SHIVAAS Gulati is certain his understanding of technology will help brighten
Southend United’s future.
The 36-year-old has joined the Shrimpers consortium after months of talks with chairman Justin Rees.
And, speaking exclusively to the Echo at Roots Hall this afternoon, Gulati admitted he cannot wait to utilise his own expertise for the benefit of Blues.
“I’m joining the board of the club firstly and we’ll figure out how I can help in different ways but there are lots of things I can do around the club,” said Gulati.
“I think primarily I bring a lot of experience in building tech business and how we can leverage technology to build a modern organisation to help everyone succeed.
“We all use technology in our work whether it’s co-ordinating, building strategy execution or social media.
“In football it’s everywhere and even managing the grass on the pitch is all planned by some technology company.
“There’s player recruitment, injury prevention, coaching methodology and also how we can approach partners and engage with our fans.
“How do we understand what they want and enjoy?
“I think my experience on being in a consumer financial service business lends very well to building that strategy and bringing that experience to the football side of things.”
Gulati, who is now based back in Seattle, has a long
history of working in technology.
The entrepreneur has spent the last 19 years in ecommerce and digital financial products, co-founding Remitly back in 2011.
Gulati helped to build a global organisation of more than 2,500 people across seven countries and raised more than $400m before going public in 2021.
Most recently, Gulati led the launch of Remitly’s digital banking product in the US before leaving in December 2022 to spend time with his young family and explore new endeavours.
But all that came after Gulati first started working in the industry at a very young age.
“I’ve been a tech entrepreneur all my life,” said Gulati.
“I started my first business when I was 17 and that’s all I’ve done.
“I’ve started two businesses and the last one was the most successful.
“I left the business in 2022 but it’s doing great.”
However, Gulati’s involvements in his businesses means he possesses a wide skill-set.
“I come from a product engineering and computer science background but over the years I’ve done everything from marketing operations to compliance,” said Gulati.
“You name it I’ve done it, but I enjoy working with people and seeing how we can leverage technology to solve every day problems.
“It doesn’t have to be anything fancy but opportunities are everywhere.
“You’re seeing so much hype around AI and how that can help us be more efficient so it’s amazing and very exciting.”
Gulati is now excited to be teaming up with the Shrimpers.
And the move will see him achieve another ambition of working in football.
“I’ve always had a passion for the game both as a fan and playing as well,” said Gulati, who holds a Masters from Carnegie Mellon.
“I play in Seattle and a little when I was in London too.
“Football is a big aspect of who I am as a person and who we are as a family.
“ We go and watch games together and we all play.
“It’s part of our life in a big way.
“After I left my last tech business and took time off I started to think about how I could combine my experience in building tech businesses with my passion for the game.
“That’s how it culminated in getting involved with COSU and the team here.
“It's a fantastic club I think we can build up.”
Gulati was first introduced to Justin Rees by a mutual friend who also runs a technology business in London.
But he has also spent time with other members of the consortium.
“I’ve spent quite a lot of time with everyone in the consortium,” said Gulati.
“It’s a really good group of people.
There are lots of different backgrounds and lots of business owners with cool, calm heads who have their hearts in the right place.
“There is a lot of cultural alignment and I optimise very heavily on working with the right people.
“In football there is a lot of people all across the world who don’t have the right intentions so now, more than ever, it’s important to partner with the right people who have those same values.
“When times are hard it’s the values that will bring you together and help decide what the right thing to do is.”
The Shrimpers have survived their own off-field issues to take their place in the National League again this season.
But Gulati is also keen for Blues’ supporters to keep playing their part.
“I’ve seen the fans first hand,” said Gulati.
“I’ve spoken to them and been to the Blue Boar too.
“There’s real positive energy which I don’t think you see everywhere.
“We have some very special ingredients here for what I call the next chapter in the club’s history.
“I’m very excited.
“For me football is more than a game in all our lives, especially at Southend and the fans here.
“Making an impact on people’s lives is really important to me as well.”
Gulati currently achieves that by working on the board of trustees for the RAVE foundation, the charitable arm of Seattle Sounders.
But he is keen not to set unrealistic expectations at Roots Hall.
“It would be great to be back in the Football League but whether that happens in the next couple of years is hard to predict,” said Gulati.
“I believe in a big way that it’s all about people.
“It’s not just the people who own the club it’s people who support the club both inside and out.
“If we have the right people and we do the right things then the results will take care of themselves.
“If we recruit the right players who fit culturally, if we set them up for success they will perform.
“If we support our staff and, if we engage like we are with the fans advisory board and listen to fans I think good things will happen.
“We’ll need patience but I can’t wait to be involved.”
