will continue to grow his business strategy skills as he applies the knowledge he gains through coursework to the real world to his ventures.
“Doing business is my hobby and my passion, and I will never get tired of doing what I love,” Pan said.
Photo by Scotty Schenck
