Anbu Anbalagapandian: Bringing Social Responsibility to Fashion Through Tech
Written by WWCode HQ
“Coding is a combination of logic and creativity. While coding, if there are no constraints at the programming language or OS or hardware level, you can for the most part truly control the results. That powerful feeling that you can overcome the hurdles if you focus and create something meaningful got me interested in coding. And, it is so much fun.”
Those are the words of Anbu Anbalagapandian, a woman who has risen through the ranks of some of the most prestigious companies in Silicon Valley, and today has achieved her dream of starting a company that uses design and technology to do good for the world.
Her journey has led her to become a Lead Engineer at Palm, a Principal Software Engineer at PayPal, and a Growth and Revenue Lead at Lookout. It was during her tenure at the latter that she earned two patents for Mobile Device DNS Optimization, and Mobile Communication Device Display with Graphical User Interface Comprising Security and Privacy Advisor Screens. She’s also responsible for building a nifty task killer app for the Android called Lookout Zapper.
As the CEO of Orange Harp, Anbu develops and maintains an app that connects consumers with socially conscious makers who are creating incredible products around the world. This allows people to make fashion purchase choices based on the social and ecological practices of the supplier. The cornerstone of the product is a backend that makes it easy for small businesses to sign up and set up a mobile storefront.
Since founding Orange Harp Anbu has achieved a level of status such that aspiring entrepreneurs often reach out to her for guidance. She always makes a point of taking the time to answer their questions, and she even occasionally helps out with introductions to pivotal contacts. She’s also a member of Women Who Code San Francisco. Her favorite piece of advice for those starting out in the tech industry is to, “Have a side project. Always keep learning something new while doing what you love.”
