10 Asian entrepreneurs with fastest-growing private companies

10 Asian entrepreneurs with fastest-growing private companies

These 10 entrepreneurs have immigrant roots in Asia and India, but they have built some of the fastest-growing, private companies — many in technology — in the US. Meet the Tech Rajas ready to make it big:



Neil Dufva, Founder & CEO, Crunchy Logistics

2011 Revenue: $2.1 m
3-Year Growth: 1,881%

Neil Dufva led several entrepreneurial ventures before founding Crunchy Logistics in 2008. The tech firm expanded rapidly since its inception, focusing on the deployment and support of highly secure control systems, content distribution networks, and natural userinterface advancements.

Rose Cook & Lynn Faughey, Co-Founders, The FlexPro Group

2011 Revenue: $3.7 m
3-Year Growth: 2,958%

Though identical twins Rose and Lynn Cook do not come from an entrepreneurial family, they are no strangers to risk-taking. They started the FlexPro Group in 2008 during the Great Recession. The firm offers supply chain consulting to the pharma industry.

David Chen, Founder & CEO,NextWorth Solutions 2011 Revenue: $20.4 m
3-year Growth: 3,154%

A serial entrepreneur out of Babson College's hatchery, David Chen launched NextWorth in 2005. "I remember selling floppy discs to prep school kids when I was in 8th grade," recalls Chen. NextWorth helps consumers and big retailers recycle old electronics.

Byron Hsu, Founder & CEO, Xenon Project Int'l 
2011 Revenue: $4.4 m
3-Year Growth: 3,586%

Byron Hsu's parents wanted him to get a PhD, but Hsu had other plans. In 2008, he founded Xenon Project, to sell remote control cars on eBay. Today Xenon Project distributes remote control and nitro-fueled toys and other goods, such as kitchenware and sports equipment.

Andy Kim Founder & CEO, IT Source

2011 Revenue: $24.8 m
3-Year Growth: 4,756%

Started in 2002, IT Source offers companies of all sizes tech support with credit card processing and telecommunications. Founder Andy Kim believes that his engineering background helps him see flaws as opportunities for improvement, which is reflected in his company.

Kenneth Lin Founder & CEO, Credit Karma

2011 Revenue: $5.7 m 3-Year Growth: 5,279%

Frustrated that he had to pay to find out his credit score, Kenneth Lin came up with a way to give consumers a better offer. In 2007, he founded Credit Karma, which allows consumers to check their credit scores online for free. It also informs users about ways to save money.

Pradeep Goel, Founder & CEO, EngagePoint

2011 Revenue: $13.2 m
3-Year Growth: 5,855%

Pradeep Goel's Consumer Health Technologies develops software to help employees manage their own health benefits. Used by third-party administrators, insurance payers and financial institutions, Consumer Health Technologies, which was founded in 2007, strives to make consumers active buyers of insurance policies rather than passive recipients.

Krish Patel Founder & CEO, Wireless Comm 2011 Revenue: $22.9 m 3-Year Growth: 6,581% At a young age, Krish Patel became an entrepreneur by filling houses. In 2008, he founded Wireless Communications, which operates 32 Verizon Wireless retail locations in Georgia, Kentucky, South Carolina and West Virginia.

Zia Islam, Founder & CEO, Zantech IT Services

2011 Revenue: $17.8 m
3-Year Growth: 7,331%

Zia Islam founded Zantech IT Services in 2007 to offer enterprise technology systems to the federal government. He was inspired by his brother's success building his own company. "The customer is always our No. 1 priority," says Islam.

David Tam, Founder & CEO,RateSpecial Interactive 

2011 Revenue: $15.5 m
3-Year Growth: 8,593%
After graduating from UCLA, David Tam was prepping for law school when a part-time job with an online ad agency changed his plan. Today, he wears many hats as CEO of RateSpecial, an interactive advertising and marketing agency.