Private Equity/Venture Capital — Finalist
Dhiraj Rajaram had been working as a strategy consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton when he became intrigued by the lack of people holding analytical positions at this well-known firm.
The shortfall in human capital resulted in some 80 percent of the enterprise data not being analyzed. As he looked around the industry, he noticed a lot of companies had very little talent on hand to analyze numbers that could lead to better decisions for their businesses. This convinced Rajaram to create a company that would help institutionalize data-driven decision-making using a global delivery model.
In short, Rajaram wanted to establish the world’s largest math factory. To get started, he quit his job, sold his home, moved into a single bedroom apartment with his wife and newborn son and invested in what would become Mu Sigma Inc.
For the first six months, Rajaram tried to make headway with very little success. But finally, Microsoft decided to give Mu Sigma a shot. It was a small opportunity, but it was the chance Rajaram had been looking for. Shortly after that, three more clients showed interest and the momentum continued to build.
Seven years later, Rajaram is the chairman and CEO of the largest pure play analytics service provider in the world. Mu Sigma offers marketing, risk and supply chain analytics to multiple Fortune 500 companies and employs more than 1,500 people around the world. It drove disruptive innovation in the industry by integrating the disciplines of math, business and technology, which brought a harmony between the creation and consumption of analytics.
How to reach: Mu Sigma Inc., www.mu-sigma.com
