Today we’d like to introduce you to Saransh Sharma.
Hi Saransh, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My father was a doctor to the King of Oman. Consequently, I was fortunate to have received a high-quality pedigree education in my early years. With a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Canisius College in Buffalo, NY, I set out to New York City to pursue my dreams on Wall Street. I worked as a Fixed Income Research Analyst for Alliance Bernstein, an USD 890 billion asset management company, until 2009. Due to the Great Recession in 2008, there were a number of layoffs on Wall Street. I happened to be one of the casualties of the Great Recession.
Having lost my job, I needed to reinvent myself in an effort to support my growing family. I soon found myself working at Laidlaw Financial, a boutique investment bank in New York City. It was here that I discovered employee stock options trading of private companies such as Facebook, Linkedin and Twitter. I soon realized that to attain stock was very challenging. Consequently, in search of the coveted employee shares, I soon relocated to California, in the foothills of Mountain View, where Facebook and other social media companies were headquartered. My aim was simple; to connect with employees and attain stock directly from them. My strategy soon paid off dividends as I found myself transacting approximately 1.5 billion in employee stock options trading. However, as soon as I was successful, I also realized people in general don’t like to see quick success. There were many individuals involved in those transactions that conspired against me to circumvent me and not pay my rightfully earned income.
As a new father at the age of 30, I found myself going to court in pursuit of a civil litigation against those who had financially harmed me. The lawsuit had to be financed through funds raised from family and friends. Three years later and after several court proceedings, I lost the litigation based on a technicality related to my registration with a FINRA registered broker dealer especially when dealing with US Securities although the entire transaction had taken place offshore.
I learned just how finite and technical the application and administration of law can be, whereby injustice can still occur despite the illusion of justice. Financially bankrupt, I had to still return the funds back to my family and friends. It was at this juncture when I had lost all faith in humanity and the law that I decided to raise funds for a transaction that was presented to me by a friend. Having raised approximately USD 3MM, I was able to quickly earn funds to help stabilize my personal liabilities.
From here, my career started to experience a meteoric rise. I worked on the AT&T Building financing, the Plaza Hotel, the Dream Hotel, the Grosvenor House Hotel, Formula One Racing team, Movie Production Company, Financing of Private Jets, Financing of National Sports Team, Substance Abuse Treatment Centres, Urgent Cares, Pharmacies, Waste to Energy Power Plants, Bitcoin Mining Farms, Online Casinos and Online Banks. In total, I personally structured in excess of 12 billion USD in deal financings over a six years period.
Then suddenly one day in 2017, I learned that the transaction I had raised 3MM for in the beginning turned out to be fraudulent. This led me to face a federal prison sentence of 33 months. While I paid back USD 1.9MM prior to sentencing. Nevertheless, I still had a balance of 1.1MM due. I self surrendered to the prison facility in 2018. While fear and anxiety with such a transition is normal, however, I soon experienced a spiritual awakening. I only ended up serving 22 months on a 33 months sentence. I learned a whole bunch about criminal justice and the need for reform. While in prison, I learned how to play the guitar, quit smoking, got in the best shape of my life, learned Spanish and attained a paralegal certification. I started helping inmates who did not have the financial wherewithal to fight their legal battles against the government. I had new goals and aspirations born in prison. I envisioned a political future dedicated to public service.
However, as fate would have it, once again things were shaken up dramatically. Upon my release from prison in 2020, the world I had left prior to prison had completed changed due to the novel Coronavirus. With a new landscape comes new opportunities, new risks and new rewards. I was fortunate to have been employed by a dear friend who had stood by me through all my tough times. He employed me as the CEO of Gordium Inc and Datta Holdings LLC despite my felony.
I soon started to assemble international supply chains and organize supply of PPE and other medical devices to healthcare companies. I also deployed the company’s resources to launch a high-end restaurant, acquisition of a trucking company, and private freight cargo airliners. Just within the last eight months, I was able to grow the company’s annual revenues from USD 14MM to USD 650MM. To advance myself further, I decided to pursue the Advanced Finance Program at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, arguably the best ivy league school in the world for an education in Finance.
In conclusion, I aim to leave a legacy for my son of overcoming challenges and surviving obstacles with a pleasant, compassionate and accepting attitude.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It never is a smooth road.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Gordium Inc?
Gordium Inc is a holding company with assets in businesses ranging from Medical Supplies, Import / Export, Entertainment, Trucking, Logistics, Freight Cargo, Online Casinos and Online Banking.
We aim to maintain a private and discreet profile and soon aspire to a public listing of our company on the New York Stock Exchange.
What sets us apart is the diversified nature of our holdings. All our underlying businesses are in the defensive sector, much like Berkshire Hathaway. We believe, in the event the world comes to a halt our goods and services should still be in demand. This causes us to build businesses in brick and mortar type assets.
We’d be interested to hear your thoughts on luck and what role, if any, you feel it’s played for you?
“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity.” I am always preparing and opportunities are always presenting. One just has to have the keen eye to identify an opportunity when it presents itself.
