Ajit Prabhu: Small Town Dreamer to Global Entrepreneur

More often than not, students who come from small towns aren't able to build a global and multinational business simply because of the lack of resources. It's almost resulted in a stereotype that such students will never be successful. But Ajit Prabhu has a success story to tell. The Chairman and CEO of QuEST Global had started with humble beginnings in the small town of Hubli, Karnataka. Life was not easy because the quality of education was not as good as we'd like it to be and he grew up in very testing and poverty-stricken conditions, due to which he used to study in a government school, he recalls.

Mr. Ajit Prabhu's values have been ingrained in him since his childhood. As his father used to work and graduated by attending evening school while raising a family, he's grown up in an environment where education reigns supreme. He's always been taught to achieve more than his capabilities, which is evident in his current status as one of the most prominent entrepreneurs in India. Being challenged right from childhood, he's always strived to be the best, and it is this same quality that allowed him to go to the US and complete two Masters degrees.

His journey to the US was the push that he needed to venture into the entrepreneurial space, and that's when he launched QuEST Global in 1997 along with his co-founder, Aravind Milligeri, he says. Since then, QuEST Global has grown in product development and production engineering solutions worldwide with a hyperfocus on providing solutions to companies looking to automate and scale their business. This venture has earmarked him fame and success, and his many awards and recognitions are a testament to it. His recognitions include Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year India 2014; Outstanding Entrepreneur Award 2014 (Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry); and Global Entrepreneur of the Year award (TiECoN 2018), he says.

He has helped build an organization that is one of the few to grow at a 30% CAGR rate constantly. He claims to have helped some of the most considerable companies transform their own business and has catapulted them into increased profitability over time. Be it transportation, Aerospace, Defense, Oil & gas, or even Hi-Tech, his company has provided unique customer-focused engineering solutions without a fault.

He further wishes to help students from a similar background such as his and help them become global leaders.