The Opportunists

TRIPPING ALONG
Deep KalraDeep Kalra (PGP ’92), makemytrip.com
Deep went into business the way every entrepreneur dreams it will happen: a venture capitalist offered him $ 2 million to start up. But with the dotcom bust he had to invest his life savings and buy back his own company. Makemytrip.com is today India’s leading travel portal.

BLOOM AND GROW
Rashesh ShahRashesh Shah (PGP ’89), Edelweiss Capital
In a world dominated by the likes of  J P Morgan and Merrill Lynch Rashesh Shah set up a large and successful homegrown investment bank in a single decade.  But it wasn’t a straight path to success – there were many bumps and detours.

IT’S ALL ABOUT THE HONEY
Nirmal JainNirmal Jain (PGP ’89), India Infoline
Nirmal shut down his information services business in 1999 and put all his eggs in the internet basket. His gamble paid off and today India Infoline is one of the country’s biggest online trading platforms.

IT’S NEVER TOO LATE
Vikram TalwarVikram Talwar (PGP ’70), EXL Service
After a long and distinguished career with Bank of America, Vikram Talwar could have spent the rest of his years playing golf. Instead he chose to set up a company which is today one of India’s largest BPOs.

DRUG BARON
K Raghavendra RaoK Raghavendra Rao (PGP ’79), Orchid Pharma
Raghavendra Rao has built up a $300 million dollar pharma company in 13 short years. The son of a working class railways employee, he now dreams of making Orchid India’s first $1 billion pharma company.

THE BANKER WHO BLINKED
Jerry RaoJerry Rao (PGP ’73), Mphasis
A career Citibanker, Jaitirth (Jerry) Rao was bitten by the entrepreneurial bug in his late 40s. He built up a large and profitable company (Mphasis) but recently sold out to EDS because business is about passion as well as knowing when to let go.

ICH BIN EIN ENTREPRENEUR
Shivraman Dugal Shivraman Dugal (PGP ’76), Institute for Clinical Research in India (ICRI)
Shivraman is someone who is always looking for the Next Big Thing. After a string of interesting jobs he set up one of India’s first private colleges with a foreign tie up (Wigan and Leigh) and is now pioneering clinical research education in India.

FOR LOVE, NOT MONEY
Shankar MaruwadaShankar Maruwada (PGP ’96), Marketics
He entered entrepreneurship by accident and his first venture folded up. But Shankar and his team used that failure to get it right the second time with ‘Marketics’, an analytics company which recently sold out to WNS for an estimated $65 million.

MILLION DOLLAR SEAMSTRESS
Ruby Ashraf Ruby Ashraf (PGP ’83), Precious Formals
Ruby turned her hobby of designing clothes into a flourishing business. Her company Precious Formals, is one of the leading suppliers of prom dresses in America.

ORDER OF THE PHOENIX
Deepta RangarajanDeepta Rangarajan (PGP ’89), IRIS
Deepta worked with American Express and CRISIL before starting IRIS, a financial information management service.

HEALTH IS WEALTH
Deepta RangarajanCyrus Driver (PGP 2000), Calorie Care
Cyrus quit his private equity job in Singapore to launch Calorie Care, India’s first professional, calorie-counted meal delivery service. His own battle with weight prompted the idea for the business!