Nish Parikh is the Co-founder and CEO of Rangam, a New Jersey-based company specializing in developing a range of innovative solutions for special needs education, vocational skills training, and inclusive employment. He is also the founder and executive director of LetUsConnectTM, an employment research park designed to identify and implement sustainable self- and community employment practices for the disabled in Princeton, NJ. Nish serves on the external executive board of the Undergraduate Research and Innovation (URI) programs at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT).
Mission
With a Bachelor’s degree in Instrumentation and Control Engineering, Nish always had a keen interest in utilizing technology to mitigate some of the most pressing societal challenges. He co-founded Rangam with his wife Hetal Parikh with two goals in sight: 1) connecting people to jobs and 2) improving the way mental health is managed in schools, homes, and workplaces. Setting out to achieve the first goal was much easier than even coming to grips with the complexities of the second. Nevertheless, Nish’s journey as an entrepreneur began from his Somerset residence with only two employees – Hetal and himself. Rangam started serving the information technology industry with enterprise tools and provided highly skilled talents for various technology projects of its clients. Committed not to give up on his second and clearly more important goal, Nish then set up a technology subsidiary in New Jersey to design, develop, and deliver game-based special education tools and programs. A mobile app development and recruitment unit in India was established prior to the 2008 recession that triggered a rapidly crumbling US economy characterized by an unprecedented number of layoffs and IT spending cuts. However, Rangam’s growing expertise in administrative and non-IT staffing opened new doors even in those adverse circumstances. Nish focused on building new technologies for data collection and establishing ISO standards to get business from tightly regulated industries. The firm has since successfully expanded its footprint in several business locations across North America, Europe, the Middle-East, and Asia. Today, Rangam addresses education- and employment-related concerns of both mainstream and special needs populations.
Collaboration and Accomplishments
Nish has collaborated with researchers, BCBAs, cross-industry thought leaders, and transition coaches to build cost-effective tools for special needs management from preschool through adulthood and employment. It’s paramount to implement evidence-based practices in special needs management in order to obtain: 1) better teaching and hiring outcomes across various settings and locales, 2) quantifiable measures of progress, 3) better bottom-line results, 4) comprehensive bandwidth of services, and 5) improved insurance coverage for those affected. To that end, Nish and his team have developed customized data collection and dissemination models for evaluation, intervention, job skills training, and transition. The systems and tools that Rangam has built over the years have been favorably received by premier institutes and learning centers such as Eden Autism, ECLC of NJ and the NJIT; preeminent advocacy groups such as Autism Speaks; D&I; leaders such as The ViaQuest Foundation; and forward-thinking employers supporting individuals with special needs at all stages of life.
Awards and Recognition
Nish and his team have won a number of CSR, staffing, and innovation awards, including:
2016:
- NJBIZ Healthcare Heroes Innovation Award (personal)
- Supplier of the Year Award from Diversity Alliance for Science (company recognition)
- Best of Staffing Client Satisfaction Award (company recognition)
2015:
- AT&T;’s Civic App Challenge Award – Central Jersey (product excellence award)
2014:
- Top 100 Finalists for the 13th Annual Chicago Innovation Awards (personal)
- ASA Care Awards (company recognition)
2013:
- Verizon’s Powerful Answers Award (company recognition)
Publications
- Diversity And Inclusion Matters To The Workforce Of The Future
- Seven Ongoing Measures To Effectively Hire And Retain Neurodiverse Talent
- What Is Next After SaaS?
Personal
Nish lives with his wife and two children in Somerset, New Jersey. He loves singing and enjoys driving well-engineered cars.
