From $100 to $1 billion revenue dreams: Indian-origin CEO opens up about immigration ‘uncertainty’

As a first-generation immigrant from India, and the first in his family to attend college, Anil Sharma’s success quintessentially embodies the American Dream. In addition to his duties as the chief executive officer of 22nd Century Technologies Inc, the Indian-born man has long served as an angel investor and mentor through George Mason University’s Costello College of Business in Virginia.

Earlier this month, the business school honoured thousands of undergraduate and graduate students at a degree celebration. Sharma also attended the prestigious ceremony, which provided him with the perfect platform to address students and map out his ambitious journey to becoming the man in power he is today.

The Indian-origin CEO acknowledged the “long nights” of hard work that led to his professional success, while also recounting the struggles he faced in his early days as an immigrant to the US.

‘No roadmap, no safety net’: Indian-origin CEO on immigration uncertainties

While delivering the keynote address at the George Mason University – Costello College of Business 2026 Outstanding Student and Excellence in Business Awards ceremony over a week ago, Anil Sharma celebrated the “invisible journey” behind the students’ achievements. Comparing their experiences to his own success story, the Indian-origin CEO said, “Success is not about where you begin. It is about how you respond when things don’t go as planned.”

As the CEO of a company supporting federal, defence, state and local government missions across the US, he noted, “People will remember whether you delivered under pressure, whether you stayed accountable, whether you treated people with respect, and whether you did the right thing when it was difficult. That is what builds lasting success.”

Sharing his own reality behind success, he confessed, “I came here with ambition, but very little certainty. No roadmap. No guarantees. No safety net.” Reflecting on the students’ achievements, Sharma added, “That is not just a statistic, it is a reflection of discipline, focus, resilience, and hard work,” noting that the awards ceremony offered a glimpse into “late nights, pressure, uncertainty, failures, and the determination to keep going when things became difficult.”

He further admitted that his life story was a culmination of “many long nights of problem-solving, moments of doubt, difficult decisions, and many lessons learned from failures and mistakes.”

At the same time, Sharma reminded students that they are entering a new world defined by artificial intelligence, automation, and digital transformation. “The future will belong to those who can learn faster, adapt continuously, think critically and stay resilient during change,” he continued. Nonetheless, he also emphasised that failure was often a by-product of the learning process.

“Failure is not the opposite of success, it is part of success,” the 22nd Century Technologies CEO said. “To the students being honoured: your degree is not the finish line; it is the foundation. Dream bigger, take risks, stay humble, work hard, and never underestimate the power of persistence.”

India to US success story: More about CEO Anil Sharma’s journey

When asked about his childhood for a Washington Business Journal profile earlier this year, the McLean IT firm CEO emotionally recounted his early days in India. “I’m a first-generation immigrant from India who came with just $100 in my pocket,” he told the US outlet.

“What shaped me was watching my father, a blue-collar worker who supported six children after losing his own father when he was 16. I watched him work incredibly hard, initially doing two jobs, then a job and a part-time business. That quality of working hard and taking care of family became embedded somewhere in my brain.”

Sharma didn’t find his start in the professional world as an entrepreneur. He started developing software for chartered CPAs as a part-time venture while maintaining a job he found “too boring.” His innate entrepreneurial spirit, however, was always on the lookout for more challenges.

Diving deeper into the initial days of his career, the self-proclaimed technocrat told the Washington Business Journal, “I have a master’s in computer applications and started my career as a technical person, as a software developer. Even when I became an entrepreneur and took senior positions as an architect or managing technologies, that technical foundation remained core to who I am.”

Even at 22nd Century Technologies, he started his journey as a consultant, representing the firm as a “technology person at customer sites.” Ultimately, by growing the business internally and adding more customers, he transitioned from being a “technology person growing the business to slowly taking my hands off and focusing more on strategy and growth while leaving it to the team.”

As of early January 2026, Sharma’s company had around $68-69 million per month in revenue, according to the Washington business outlet. He revealed that some of the contracts the company is already working on could ultimately turn it into a billion-dollar empire. As per Sharma’s own admissions, the company was expected to reach a workforce count of over 7,500 by February 1.

Beyond his leadership role at the IT firm, Sharma is passionate about mentoring, consulting, and investing in businesses that have the potential to succeed in the public sector domain, as stated in his LinkedIn bio. With a mission to “create value for our customers, partners, and employees, and to drive innovation and excellence in the IT field,” he has also authored two books on IT.

Having pursued a Master of Computer Applications degree at Punjab’s Thapar Institute of Engineering & Technology, Sharma is now widely recognised for having over 25 years of experience in building and managing IT infrastructure.