Journey To Start-UP Success

n my book Journey to Start-Up Success, I have quoted many inspiring stories. I feel I should also share is about Ashok Soota, a visionary leader and a true trailblazer in the IT industry. He became widely known as the "magic man" of IT for his incredible turnaround of Shriram Refrigeration in 1978, where he steered the company from losses into its first profit in five years. But this was just the beginning of a remarkable career.

In 1984, Soota took over as President of Wipro’s IT division, Wipro Infotech. Under his leadership, the company saw an astonishing growth in revenues—from Rs. 22 crore to Rs. 2,200 crore within 15 years—making Wipro the largest Indian minicomputer company. Even Intel’s then-CEO, Andy Grove, acknowledged his achievement with a letter of appreciation. However, Ashok Soota had even bigger dreams.

In 1999, Soota co-founded Mindtree with nine other IT professionals, scaling the company to Rs. 455 crore in revenue within six years and launching a highly successful IPO in 2007. But after internal disagreements and missed growth targets, he resigned in 2011. Even at 69, Soota wasn’t ready to slow down. Instead, he launched Happiest Minds Technologies, with a focus on employee happiness and emerging tech like cloud computing, AI, and IoT.

Despite fierce competition, Soota’s “Born Digital” strategy propelled Happiest Minds to incredible success. The company went public in 2020 with one of the most successful IPOs of the year, oversubscribed 151 times. Today, Happiest Minds boasts annual revenues exceeding Rs. 1,700 crore and serves major clients globally.

Ashok Soota’s journey, from transforming companies to creating industry-leading businesses, shows how vision, perseverance, and the ability to adapt can lead to extraordinary achievements—an essential lesson for any aspiring entrepreneur.

to get more inspiring stories please read my book "Journey to Start-UP Success". You can grab a copy on Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/dp/9393784574"