Born in Delhi in 1960, Raj Sardana arrived in the US in 1981 with just $100 to pursue a master's degree in mechanical engineering at Georgia Tech. According to reports from Authority Magazine, he worked at the university cafeteria washing dishes and mopping floors to pay for his education. After graduating, he built a career in engineering and worked at Teledyne CAE on engines used in Tomahawk missiles. However, in 1990, the end of the Cold War led to production cuts, and Sardana lost his job with a mortgage, six-month-old daughter, and parents living with him. "I had no income to support my family," he recalled in his interview with Authority Magazine.
Rather than return to corporate employment, Sardana invested $25,000 of his savings in a small print shop in Georgia. As reported by Authority Magazine, he gradually expanded into other small businesses including gas stations and dry-cleaning stores. In 1998, he spotted an opportunity in the growing demand for technology talent and launched American CyberSystems, which later became Innova Solutions. The company has since expanded to help clients such as Verizon, Centene, and Change Healthcare outsource technical projects. According to Forbes, Innova Solutions, owned by Sardana and his immediate family, generated $2.4 billion in sales in 2022.
According to reports from Forbes, Innova Solutions, owned by Sardana and his immediate family, generated $2.4 billion in sales in 2022. The company has evolved from a staffing firm connecting US companies with tech talent in India to a comprehensive IT services provider. Sardana's estimated fortune is nearly ₹20,000 crore, representing a remarkable transformation from his humble beginnings. The company's growth demonstrates the success of Sardana's entrepreneurial gamble, which took him far beyond the printing business into the global IT services sector.
Sardana's entrepreneurial journey has inspired his niece, Anjali Sardana, who founded Pronto, an instant house-help platform in India. As reported by Moneycontrol and Tracxn, Pronto was launched in April 2025 and connects households with professionals for everyday chores. Its valuation reached around $202 million (nearly ₹2,000 crore) by July 2026. While Raj built his business in technology staffing, Anjali is working to organize India's fragmented domestic-services market, demonstrating how both family members began by spotting opportunities and acting on them.
