# Girish Gaitonde

> Girish Gaitonde founded TekEdge in Silicon Valley in 1990 and developed it into Xoriant, a global software engineering and technology services business. A graduate of IIT Bombay, Penn State and Chicago Booth, he led the company through the dot-com downturn and a broader customer strategy before handing over the CEO role in March 2023. He remains Xoriant’s founder and a board member, with a record of seed investing and support for engineering education.

- **Role:** Founder and Member of the Board at Xoriant
- **Organizations:** Xoriant, TekEdge Corporation, Intel Corporation, AT&T Corporation, Arix Corporation, India Community Center
- **Education:** B.Tech. in Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Master’s in Computer Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, MBA in Finance and Marketing, University of Chicago Booth School of Business
- **Known for:** Founded the company that became Xoriant and led it as CEO for more than three decades., Chicago Booth Entrepreneurial Award, 2024., IIT Bombay Distinguished Alumnus Award, 2009.

## Career timeline

- **1980s** — Worked in engineering, product management, marketing and finance, including roles at Intel, AT&T and Arix.
- **1990** — Founded TekEdge Corporation in Silicon Valley; the original software services team had three members.
- **2000** — TekEdge changed its name to Xoriant as the business expanded into outsourcing.
- **2000-2004** — In his 2024 retrospective, Gaitonde described revenue falling from $80 million to $17 million during the dot-com downturn; he reduced the company’s size and broadened its customer base.
- **2009** — Received IIT Bombay’s Distinguished Alumnus Award.
- **2017** — Inaugurated Xoriant’s Hinjawadi, Pune facility on October 11.
- **2020** — Xoriant marked its thirtieth anniversary.
- **2023-01** — Xoriant announced its acquisition by ChrysCapital on January 5.
- **2023-03** — Xoriant appointed Sukamal Banerjee CEO on March 16; Gaitonde continued as a board member.
- **2024** — Received Chicago Booth’s Entrepreneurial Award.

## Achievements

- Founded the company that became Xoriant and led it as CEO for more than three decades.
- Chicago Booth Entrepreneurial Award, 2024.
- IIT Bombay Distinguished Alumnus Award, 2009.
- Two-time Entrepreneur of the Year award recipient from the Silicon Valley chapter of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, according to Xoriant and IIT Bombay biographies.
- Seed investor and board member in more than a dozen technology startups.
- Supported IIT Bombay’s Electrical Engineering department with teaching space and labs in systems, communications and power electronics.
- IIT Bombay records a jointly held patent in specialty electronic sensors used in the chemical industry.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — At research time, Xoriant’s leadership directory lists Gaitonde as Founder and Member of the Board.
- **2025-11** — The company he founded announced its acquisition of TestDevLab on November 25, 2025; this is a company development, not a claimed personal transaction by Gaitonde.
- **—** — Chicago Booth recognized him with its 2024 Entrepreneurial Award; a precise month was not established.
- **2023-03** — Handed the CEO role to Sukamal Banerjee and continued on the board.

## Links

- Website: https://www.xoriant.com/about-xoriant/team/girish-gaitonde
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/girishgaitonde

---

Profile page: https://yespress.io/girish-gaitonde
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-14