About

Vineet Gupta Founder of Ashoka University

Vineet Gupta Biography

At present, Vineet Gupta is the Managing Director of Jamboree Education, India’s premier overseas test prep company which operates close to 36 tuition centers across 19 cities in India and Nepal. The organization trains nearly 20000 students per year.

Vineet Gupta’s contributions in the higher education sector has seen him earn appreciation and respect in the country’s education industry. Vineet has been offered leadership positions of Education Committees in various industry chambers like FICCI, ASSOCHAM and PHD Chamber. He currently holds the responsibility of Co-Chair for the Education National Council at ASSOCHAM.

Early Life

Vineet Gupta was born in Jind, Haryana in the year 1969 and at the age of 21, completed his mechanical engineering degree from IIT Delhi. Being passionate about education at an early age, Vineet always wanted to help build high quality educational institutions in India.

Foray into Entrepreneurship

Just a few years after earning his degree in mechanical engineering from IIT Delhi, Vineet Gupta setup Jamboree Education Private Ltd in 1996 with his wife, Akrita. In 2007, he joined hands with other industry leaders to set up the foundations of Ashoka University, which commenced operations in 2014. In 2015, he joined forces with tech entrepreneurs and business leaders with the aim of setting up an institution which sets a high benchmark for quality tech education and co-founded Plaksha University, which opened in 2021.

Noteworthy institutions

Vineet’s first venture into education was through Jamboree Education Pvt. Ltd. The vision of this institution was to become a pathbreaker in the field of preparing Indian students for competitive exams to get selected in foreign educational institutions. After 2 decades in the industry, Jamboree now has close to 36 centers across 19 cities in India and Nepal. The institute has trained over 20000 students and has over 400 employees on its rolls to emerge as India’s premier test prep institution.

In 2007, he joined hands with like minded individuals from distinguished backgrounds to set up Ashoka University, which is today, regarded as one of the most exciting and unique institutions of higher learning in the country. As the Founding Pro-Vice Chancellor of Ashoka University, Vineet Gupta has been instrumental in laying the foundation, defining the vision and building a strong team for one of India’s top private universities.

In an effort to galvanize technology education, he joined hands with 60 tech entrepreneurs and business leaders in 2015 to co-found Plaksha University. Through this university, which commenced operations in 2021, Vineet wanted to make technology education interdisciplinary, offer hands on learning and integrate design thinking and the liberal arts with engineering education.

The changemaker

Vineet Gupta has possibly changed Indian education forever with the success of Ashoka University as India’s first Liberal Arts University. Prior to Ashoka, the concept of Liberal Arts was hardly understood in India. The founders of Ashoka took a risk, which has paid off and has contributed to excellence in Indian higher education. Vineet has often said that the Ashoka model needs to be replicated by many more institutions as this could herald a higher education revolution in the country. Having seen many talented Indian students leave the country to go abroad for a better quality education, Vineet wants to ensure that the quality of education offered at Ashoka and Plakhsa University is comparable to the best in the world.

Philanthropic Endeavors

Philanthropy has a major role in the development of the education sector. In order to guarantee that students receive a high-quality education, philanthropy supports educational institutions through sponsoring research and development, infrastructure building and maintenance, and other related activities. It assures that students have exposure to the opportunities and resources they need to excel.

Vineet Gupta is driven to make a difference and ensuring positive experience for the people. Through his non-profit organizations, CL Gupta Family Trust and Karuna Charitable Society, his goal is to highlight the importance of philanthropy in education and serve the community. The CL Gupta Family Trust aids individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds to pursue higher education. Karuna Charitable Society was formed with the mission – “For people in despair, Karuna provides hope.” Vineet Gupta is one of the noteworthy members of the Society who devotes his time working for the community, especially the underprivileged groups.

The Karuna Charitable Society offers financial aid to ambitious students belonging to low-income families with monthly incomes under INR 10,000. These scholarships assist the nation’s future generation to further their education after finishing their 10+2 in order to equip them for effective career prospects. Additionally, the Society provides monthly financial assistance to widows from poor households, frequently for a period of 5-7 years. The widows receive emotional support in addition to financial assistance from them.