Dr. K. Virupaksha Reddy,PriTel, Inc.( Msc. Chemistry, 1972 IIT Madras )

To succeed as a hardware entrepreneur requires an idea for a novel gadget, an ability to build it, a market need for the new gadget, a generous amount of startup capital, and a worldwide network of customers, suppliers, mentors, and collaborators. K.V. Reddy shares his experience in establishing PriTel, Inc. (telecommunications equipment manufacturer) and making it a successful enterprise over the last nineteen years. He also shares his experience in formulating an initial idea to market a Picosecond fiber laser, raising preliminary capital, locating an initial customer, and turning a preliminary idea into a long lasting, successful corporate venture.
K.V. Reddy obtained an MSc in Chemistry in 1972 from the Indian Institute of Technology - Madras and a PhD in Physical Chemistry in 1977 from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA. He worked at three different corporate research labs in the United States prior to founding PriTel, Inc. in 1994. PriTel manufactures state-of-the-art test and measurement equipment for the fiber-optics telecommunications industry. PriTel made equipment can be found in every pre-eminent telecom research laboratory across the globe.
He is the President of PriTel, Inc. and he is also the current President of IITMAANA (Indian Institute of Technology -- Madras Alumni Association of North America). He is also a major benefactor of IIT Madras, having funded a Chair in Photonics in the EE Department.