BOSTON— TiE Boston is honored to announce that Nitin Nohria, former Dean of Harvard Business School and current Partner and Chairman at Thrive Capital, will join Steve Papa, Founder and CEO of Parallel Wireless, for an opening keynote conversation at TiECON East 2025.
The conference, organized by TiE Boston and co-hosted by TiE New York, will take place on September 26, 2025, at the Sheraton Boston Hotel in Boston.
The event will open with a rare and candid dialogue between two of the most influential figures in business and entrepreneurship—offering attendees a front-row seat into the thinking, values, and vision that drive breakthrough innovation.
“Steve Papa is not only a trailblazer in wireless technology, but also a true entrepreneur’s entrepreneur,” said Purnanand Sarma, President of TiE Boston. “From building Endeca into a billion-dollar success story to redefining global connectivity with Parallel Wireless, Steve brings a rare blend of technical vision, operational excellence, and deep strategic insight. And in Nitin Nohria, we have a world-class thought leader to help unpack that journey. This conversation perfectly embodies what TiECON East is all about.”
This year’s theme, “The Heart of Entrepreneurship,” focuses on the deeply human dimensions of building companies—courage, creativity, clarity, and resilience. Both Nohria and Papa are uniquely positioned to speak to these themes, having shaped industries, institutions, and ideas that continue to ripple across the world.
“I’m thrilled to be joining Steve Papa on stage at TiECON East 2025,” said Nohria. “This conversation represents exactly what the entrepreneurial community needs more of—an honest exploration of not just the strategy behind building great ventures, but the personal commitment and inner resolve it takes to lead through change. I’m looking forward to connecting with an audience of builders and visionaries.”
Nohria is the George F. Baker Jr. and Distinguished Service University Professor at Harvard Business School. He previously served as the school’s 10th Dean from 2010 to 2020. During his decade-long tenure, he championed innovation in leadership development and global business education, expanding the school’s reach and reimagining its role in shaping leaders who make a difference in the world.
Nohria’s intellectual interest center on leadership and corporate performance. He is the co-author of 16 books and more than 100 scholarly articles and business cases.
Nohria is currently Partner and Chairman at Thrive Capital, a venture capital firm known for backing transformative companies at the intersection of technology and society. He also sits on the Board of Directors of ABI, Alsym, Bridgespan Exor, Mass General Brigham, and Rakuten Medical, and serves as a senior advisor to Piramal Enterprises and Tata Sons
Nohria earned his Ph.D. in Management from the MIT Sloan School of Management and a B.Tech. in Chemical Engineering from IIT Bombay.
Steve Papa is the Founder and CEO of Parallel Wireless, the world’s first fully 5G-native, cloud-native RAN platform spanning 2G through 5G. The global wireless network consumes about 2% of global electric production and Parallel Wireless aims to cut that in half with its GreenRAN solution all while accelerating the adoption of 5G globally Papa previously founded Endeca, a pioneering enterprise software firm acquired by Oracle in 2011 for a reported $1.1 billion. One of Boston’s most successful tech exits, Endeca defined the category of Guided Navigation and remains integral to commerce, business intelligence, and national security systems today.
An early contributor to Akamai, Inktomi, and Venrock, Papa holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS in Operations Research and Economics from Princeton University. He now serves as a board member, investor, and mentor to emerging leaders in tech and telecommunications.
“Steve Papa has scaled multiple companies, built category-defining technologies, and shaped global industries,” said Dr. Atul Dhir, TiECON 2025 Co-Chair. “The opportunity to hear from him in conversation with Nitin Nohria is a rare gift for entrepreneurs at any stage. If you’re building, investing, or simply curious about the future of innovation—this is the keynote you don’t want to miss.”
TiECON East is the flagship conference of TiE Boston, part of the global TiE (The Indus Entrepreneurs) network dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship through mentoring, networking, education, and funding.
This year’s conference brings together hundreds of entrepreneurs, investors, and industry leaders from across New England and beyond for a day of transformative insights, real-world stories, startup showcases, pitch competitions, and thought-provoking conversations.
Through immersive conversations and real-world stories, the event offers attendees the tools to navigate uncertainty and lead with purpose.
· Date: Friday, September 26, 2025
· Location: Sheraton Boston Hotel
· Registration: Click here to register
· For more information on TiECON East, click here.
