Dilawar Syed was sworn in July 10 as deputy administrator of the US Small Business Administration.
Syed was sworn in by SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman as his wife and son looked on. After a long and partisan battle spanning more than two years, the Senate confirmed Syed last month on a 54-42 vote.
The San Francisco Bay Area entrepreneur, originally from Pakistan, is the former president and CEO of Lumiata, a San Francisco Bay Area-based company that aims to develop artificial intelligence for use in health care to reduce costs and improve patient outcomes.
In 2016, Syed co-founded the AAPI Victory Fund with Shekar Narasimhan, pioneering civil rights activist Bel Leong-Hong, UC San Francisco Professor of Medicine Dr. Tung Nguyen and the late Norman Mineta. The community leaders founded the organization with the aim to engage Asian American voters — who were emerging as a formidable voting bloc— and to support progressive candidates.
In 2010, former President Barack Obama President Obama appointed Syed to the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. He also led the Obama Administration’s engagement with entrepreneurs and innovators.
‘Deeply Humbled’
“Deeply honored by the call to serve America’s small businesses. Grateful to President Biden for his confidence in me,” tweeted Syed after he was sworn in. “Energized to help build on President Biden’s record of resurgent small businesses,” he wrote, adding in a subsequent tweet: “Deeply humbled to be serving millions of small businesses across our nation.”
“The Biden-Harris Administration’s mission of building a strong, competitive, and equitable American economy speaks to my own experience as an entrepreneur,” said Syed in a press statement. “I couldn’t be more ready to work alongside Administrator Guzman as we expand access to capital, networks, and resources that entrepreneurs need to realize their American Dream.”
Historic
White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients called Syed’s appointment historic. “Under President Biden, a record 12 million new small business applications have been filed. Dilawar will build on this strong record,” he tweeted.
“Deputy Administrator Syed’s demonstrated passion and experience will be a value-add to the SBA as we continue to build upon the small business boom achieved during the Biden-Harris Administration,” said Guzman in a press statement.
“As we grow the economy from the middle out and bottom up with President Biden’s historic Investing in America agenda, Deputy Administrator Syed will help the SBA as we ensure small businesses and innovative startups can access capital, grow revenues, and get support and mentorship as they navigate marketplace challenges and pursue opportunities,” she said.
5 Year Vacancy
After Syed was confirmed June 8, Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Maryland, who chairs the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship said: “Small businesses across the country will benefit from Mr. Syed’s confirmation.”
Cardin noted that the post had lain vacant for five years, critically during the Covid-19 pandemic. “The vacancy caused harm to small business owners throughout our nation who depend on SBA to be fully staffed in order to access capital, contracting opportunities, and entrepreneurial development training,” said Cardin.
“While his confirmation has been a process fraught with unacceptable delaying tactics, unfounded accusations, and unrelated controversies, Mr. Syed has shown only patience and perseverance. I am confident that America’s small businesses and the communities they support will benefit from him in this role,” he said.
