Goldman Sachs named two CMC alumni to its 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs at its Builders + Innovators Summit in Santa Barbara last month. Erik Anderson ’79 is co-chairman and CEO of Topgolf Entertainment Group and Sishir Reddy ’98 is co-founder and co-CEO at Episource.
For the past six years, Goldman Sachs has brought together entrepreneurs across multiple industries to focus on building enduring and innovative companies. Goldman Sachs co-COO David Solomon said the company was pleased to recognize Anderson and Reddy as two of the entrepreneurial standouts of 2017.
Anderson, a Management Engineering major who graduated cum laude, said CMC’s rigorous academic environment helped him learn to take risks. “I’ve carried those lessons with me throughout my time at some of the largest and most influential consulting firms and companies in the world,” he said.
Anderson’s company, Topgolf, is based in Dallas and operates interactive sports and entertainment venues in 36 U.S. locations. In addition to his Topgolf role, Anderson founded WestRiver Group, a venture capital consortium based in Kirkland, Wash., and First Move, which uses chess to engage students of various socio-economic and cultural backgrounds in social and critical-thinking skills.
Reddy, a Chemistry major at CMC, said he always had his sights set on being an entrepreneur, “to build something that is impactful and innovative.” He co-founded healthcare data manager Episource a few years after graduation. Before that, he was a consultant for Accenture, working on projects for the electronics and high-tech industry. He applied his experience in information technology and built on relationships in the healthcare industry to establish and help build Gardena-based Episource into a leading data management provider.
For both Anderson and Reddy, experiences decades ago at CMC continue to influence how they work. Reddy said that a big part of his success can be attributed to what he learned at CMC.
“While I did receive a B.A. in Chemistry, I felt that a liberal arts education fueled my curiosity, strengthened my critical thinking and analytical skills, and made me knowledgeable on a number of subjects. That has enabled me to tackle various challenges in running the business and identify new opportunities for future growth.”
Similarly, Anderson said CMC was an early incubator for his entrepreneurial spirit.
“Being a lifelong learner and entrepreneur,” Anderson said, “my time at Claremont McKenna challenged me to explore new possibilities and challenge assumptions – traits that have proven extremely valuable over the course of my career.”
– Michelle Maltais