Dr.Gururaj Deshpande
Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande is the Chairman of Sparta Group LLC, A123 Systems (AONE), Sycamore Networks (SCMR), Tejas Networks, Sandstone Capital and HiveFire. He was also a founding investor in Airvana, Cimaron, Webdialogs and Relicore.
Vijay Sankeshwar
Gururaj “Desh” Deshpande is the Chairman of Sparta Group LLC, A123 Systems (AONE), Sycamore Networks (SCMR), Tejas Networks, Sandstone Capital and HiveFire. He was also a founding investor in Airvana, Cimaron, Webdialogs and Relicore.Prior to co-founding Sycamore Networks, Dr. Deshpande was founder and chairman of Cascade Communications Corp. Dr. Deshpande serves as a member of the MIT Corporation, and his generous donations have made possible MIT's Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation.
Dr. Deshpande holds a B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology - Madras, an M.E. in Electrical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick in Canada, and Ph.D. in Data Communications from Queens University in Canada.
Dr. Deshpande is a trustee of the Deshpande foundation. He and his wife are involved in several non-profit initiatives that include support for MIT, IIT, TiE, Akshaya Patra Foundation, Public Health Foundation of India and the Social Entrepreneurship Sandbox in India.
Dr.Ashok Shettar
Dr. Ashok Shettar is principal of K.L.E Society’s B.V. Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering & Technology in Hubli. Dr. Shettar has an ME and a PhD from the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, and a BE from Karnataka University.
He is a member of the Higher Education Council Government of Karnataka, Executive Council for Visvesvaraya Technological University in Belgaum, and life member of the KLE Society— Belgaum. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Engineers India and a founding member and current Vice President of the BIC Society, which promotes ITeS industries in Northern‐Karnataka. In 2005, Dr. Shettar received the Rotary Centennial Award for Professional Excellence.
His expertise lies in strategic planning and institutional development, total quality management in education and industry institute ‐ society interaction in regional development.
Vijay Sankeshwar Vijay Sankeshwar is the Chairman and Managing Director, is also the Promoter of the Company. He holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Karnataka University, Dharwad. He was a former Member of Parliament and was elected from the Dharwad (North) constituency in the 11th, 12th and 13th Lok Sabha elections. He was member of the Committee of Finance for the year 1996-97, the Consultative Committee, Ministry of Surface Transport in the years 1996-97, 1998-99 and 1999-2000, the Committee of Transport and Tourism in the years 1998-99 and 1999-2000. He has over 30 years of experience.
He Started his career as printer and publisher at the age of 16; owns a leading Kannada daily ‘Vijay Karnataka’, ‘Nootana’ (Kannada weekly) and ‘Bhavana’ (Kannada monthly); set up own transport company—‘Vijayanand Roadlines Ltd.’—a leading transport organisation at national level, having more than 1000 lorries, 150 Hi-tech luxury buses, 4,000 employees & have achieved turnover of Rs. 67.65 crores in two decades, with a network of 450 branches throughout India.
The Tobacco Board; conferred him with the prestigious ‘Udyog Ratna’ award by the ‘Institute of Economic Studies’, New Delhi, 1994 and chosen by International Biographical Centre, Cambridge, England for inclusion in the ‘Dictionary of International Biography’; Member, Managing Committee, (i) All India Motor Transport Congress;and (ii) Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Invitee, State Executive Committee.
