Description:
Dr. Suresh Kumar was born in 1962 in Kochi, in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala. His father was a career officer in the British Indian Navy (Indian Navy after 1947). His mother taught before marriage.
As a child, Suresh traveled with his father to various naval bases across India, living in cities like Chennai, Mumbai, Goa, and Calcutta. By the time his father retired in the 1980s, the family returned to Kochi, where most of Suresh's schooling took place.
Suresh attended Kendriya Vidyalaya, or Central School, located on the naval base in Kochi. He then enrolled at the Kochi University of Science and Technology. He graduated in 1984 with his undergraduate degree and, the following year, enrolled in an MBA program, completing it in 1987.
Suresh was selected for a management training position in marketing with ANZ Grindlays Bank. After a couple of years working in Cochin, he was chosen for an international assignment and, in 1991, was sent to the United States to work on Wall Street.
Suresh left ANZ in late 1993 and, the following year, took on a role as an investment advisor with a firm that also sponsored his green card application. By 1999, with his green card in hand, he decided to explore this new path.
His first venture was NexAge Technologies, a company focused on developing software solutions for industries such as garment manufacturing and fast food. Between 2005 and 2013, Suresh founded or co-founded several businesses.
After selling one of his businesses in the mid-2000s, he decided to pursue a PhD, which he completed in 2011. Currently, Suresh teaches at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), while also serving on the boards of several companies and offering advisory support.
The Rutgers Oral History Archives received an operating support grant from the New Jersey Historical Commission, a division of the Department of State. In the 2024-2025 cycle, this grant assisted the ROHA staff in making this oral history available to you for your use.