UC San Diego computer science alumnus Jee Manghani (B.S. ’96), spent 20 years in commercial software development, including six years at General Atomics, before eventually becoming an entrepreneur and general partner in Soledad Investment, a value-investing partnership. Now he is Chief Executive Officer of a new startup company in medical diagnostics, and at the same time juggling a run for office.
Jee Manghani (B.S. '96)
In April 2018, he will face off against four other candidates for a vacated seat on the Rancho Santa Fe School Board. A San Diego native, Manghani and his family moved to Rancho Santa Fe in 2010, primarily for its excellent school district. (Manghani first ran for the Board, unsuccessfully, in 2016.)
"As a founder of several startups, I have the experience to clearly define goals and to seek stakeholder input before moving forward with any plans that the Board may have," said Manghani in a statement on why he is running. "Of first importance to me is improving our curriculum and preparing the kids for STEM fields. I have already begun discussing a potential class on 3D printing for the students, and have volunteered to be on a committee to explore a pilot program for this."
Manghani's newest company, SaluDx Corporation, launched in 2016, The company is working on diagnostics for medical as well as agricultural applications. Manghani hopes to commercialize patented, low-cost diagnostics the use either holographic imaging, or fluorescenece polarization. The goal is to market diagnostic devices that will be more portable, cheaper, and faster, with a more rugged hardware design. Specific details about SaluDx target markets are sketching, because the company remains in stealth mode prior to raising funds for a full-scale market launch. .