Dhairya Shah profile photo

Dhairya Shah

Software Developer (SDE) at Bank of New York (BNY), specifically within the PershingX division

Backend DevelopmentMachine LearningJava/Spring BootAI AutomationTeam LeadershipEvent Management

About

I'm Dhairya Shah, a Software Developer at Bank of New York's PershingX division and co-founder of Ripplica, a VC-backed AI automation startup. My journey started with student leadership at IIT Gandhinagar, where I earned a Gold Medal, and progressed through internships in machine learning and backend development before landing at BNY. I'm passionate about building AI solutions that automate routine work, exploring fintech innovation, and collaborating with fellow builders. I believe in the 'try and see' philosophy—taking action over endless deliberation—and I'm always looking to connect with people interested in startups, quantitative finance, or sustainable tech research. I offer insights from my unique blend of corporate experience and entrepreneurial hustle, and I'm particularly keen to find collaborators for Ripplica or discuss new ideas.

Networking

What I can offer

  • Insights from his journey as a recent graduate, software developer at a major financial institution, and startup founder
  • Guidance on professional development (resumes, interviews) based on his student council experience
  • Promotion of opportunities like hackathons and research programs to his network

Looking for

  • Collaboration with fellow young builders
  • Potential users for Ripplica
  • Engineers interested in joining his startup
  • Networking around quantitative finance, AI research, and fintech innovation

Best fit for

Industry professionals at BNY and the broader fintech spaceAcademic researchersThe startup and Product Hunt communityThe student/alumni network of IIT Gandhinagar

Current Interests

AI & AutomationFinancial Technology (FinTech/WealthTech)Sustainability & ResearchStartup Ecosystem & BuildingProfessional & Student Development

Background

Career

Started with student leadership roles at IIT Gandhinagar, progressed through internships in machine learning and backend development, received a pre-placement offer from BNY Mellon after a summer internship, and now works as a full-time Software Developer at BNY while co-founding a VC-backed startup

Education

Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech) in Computer Science at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Gandhinagar (2020–2024). Grade: 8.57. Gold Medalist

Achievements

  • Awarded the Gold Medal for Integrity and Exemplary Human Qualities at IIT Gandhinagar convocation
  • Received a Pre-Placement Offer from BNY Mellon's Wealth Management team following a summer internship
  • As a Summer Intern at BNY, developed a novel Java/Spring Boot web app for API testing using an in-memory database and achieved ~90% unit test coverage for the backend codebase
  • As Software Developer at BNY, built and scaled the Wove Party Master system to support 10M+ users, reducing processing times
  • Co-founded a VC-backed startup, Ripplica, an AI automation platform
  • Research paper accepted at the ACM Journal on Computing and Sustainable Societies (JCSS) for work on distribution-free uncertainty quantification in energy disaggregation
  • Reached the Gold Level in the WorldQuant Alphathon and received an offer to become a Research Consultant at WorldQuant
  • As Secretary of the Professional Development Council, was elected by 2000+ students and led a team of 15
  • As Lead Organizer for TEDxIITGandhinagar, spearheaded the revival of the event, built a team of 35, and curated an event with 5 speakers

Opinions

  • Strongly believes in the 'try and see' philosophy. Cites the Hindi phrase 'Chal try karte hai, dekhate kya hota hai' (Let's try it and see what happens) as a core mindset for entrepreneurship and building
  • Values action over deliberation, as expressed in the shift from 'Sochte hai' (Let's think about it) to 'Chal karte hai' (Let's do it)
  • Implicitly champions the idea that a degree of 'craziness' is necessary to leave a secure job and build something from scratch
  • Believes in the power of automation to free people from 'mind numbing busywork' so they can focus on creative and impactful tasks