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76 PCB007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2025 F E AT U R E C O LU M N I ST Q & A Mehul Davé: A World Full of Opportunities and Possibilities C o l u m n i st : Mehul Davé C o l u m n : The Big Picture Ti m e w i t h I - C o n n e ct 0 07: 10 years Columnist Bio: M e h u l D a vé h a s ove r 4 0 ye a rs of ex p e r i e n c e a s a s e r i a l e n t re p re n e u r, h a v i n g fo u n d e d n u m e r- o u s sta r t u p s w i t h s eve ra l s u c c e s sf u l ex i t s . H i s ex- p e r t i s e s p a n s s of t wa re te c h n o l o g i e s , m a n u fa ct u r- i n g o pt i m i za t i o n , g l o b a l s u p p l y c h a i n m a n a g e m e n t , a n d g e n e ra l m a n a g e m e n t . H e h a s exte n s i ve i n te r n a - t i o n a l b u s i n e s s ex p e r i e n c e, h a v i n g e sta b l i s h e d of- f i c e s i n N o r t h A m e r i c a , Eu ro p e, C h i n a , I n d i a , a n d n ow S o u t h e a st As i a f ro m t h e g ro u n d u p. As c h a i r of L i n k- a g e Te c h n o l o g i e s , M e h u l i s fo c u s e d o n t h e e l e ct ro n - i c s s u p p l y c h a i n , e s p e c i a l l y a s i t p e r ta i n s to p r i n te d c i rc u i t b o a rd s . S e l e ct c o l u m n s f ro m T h e B i g P i ct u re : • Our Big 'Why' in the Age of AI • The Shift From China to Southeast Asia • Quality Front-end Engineering as a Core Differentiator by M a rcy La Ro nt , I - C o n n e ct 0 07 E ntrepreneur, technologist, and global visionary I-Connect007 columnist Mehul Davé reflects on a lifetime of innovation. From founding compa- nies and mentoring teams to shaping global sup- ply chains, Mehul discusses leadership, culture, and optimism for a thriving PCB future. Mehul, tell us about yourself. Where were you born and raised? What is a favorite childhood memory you would be willing to share? I was born in Ahmedabad, India. My parents were teachers, and I was raised by my maternal grand- parents, who were very wealthy, so I was a spoiled brat until I was 6. My grandfather was a successful businessman, and I know it's where my entrepre- neurial drive came from. In 1961, at age 6, I was sent to Chicago to be with my parents. At that time, your people went to the airport or train station to send you off on a long jour- ney, and about 100 people came to see me off. My grandmother made a garland of sandalwood flow- ers, and she stitched figs, dates, and cashews in between the flowers, so if I got hungry, I could pluck them off the garland. Mehul, where did you attend college, and what did you study? I received my degree in Mechanical and Aero- space Engineering from the Illinois Institute of Tech- nology. I attended Governors State University (part of the University of Illinois system) to pursue my master's degree in environmental sciences and systems analysis. I started a Ph.D. in Space Phys- ics at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor but never finished. How did you get into this industry specifically? After university, I worked as a research scien- tist at Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago for seven years. I worked on the SDI initiative, commonly known as "Star Wars," during Reagan's presidency. We were developing satellites to shoot down Russian missiles and satellites. By accident, I ran into a family friend, Sam Pitoroda, a very successful entrepreneur who later became the Minister for Telecom in Indira Gandhi's cabinet in India. Sam owned a PCB shop near Chicago. He asked me to come "visit" the place for a couple of weeks and help them with systems. During those two weeks, I wrote what eventually became Para- digm, the leading ERP provider to the PCB indus- try worldwide. What are some of your proudest professional accomplishments? That's a great question. A few years after I left Cimnet (my software company that sold Paradigm to the PCB industry), I attended the wedding of my business partner Bala's daughter. He had invited