Mumbai · In Technology Since 1989
About Me
The NetworKING · Talk Show Host · Master of Monetisation · IT Quotient · Community Builder
Two-Time TEDx Speaker · TEDx Gateway · TEDx Versova
The NetworKING · Talk Show Host · Master of Monetisation · IT Quotient · Community Builder
Effortlessly connects, builds valuable and lasting relationships everywhere. 30+ years in Rotary. 8 years in BNI. Jam with Sam. The Indian Networker. A network is only as good as what it does for the people in it.
Food, travel, lifestyle, tech, people. 52M+ views as a Google Local Guide. I notice things and write about them honestly. No agenda — just what I found and whether it was worth it.
New products, new technologies, new ideas — tech and non-tech. I try them, apply them to a business context, and report back honestly. Three verdicts: Worth Exploring, Watch This Space, or Signal or Noise.
35 years in IT. Founded SAM7 in 1992. Now building directly with AI — no technical middleman. Domain knowledge finally unleashed.
Curafluence. The Indian Networker. Networking at 9. Now Neuralmaven. Platforms built with intention, evolved when the landscape changed. The instinct is not to join rooms — it is to build them.
Sampath K. Iyengar · Mumbai
I am a Mumbai-based business consultant, connector, and lifestyle storyteller. I have been in IT and technology since 1989 — long enough to have watched every wave arrive, be overhyped, find its level, and reshape the way business works.
I founded SAM7 in 1992. Started alone. Built it to a 25-person team. Ran two HP retail showrooms in Mumbai. Watched the hardware market get commoditised. Pivoted. Survived. Evolved. SAM7 is now an AI process and automation firm.
Along the way I spent 30+ years in Rotary, 8 years in BNI generating Rs 8 crore+ in referrals, hosted 200+ conversations on Jam with Sam, and built several networking communities across Mumbai. I have 52 million views as a Google Local Guide across food, travel, and tech.
Twice invited to speak at TEDx — TEDx Gateway and TEDx Versova — both times on the power of networking. Also spoke at the BNI AIM 2015 national conference in Delhi, Social Media Week Mumbai, JBN 360, and numerous Rotary events across India.
The point is not the numbers. The point is I am still genuinely curious. AI has changed one thing — I can now build what I see, directly. No technical middleman. That is what this chapter is about.
“I want to bring efficiency where it’s needed and become a periscope for businesses and entrepreneurs.”
“The best engineers never got the best clients. The most clearly understood people did.”
Born in Dubai. Grew up across cultures — friends from Iran, Israel, and across the world. Moved to Mumbai in 1981. Lost a year to school calendar differences. Started again.
St. John the Evangelist High School, Marol. Debates, acting, class minister. Bhavan’s College — BSc Science. Met Nomita here. One rule from my late father R.K. Swamy: never waste a summer vacation. Typing after 9th. Computer programming after 10th — ₹1,000 in 1984. Transistor assembly. TV repair. Always learning.
Assembly and testing of PC XT and AT machines. One of the first engineers trained by Epson India for dot matrix printers. Three months. Moved on.
Clients: VSNL, TIFR, HUDCO, Corn Products. Travelled across India — Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Chennai, Kolkata. BE engineers were paid ₹800. I drew ₹1,200 — because I hit the ground running from day one, needing no training.
Started as Systems & Services — one person, one idea, one desk. Built to 25 people. Two HP retail showrooms — Bandra and Andheri West. The HP-Compaq merger ended the retail chapter. Pivoted to outsourced IT support. Never stopped.
Rotary Club of Goregaon West. The beginning of 30+ years of service, community, and learning how trust actually gets built at scale. Twice President. Six times Secretary. First ever Social Media Chair for District 3140.
Neoteric Infomatique — helped set up India’s first IT retail store at Inorbit Mall. Forty-five days. Left. Once an entrepreneur, it is difficult to work in a job again.
Regional Director. Double Black Badge. Rs 8 crore+ in referrals generated. Co-founded BNI Creme and BNI Fortune chapters. One of the first MSP Trainers for BNI in India. Trained by Dr Ivan Misner. Coached by Niraj Shah.
Speaker — BNI AIM 2015 National Conference, DelhiTalk show for achievers. 10 years. 100+ episodes. 200+ conversations. Guests include Master Chef Ranveer Brar, Rashmi Bansal, Vishal Gondal, Luke Coutinho, Afroz Shah, Sharon Prabhakar and many more. Every interview reinforced the same truth: the people who grow are the ones who can clearly articulate what they do.
Speaker — TEDx Gateway Mumbai · TEDx Versova MumbaiBorn during the lockdown. Online curated community. Indian and international speakers. One-on-one matched conversations. Served its moment. Shuttered when the world opened up — the networking space had filled with BNI clones. Chose not to compete in a crowded room.
Everything learned, distilled. A clarity and visibility platform for professionals who know their value but feel the market hasn’t fully seen it yet. Human intelligence amplified by AI. Founding 100 open now. → neuralmaven.com
The NetworKING’s newest chapter. A clarity and visibility platform for business owners and professionals who know their value but feel the market hasn’t fully seen it yet. Founding 100 open now.
Visit neuralmaven.comAI process and automation for mid-sized Indian businesses. Founded in 1992. What started as a boutique IT firm is now an AI-first consultancy.
Visit sam7.comThe person behind both firms. His thinking, experiments, stories, and network. The Curiosity Log. The NetworKING. The Vibe Coder. You are already here.
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