OUR TEAM

Anil K. Rathi
President and Founder
Anil founded Idea Crossing with the vision of facilitating innovation in the global marketplace. His management philosophy strives to give individuals the opportunity to showcase their ideas and provide a path to implementation. He has eleven years of software product management experience in Internet applications, syndication technologies, and industrial automation systems. His expertise lies in identifying unarticulated customer needs and developing innovative applications to meet them. Prior to starting Idea Crossing, he worked for Omron Software Technology Group and with several Internet start-up companies. Anil graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a BBA in Marketing and received his MBA in International Management from Thunderbird-The Garvin School of International Management.

Hoang H. Tran
Chief Technology Officer
Hoang has over eleven years of experience developing software for various industries and directing engineering teams. His broad experience ranges from developing voice recognition software for Mercedes Benz's telematic services to building web applications for financial advisors. He has led the development of automated techniques for diagnosing human degenerative brain diseases at an NIH-funded research firm. An inherent problem solver, Hoang consistently strives to improve and streamline processes which provide the basis of his contributions to Idea Crossing’s competition management platform. Hoang received both his BS in Science in Electrical Engineering and Master of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

M. Nyssim Lefford
Producer and Director of Research
Nyssim has over fifteen years of production experience in music and new media, and over nine years experience in perception and cognition research.
Her multi-faceted experience ranges from real-world production in the concert hall to cognitive experiments in the laboratory. She has investigated various cognitive aspects of the creative process of artists; lead research at the Sonic Studio at the Interactive Institute in Sweden; and taught on topics pertaining to research methodology and audio technology. A natural catalyst, Nyssim produces the innovation experience for Idea Crossing’s clients, and facilitates research that focus on the process of innovation and our idea competition communities. Nyssim received her Master of Science and PhD in Media Arts and Sciences from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her BMus in Music Production and Engineering and Film Scoring Science from Berklee College of Music.

Ashwin Mantri
Software Engineer
Ashwin has over four years of software development experience.
His experience ranges from real-world software development with Generic framework for Rule Based Processing to the teaching assembly language in the classrooms of the graduate school. He has worked on various projects spanning search engine, Hospital Management tool and Identity Manager. A skilled and an innovative technician, Ashwin develops the technology for Idea Crossing’s clients, and facilitates innovation through it. Ashwin received his Master of Science in Computer Science from Northern Illinois University, and his BE in Computer Engineering from Pune Institute Of Computer Technology.