VIRGINIA (TIP): Sonya Jain, the Indian American founder and CEO of Virginia-based technology and cybersecurity consulting firm eGlobalTech, died on Sunday Dec. 17, at the age of 54 after battling cancer.

Jain, who was born in India, completed her graduation from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi and later pursued masters from Isenberg School of Management, Massachusetts, in the 1980s.

Jain’s first job was as an engineer and later she worked for the government of Michigan, building a specialized software system for the state.

She joined Booz Allen Hamilton in 1992 as an associate and continued to work there until 2004 when she decided to become an entrepreneur and started eGlobalTech.

eGlobalTech is a management consulting company offering strategy and business services. It has alliances with HIT Venture, Clinton Rubin LLC, IBM, Ernst & Young, UCSA International, Microsoft, CSC, Dewberry, Dell Perot Systems, Nortec, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, HMS, ARX, Pitney Bowes, Torres, and Definite Logic.

“Sonya was a truly remarkable person,” Branko Primetica, the CSO of eGlobalTech, told Washington BizJournals. Primetica was one of the two employees Jain hired in 2004. He dropped out of business school to help launch the start-up.

Jain was an inspiration for young entrepreneurs as she started a company from scratches without the guidance of a mentor and advised the youth not to fear about failure, he said.

“She was constantly energetic, always wanting to be in touch with customers. She loved life to the fullest,” Primetica added.

Jain is survived by her husband, Sanjiv Jain, and two daughters.

Jain said in a number of interviews that she gained inspiration to become an entrepreneur from Indira Gandhi, who was the Prime Minister of India and her teenage fascination.