On the 25th anniversary of the company's founding, Business Today has an article on 25 little-known facts about Infosys.
Arun Natarajan is the Founder of Venture Intelligence India, which tracks venture capital activity in India and Indian-founded companies worldwide. View sample issues of Venture Intelligence India newsletters and reports.
On July 2, 2006, Infosys technologies will turn 25. That's not a significant age for a company; several Indian companies are older. In these 25 years, however, Infosys has set new standards in governance and wealth creation (both for employee and shareholders) and turned an entire industry on its head (global delivery as opposed to offshoring).
15. The Infosys IPO almost devolved. Murthy claims that the issue was subscribed 1.06 times, and it was, but fact is, it almost didn't go through. Eventually Vallabh Bhansali's Enam Financial Consultants, the lead manager (along with SBI Capital Markets), had to push it through.
16. Nilekani's quiz-club members struck it rich. Well, some of them did. Nilekani was a quizzer in college and was part of an informal group that would meet and quiz in Bangalore. One member remembers that Nilekani came to a meeting with a battered attaché case, pulled out some IPO forms, and tried to interest them in the offering. "I did invest in Infosys," says the man, "and never had cause to regret it." Nilekani also remembers visiting some of his IIT batchmates working in Mumbai "with the same battered attaché case" and trying to interest them in some shares.
Arun Natarajan is the Founder of Venture Intelligence India, which tracks venture capital activity in India and Indian-founded companies worldwide. View sample issues of Venture Intelligence India newsletters and reports.