The awards ceremony is part of the NRI Global Summit 2009 where some of Silicon Valley's biggest entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and academics are coming together on Saturday, October 24 to debate emerging trends and network. The summit is being held at the India Community Center in Milpitas, California.

Vinod (Vin) Dham spent 16 years at Intel where gained fame as the "Father of the Pentium" microprocessor. After Intel, Vinod joined microprocessor start up NexGen and engineered the group's merger with Advanced Micro Devices. He also served as president and CEO of Silicon Spice Inc. that was acquired by Broadcom Corporation. In 1999, Vinod was named as one of the top 100 most influential Asian Americans of the decade and in 2000 he was appointed to the U.S. President's Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Currently, Vinod is at the helm of NEA-IndoUS Ventures.

"It's an honor to be receiving this recognition," Dham, who receives the Lifetime Achievement Award, said.

Joining Dham as awardee is former Wimbledon player and philanthropist Vijay Amritraj, who also served as a "United Nations Messenger of Peace" in 2006. The Vijay Amritraj Foundation, established after the tennis star's stint with the U.N., supports numerous charitable causes in India.

Silicon Valley veteran B.V. Jagadeesh, CEO of 3LeafSystems, receives the award for entrepreneurial success. Prior to 3LeafSystems, Jagadeesh was at the helm at Netscaler, which was acquired by Citrix in an over $325 million deal. Jagadeesh's first venture was as co-founder of Exodus Communication, which pioneered the concept of Internet data centers and grew from a two-man company to an over 3000 people operation in just six years.

Other awardees include, America's Got Talent stars Ishaara; dance pioneer Giju; teenage entrepreneur Anika Iyer; Venture Director at Clearstone Ventures Vish Mishra; founder-chairman Sankara Eye Foundation, Murali Krishnamurthy; and danseuses Neena & Veena.

"We are honored to have with us such a renowned line up of Non Resident Indians and people of Indian origin. Their achievements make us proud," Jagmohan Singh, the New Delhi-based National Secretary General of the NRI Institute, said.

The summit, themed India-U.S.: Upturn in a Downturn, highlights the significant economic, political and commercial trends affecting the India-U.S.