An Ex-Investment Banker, Paresh Gupta is helping new start-ups scale themselves up with his tailor-made guidance and mentorship programs conducted by his college, GCEC.

Paresh Gupta is the Founder of GCEC (Global Centre for Entrepreneurship and Commerce) - India’s first entrepreneurship college. He is also the Founder of an award-winning startup - Sharp Edge Learning. He also invests in various businesses. Besides, he has his own network of angel investors to help start-ups raise money. He is also into the Agriculture and Real Estates sectors.

Paresh was born and raised in Kishangarh, Ajmer. He was an exceptionally bright student. He topped his state in his 12th CBSE examinations. He went to SRCC, New Delhi, and topped there too. He completed his CA and then did his MBA in Finance from London Business School.

Talking about what led him to start GCEC, Paresh says that he never wanted to be a teacher per se. He was always interested in Finance and Investing in businesses.  He was working with some top investment banking firms in Bahrain. But when he was diagnosed with a tumor, and he had to come back to his hometown in India, he realized that people there were struggling with regard to proper guidance in their careers. He laments that still the education system in the country has not changed much and it’s mostly the same as it was twenty years back. He shares that people started approaching him seeking the right direction in their careers. That’s when he realized that he could mentor people and bring about a change in their lives.

Paresh thinks that committing mistakes is all right but we should not commit the same mistakes twice. He also adds that life is not always about winning, sometimes your failures teach you something which your successes can not.

Paresh says that there are a multitude of career options available nowadays. Therefore, he advises that instead of following the rat race, one should choose a career for themself based on their interests.

According to Paresh, success is about the development of an individual in all spheres of life: Spiritual, Physical, Mental, and Personal.

Paresh doesn’t consider any one person as his role model and inspiration. He gets inspired by the people who do something great in their lives. He even takes inspiration from children, animals, etc. For him, how much of an impact he is able to make in people’s lives before he leaves the world is an inspiring thought.

Paresh says that life is about giving back to people in whatever form you can. He says that if you give something to others, you will get the same back manifold.

Paresh is optimistic about the start-up ecosystem of India. He says there are so many problems to be solved in the country and that’s where start-ups have opportunities. He says the world is changing rapidly, and more start-ups will be there in the future to solve modern-day problems.

In his spare time, Paresh likes to cook dishes for his family. He also likes to play musical instruments like Sitar, Keyboard, etc.

Paresh thinks that a good pedigree is really important in life. He says studying at a good college really exposes you to like-minded, equally driven fellows which is a transformational experience in itself.