An Unexpected Vocation: Jaibir Nihal Singh’s Journey from Film Student to Business Executive

“We don’t need the day. We only need a few minutes.”

This is how Jaibir Nihal Singh (’20) responded to an executive while pitching Trace, an AI agent that conducts background checks. After sending hundreds of cold emails to companies all over India, Singh sat before the administrators of a bank—potentially his very first clients—and he needed to prove his product’s effectiveness by passing a test.

The objective: complete background checks of 1,000 existing bank employees over a period of eight hours—an incredible challenge considering India is the world’s most linguistically diverse nation, officially recognizing 22 major languages. 

Singh’s confidence was met with scoffs. The bankers did not believe his “human-operating system” could process the data so quickly. But they sang a different tune when, minutes later, they learned that 18 of their employees had at one point in time faced criminal charges. 

Test: complete. Client: signed. Trace: launched.

Following this momentous meeting, Jaibir Nihal Singh officially started his career as a cofounder of TraqCheck—a tech company engineering human resource-oriented AI agents. Though trained as a filmmaker at Pepperdine University’s Seaver College, he found a way to leverage his creative skills into a career as a successful innovator. Now, as a member of Forbes 30 under 30, Singh credits his education as the launchpad for his vocation—even if he never saw it coming.

An Unexpected Start

Originally from New Delhi, India, Singh enrolled at Seaver College looking to broaden his horizons at a strong academic institution in the United States. Throughout his four years on campus, he sought a career in the entertainment industry. 

“I was always interested in film, and what better place to study it than in LA,” says Singh. “The idea was to earn my degree and then launch into work at a media company.”

Chasing this dream, Singh majored in media production (now screen arts) at Seaver College and learned about all the different facets of filmmaking—from developing story ideas, to organizing production details, to marketing the final product. This multifaceted education equipped the aspiring filmmaker with a wide array of interdisciplinary skills, which he developed further throughout a series of internships.

As an undergraduate student, Singh invested his summers in building a strong professional network. Working for Emmay Entertainment and Motion Pictures, as well as India Take One Productions, he contributed to Netflix films like Extraction, a global motion picture starring Chris Hemsworth.

At the outset of 2020, Singh’s filmic efforts seemed primed to pay off. With graduation on the horizon and a forthcoming interview for a position with Netflix, everything was going according to plan. But then a worldwide pandemic changed everything.

“It honestly felt tragic,” explains Singh. “Heading back to India as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak, I wondered, ‘What now?’”

Doors Close, Doors Open

Back in New Delhi, the Seaver alumnus spent months considering how to pursue his filmic future in a present stuck on pause. The pandemic had shut down new productions and placed a hiring freeze on the broader entertainment industry.

While navigating this complex situation, Singh reconnected with two friends—Armaan Mehta and Rishabh Jain. All three men had completed their degrees in the US. All three were looking for the next professional pursuit. Together, they found it. 

Jain had already built a program that could query criminal databases, employment registries, and education boards. This potential product, merged with Mehta’s background in economics and investing and Singh’s knowledge of creative development and marketing, blossomed into TraqCheck.

“Companies of yesterday worked on different products; companies of tomorrow are focused on designing different agents, AI agents,” says Singh. “TraqCheck is focused on building agents specifically for the HR space. We call ourselves a human-operating system.”

After the trio came up with their business model, Singh set about recruiting prospective clients. He cold-called thousands of companies, emailed hundreds more. After months of making no progress, his hard work paid off. A bank was interested in a demonstration, and Singh and his cofounders delivered. Since securing this first client, the burgeoning company has been off to the races, developing more innovative agents (Trace and Nina—a recruitment agent), accruing new clients, and securing a host of investors. 

“Honestly, we had no option but to succeed with the idea,” said Singh. “No jobs were available when we were fresh out of school. So we created our own.”

As a cofounder, Singh operates as the public face of TraqCheck. He helps recruit clients, conducts pitches for potential investors, and fulfills all of TraqCheck’s public relations needs, be they podcast interviews or TV appearances. Moreover, he plays a role in engineering the company’s overall business strategy. 

While fulfilling this wide array of responsibilities, Singh has repeatedly relied upon his Seaver College education, its foundation of interdisciplinary skills, and the creative talents it revealed. 

Freely Ye Received, Freely Give

“My screen arts degree is incredibly versatile,” says Singh. “I use the lessons I learned at Pepperdine all the time to fulfill my job, to carry out my newfound vocation.”

Whether he’s leading a new ad campaign (the Seaver alumnus manages all the production details) or orchestrating a Series A funding round (TraqCheck just accrued $8 million to further develop the company), Singh is equipped to add value to his unexpected vocation. While he originally aimed at being a filmmaker, he can see now how his education prepared him to succeed as an entrepreneur. 

“Whatever happens, happens for good,” expresses Singh. “I'm thankful for the way my vocational journey has gone. In the end, it’s all worked out.” 

Now, as one of the leaders of a successful tech company, Singh aspires to help Pepperdine students launch into their own careers. As TraqCheck looks to expand to Los Angeles and the US, he hopes to begin hiring alumni and students to serve as employees on his growing team. He views this potential opportunity as a full circle moment, encapsulating Pepperdine’s motto: Freely ye received, freely give.

“I want to do good for the world,” says Singh. “The idea of being a service-driven leader; this is something Pepperdine instilled in me.”