Meet our founder, Shefali Kapoor Patel
Shefali Kapoor Patel is an iconic leader in the information technology education industry. She is a founder and signature force behind Vijay Computer Academy (VCA) in India and USA.
Shefali started the Vijay Computer Academy (VCA) in December 1990, after her late father, to carry on his name and build a legacy. In India, it’s known that only the man can carry the family name, and Shefali defied that by carrying the name on her own company.
The name “Vijay” literally means Victory, and it perfectly represents what Shefali is all about today.
She is a global transformational change leader champion for digital gender equality, a role model to girls & women in ICT, and an innovator in the IT industry. Her hard work and dedication to change have proven to make great impacts in various communities. She carries on her passion for technology training, education and mentorship, so other young ladies and women can aspire to new achievements with a VCA’s global campus in Houston.
With all that, she continues her “VIJAY YATRA” – A trip to victory!
In recognition of her work, Shefali has received various awards, like:
- 1998 Best Woman Entrepreneur Award by the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce;
- 2003 Rashtriya Rattan Award by the Global Indian Economic Council
- 2004 Shiksha Samman Puraskar Award by the Indian Economic Development & Research Association
- 2019 Women Who Mean Business Award by the Houston Business Journal
- 2022 Outstanding Diversity Champion by Houston Business Journal
The champions for bridging the digital gender divide and girls & women empowerment in TECH
Shefali continuously strives to reduce the gender and skills gap in technology & computing, while mentoring many women at various career levels. This is apparent with her push for UN Sustainable Development Goals and EQUALS Global Partnership with VCA.
Shefali is heavily involved in the community because she wants to create an impact that will be felt around the world. In the Houston area alone, she has taken on roles as the Founding Director of Women Who Code, Club Facilitator for Girls Who Code, and a mentor ambassador & chair of the mentoring committee of ANITAB.ORG.
She is also a member of SISTERS at ANITAB.ORG and Women Techmakers. All these organizations dedicated to serving as a global hub for women and women organizations to network collaborate, learn, teach, mentor inspire and help one another in tech.
