Usha and Balu Viswanathan pose with their children, Nikil (far left) and Tara (far right). Balu and Usha Viswanathan always tried to instill good values, a strong work ethic and confidence in their two children, Nikil and Tara. That year, with Nikil and Tara still in grade school, the couple launched a tech consulting business. They were inspired by the stories of Silicon Valley, with founders building successful tech businesses from scratch to take advantage of the late-1990s internet boom. Usha Viswanathan

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Persons: Usha, Balu Viswanathan, Balu, Usha Viswanathan, Tara, Nikil, Viswanathan, We'd Organizations: Rupa Health, SEC, CNBC, U.S . Bureau of Labor Statistics, Starnik Systems, U.S . Air Force Locations: Tara, Lubbock , Texas, Lubbock, Silicon Valley, India