How HCL’s six founders launched the firm with ₹1.87 lakh
HCL co-founder Ajai Chowdhry shared the story of how he and his partners—Shiv Nadar, Arjun Malhotra, Yogesh Vaidya, Subhash Arora, and DS Puri—left their jobs to start the company in 1976. Operating from a Delhi office, the group raised ₹1.87 lakh through personal savings, loans, and the sale of a car. They formed a partnership with UP Electronics and sent their sales team throughout India to promote their technology. Using brochures and a mock-up of an "Indian computer," they worked to persuade businesses to adopt technology that had never been used before.