When I graduated from IIT Mumbai, I was fascinated by what I was reading in magazines about America. We were a typical close knit-family, with middle-class values, and I was the youngest of all brothers. I made my way to the USA, acquired a MSEE from Michigan State University and an MBA from Boston University. I didn’t start out as an entrepreneur. I had a job with Data General, and one day, the CEO rejected my idea of building an independent software company. I decided I simply wanted to pursue that idea, as I was convinced Software will become the biggest industry in the world. So I told my wife that I was starting a company, and that’s how my entrepreneurship journey began.

In 1983, I founded Westborough-based software firm, Applix Inc and led it through a successful IPO in 1994. In 2000, I founded Netezza Inc, a data storage/warehousing firm, we went public in 2007, and it became the fastest growing public company at that time, leading to its acquisition by IBM in 2010. These days I spend most of my time mentoring younger entrepreneurs and in many cases making investments and sometimes serving on their board. Such companies include Actifio, Applause, AtScale, Cambridge Semantics, DataRobot, and Demandware. In 1997, we started TiE Boston with other successful entrepreneurs as I believe entrepreneurship is a virtuous cycle, where one successful venture leads to another and in many cases it leads to more successful ventures.

TiE Boston has a very special place in my entrepreneurial journey. Besides working the start-ups, it has allowed me to build many friendships with other entrepreneurs. On the occasion of its 25 th Year Anniversary, I send my best wishes to other members in their quest to grow stronger and more impactful ventures.