Rishi Bhat
Encyclopedia
Rishi Bhat is a former child actor and internet entrepreneur. He co-starred alongside Hal Scardino
and Litefoot
in the 1995 film The Indian in the Cupboard
, for which he received a Young Artist Award
nomination. He went on to start the internet privacy company SiegeSoft, selling it for an estimated $40,000 cash and 1.5 million shares of stock (worth roughly $3.4 million at the peak stock price) during the dot-com bubble
of 2000, at age 15.
Bhat received widespread media attention in 2000 after selling SiegeSoft, appearing on television programs including Good Morning America
, CNN
, and MSNBC
. He has also appeared in BusinessWeek
,
Entrepreneur Magazine
, and the Financial Times
. Less than two hours after Bhat's March 22, 2000 appearance on Good Morning America
, the share price of publicly traded Zimtu Technologies (formerly Rocca Resources), the Vancouver-based mining penny stock firm that purchased SiegeSoft, hit an all time high of $2.24 - nearly double the $1.22 it was trading at six weeks prior.
Bhat attended the University of Chicago Lab School, from which he graduated in 2002. He then attended the University of Pennsylvania
where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in 2006. Bhat subsequently co-founded Fone2Fone, a VC-backed mobile phone software startup company
, where he served as CTO, in Philadelphia. In 2007, Fone2Fone was selected for the DemoPit at the TechCrunch
40 conference, where its main product, Styky, was one of only 100 hot products selected from more than 700 applicants from 26 countries.. As of Fall 2011, Bhat is pursuing a PhD
in computer science
, and enjoys making hip hop music
in his free time.
He is the son of Shrikant Bhat and Rita Gorawara-Bhat, immigrants to the United States
from India
. His mother is a social psychologist and his father is a metallurgical
engineer.
Hal Scardino
Hal Scardino is an American former child actor best known for having played the leading role in the movie The Indian in the Cupboard...
and Litefoot
Litefoot
Gary Paul Davis , better known by his stage name Litefoot, is a Native American rapper and the founder of the Red Vinyl record label. He also portrayed Little Bear in the movie The Indian in the Cupboard.-Personal life:...
in the 1995 film The Indian in the Cupboard
The Indian in the Cupboard (film)
The Indian in the Cupboard is a 1995 American fantasy film based on the children's book of the same name by Lynne Reid Banks. The story is about a boy who receives a cupboard as a gift on his ninth birthday...
, for which he received a Young Artist Award
Young Artist Award
The Young Artist Award is an accolade bestowed by the Young Artist Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1978 to recognize and award excellence of youth performers, and to provide scholarships for young artists who may be physically and/or financially challenged.The Young Artist...
nomination. He went on to start the internet privacy company SiegeSoft, selling it for an estimated $40,000 cash and 1.5 million shares of stock (worth roughly $3.4 million at the peak stock price) during the dot-com bubble
Dot-com bubble
The dot-com bubble was a speculative bubble covering roughly 1995–2000 during which stock markets in industrialized nations saw their equity value rise rapidly from growth in the more...
of 2000, at age 15.
Bhat received widespread media attention in 2000 after selling SiegeSoft, appearing on television programs including Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, and MSNBC
MSNBC
MSNBC is a cable news channel based in the United States available in the US, Germany , South Africa, the Middle East and Canada...
. He has also appeared in BusinessWeek
BusinessWeek
Bloomberg Businessweek, commonly and formerly known as BusinessWeek, is a weekly business magazine published by Bloomberg L.P. It is currently headquartered in New York City.- History :...
,
Entrepreneur Magazine
Entrepreneur Magazine
Entrepreneur is a publication that carries news stories about entrepreneurialism, small business management, and business opportunities. It is published by Entrepreneur Media Inc., headquartered in Irvine, California....
, and the Financial Times
Financial Times
The Financial Times is an international business newspaper. It is a morning daily newspaper published in London and printed in 24 cities around the world. Its primary rival is the Wall Street Journal, published in New York City....
. Less than two hours after Bhat's March 22, 2000 appearance on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
, the share price of publicly traded Zimtu Technologies (formerly Rocca Resources), the Vancouver-based mining penny stock firm that purchased SiegeSoft, hit an all time high of $2.24 - nearly double the $1.22 it was trading at six weeks prior.
Bhat attended the University of Chicago Lab School, from which he graduated in 2002. He then attended the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
where he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in 2006. Bhat subsequently co-founded Fone2Fone, a VC-backed mobile phone software startup company
Startup company
A startup company or startup is a company with a limited operating history. These companies, generally newly created, are in a phase of development and research for markets...
, where he served as CTO, in Philadelphia. In 2007, Fone2Fone was selected for the DemoPit at the TechCrunch
TechCrunch
TechCrunch is a web publication that offers technology news and analysis, as well as profiling of startup companies, products, and websites. It was founded by Michael Arrington in 2005, and was first published on June 11, 2005....
40 conference, where its main product, Styky, was one of only 100 hot products selected from more than 700 applicants from 26 countries.. As of Fall 2011, Bhat is pursuing a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
in computer science
Computer science
Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, and enjoys making hip hop music
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
in his free time.
He is the son of Shrikant Bhat and Rita Gorawara-Bhat, immigrants to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
from India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. His mother is a social psychologist and his father is a metallurgical
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
engineer.