Arjun Gupta, the Founder of TeleSoft Partners, is a contrarian in every sense of the word. Having taken roles and decisions opposed to the common consensus, his life is an array of accomplishments beyond the ordinary. From climbing with six Himalayan expeditions to peaks above 20,000 feet and skiing to the North and the South Poles, to investing in companies and technologies which others rejected, Arjun has defied the mundane. Today, the Chief Believer of TeleSoft Partners helps turn the dreams of small startups into reality.

It is this attitude of putting faith in things out of the ordinary that has catapulted TeleSoft, a special situations venture capital firm, into the major leagues. TeleSoft provides value-added capital for technology, communications and energy value chain companies. Over the last sixteen years, Arjun has overseen investing in and helping build 61 companies, resulting in 37 mergers & acquisitions and IPOs to date with a combined cash acquisition price or current market equity value equivalent to a mammoth $17 billion! By the same token, 17 companies did not make it and 7 companies are still private in the portfolio. Forbes Magazine ranked Arjun in the Top-100 technology venture investors on the 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Midas Lists.

"Over the last several years, I have watched Arjun systematically build TeleSoft into a world-class and highly successful VC firm. Time and time again I have witnessed Arjun combine great intellect with commitment and charm, making him an entrepreneur's best friend. His proven track record is enviable in building successful companies with lasting value.," says Vivek Ranadive, CEO of TIBCO Software, Inc. In 2012, TIBCO acquired Log Logic Systems for $130 million, which was incubated at TeleSoft.

Pit-stops on the Journey to TeleSoft

A franchise like TeleSoft is not built in a day. Looking back over the last five decades of Arjun's successes, failures and struggles, credit goes to his high-energy entrepreneurship and his extraordinary spirit. His climb to the top echelons of the business world started with climbing a mountain in the Himalayas.