Dr Gururaj Deshpande

Dr Gururaj Deshpande's outstanding success in both
technical innovation and entrepreneurial accomplishment in the communications
industry rivals none. The Canadian billionaire of Indian origin (from Dharwad,
Karnataka) has consistently remained on the cutting edge of communications
technology. With the thrust on innovation for the telecom industry, Dr Deshpande
has founded about seven network companies like Coral Networks, Cascade Networks,
Sycamore and Tejas Networks to name a few.

Tejas Networks is an organization focused on developing and
selling leading edge, yet practical, optical networking products. As the single
largest investor in the company, Dr Deshpande has acted as a mentor to Tejas
helping it excel in the optical networking products arena.

His keen involvement in innovation building has resulted in MIT's Deshpande
Center for Technological Innovation, which serves as a vehicle for innovation in
the field of semiconductors, wireless and telecommunication. Dr Deshpande has
received many industry honors, such as 'Industry Player for 2000' award
given by the Massachusetts Telecommunications Council.