The American Dream has long been a beacon of hope for ambitious individuals worldwide, but few embody its essence as profoundly as Raj Sardana. From a modest upbringing in India to building a multi-billion-dollar enterprise in the United States, Sardana’s story is one of resilience, vision and entrepreneurial spirit. Sardana featured in a recent Forbes report on billionaire immigrants who began their American journey on an H-1B visa.
Arriving in the US with little more than determination, he worked tirelessly — starting in a college cafeteria and later navigating corporate America — before taking a bold leap into entrepreneurship. Let’s take a look at his journey from an H-1 visa holder to a billionaire.
A modest start in India
Born in 1960 in Delhi, Sardana grew up in a modest household with his Punjabi parents, who had migrated to India during the Partition of 1947. In an interview with Authority Magazine, he recalled his family’s financial struggles. “For 20 years, my brother and I lived in dilapidated government housing in New Delhi with no heating, air conditioning, refrigerator, phone, TV, or automobile,” he said. Despite these challenges, his parents prioritised education and instilled in him the values of relentless hard work and perseverance.
In 1981, Sardana moved to the United States to pursue a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Georgia Tech. He arrived with barely $100 in his pocket and took up a job in his college cafeteria to make ends meet. “I started my life from scratch here,” he said.
Taking the bold step
After graduating, Sardana secured an H-1 visa and started working at Howmet Aerospace. By 1987, he had progressed to a prestigious role at Teledyne CAE, where he worked on Tomahawk missile engines. However, with the end of the Cold War in 1990, the US and Russia halted missile production, leading to layoffs in his division.
At the time, he had just bought a house, had a six-month-old daughter and was supporting his parents. With no income to sustain his family, he faced an uncertain future. Instead of seeking another corporate job, he took a bold step: starting his own business.
Making of the billionaire
With $25,000 in savings, Sardana embarked on his entrepreneurial journey. He invested his savings to buy a small print shop in Stone Mountain, Georgia. His entrepreneurial instincts kicked in, and by 1997, he had expanded his portfolio to include two print shops, eight gas stations and two dry-cleaning businesses — creating a steady cash flow that would soon fuel his true passion: technology.
In 1998, as the world braced for the Y2K panic, Sardana saw an opportunity. US companies scrambled to fix potential software glitches and he recognised a growing demand for skilled programmers. With a vision in mind, he and his brother flew to India, interviewing over 1,000 software engineers before selecting 125 to bring to the US on H-1B visas.
At the time, H-1B visas were still gaining traction, and the government had recently expanded its quota. Though his fledgling firm lacked industry recognition, the demand for talent was so high that companies were eager to work with him. This bold move laid the foundation for what would become Innova Solutions—a global IT powerhouse.
Today, the company boasts over 50,000 employees worldwide and its founder, Raj Sardana, has an estimated net worth of $2 billion.
