Reflecting on VSF Tech Club’s 3rd bi-Annual Conference

Co-authored by me (Srinath Sura) and Srinivas Patchigolla

In Jan 2023, my co-founders and I launched VSF Tech Club with a mission to significantly enhance the technical capabilities of high tech professionals from our community in the Bay Area, propelling their careers to new heights. Our club hosts an hour long Zoom session every week to discuss one System Design Use case and a couple of behavioral aspects. We also convene biannually for a dynamic, six-hour conference that allows our members to connect face-to-face. Our latest gathering on April 27, 2024, marked our third successful conference, filled with enlightening presentations and invaluable networking opportunities.

The day began with an engaging introduction by my co-founder, Srinivas, who outlined the club’s achievements thus far and future aspirations. This set an empowering tone for the day. Our first guest speaker, Rohit Mendiratta from Palo Alto Networks, dived into the evolving world of cloud security, sparking lively discussions among attendees. Following him, Vasilis Verroios from Meta gave a presentation on “ML applications in Ranking and Search in Social Media Apps”, further captivating our audience.

For the first time, we introduced a hands-on “Codeless ML Lab,” tailored to our diverse member skills - from beginners to those experienced in deploying ML models. I led a session on statistics fundamentals essential for understanding ML workflows, which proved to be both challenging and rewarding for the participants, particularly post-lunch as we fought with the carbs-induced lethargy with lively interaction.

Operational insights were shared by our VP of Operations, Sravanthi Madallapalli, which refreshed existing members and inspired newcomers about the club’s structure and goals. Our VP of Membership, Shanthipriya Maturi, presented an engaging pitch that attracted prospective members. There were two testimonials from two long standing members who shared their success stories attributing a share of their success to the club. We had an extra delightment when learned that one of our members traveled from San Diego to the Bay Area to attend this conference!

The conference concluded on a high note with expressions of gratitude and a collective reflection on the event’s success. Organizing a conference of this magnitude takes a sizable effort, but the overwhelming positive feedback and the sense of satisfaction among participants made all the effort worthwhile. The growth and satisfaction of our members, coupled with the professional connections fostered, continue to be our primary motivators.

As we look ahead, we are excited about scaling our initiatives and further fostering a space where tech professionals can thrive and innovate together. Here’s to many more years of learning, growth, and success at VSF Tech Club!