Meet Narayana Murthy’s brother-in-law, Indian genius from IIT, donated more than Rs 208 crore, he is…

Written By Ayushmann Chawla | Updated: Feb 06, 2024, 03:14 PM IST

Gururaj Deshpande

Gururaj Deshpande is brother-in-law of billionaire Narayana Murthy. He is married to Sudha Murty’s sister Jaishree who is also a co-founder of the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT.

Sudha Murty stands as a prominent figure in Indian philanthropy, yet her family's charitable endeavors extend beyond her. Alongside Sudha Murty, her husband, sisters, and brother-in-law actively participate in philanthropic pursuits. Notably, Gururaj Deshpande, one of Sudha Murty's brother-in-laws, has donated over Rs 208 crore to various causes. Renowned for his business acumen, investments, and foresight, Deshpande's donations primarily support educational institutions and the establishment of the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation. As a serial entrepreneur, Deshpande has founded and successfully sold numerous companies over the past decades. His entrepreneurial journey began with the sale of his first company, Coral Networks, for $15 million in 1993, followed by the sale of Cascade Communications, another of his ventures, for $3.7 billion in 1997.

Gururaj Deshpande is brother-in-law of billionaire Narayana Murthy. He is married to Sudha Murty’s sister Jaishree who is also a co-founder of the Deshpande Center for Technological Innovation at MIT. Former US President Barack Obama trusted Gururaj Deshpande for the Co-Chairmanship of the National Advisory Council on Innovation and Entrepreneurship in July 2010. The group was established to support the US President's innovation strategy.

Born in Hubli, Karnataka, Gururaj Deshpande stayed in India till his graduation. His father was a labor commissioner with the Indian government. He graduated with a Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering from the IIT Madras. Following his graduation, he moved to Canada for higher studies. Currently, Gururaj Deshpande is serving as chairman of A123Systems, Sycamore Networks, Tejas Networks, HiveFire, Sandstone Capital and Sparta Group. Apart from this, he is also a board member at Airvana.