MSys Technologies: Building a Global Product Engineering Powerhouse through Resilience and Long-Term Vision

"Entrepreneurship is about finding solutions and solving problems—it is not just about starting a company." This core philosophy has guided Sanjay Sehgal, the Chairman and CEO of MSys Technologies, through a three-decade career that spans from being a high-paid corporate executive to building multiple successful startups. Today, MSys stands as a global leader in product engineering services, a testament to Sehgal’s "retirement plan" that has scaled into an empire serving thousands across the US, India, and Southeast Asia.

Founded in 2007, MSys Technologies is Sehgal’s fourth venture and his first purely self-funded one. After years of running venture-backed companies and navigating the "nuclear winter" of the post-9/11 market, Sehgal built MSys with a focus on long-term sustainability rather than quick exits. By mastering the art of the "defensible value proposition" and staying true to his expertise in storage and digital transformation, he has created an institution designed to last for generations.

The Trigger: From Half-Million Paychecks to Zero

In the year 2000, Sanjay Sehgal was at the pinnacle of his corporate career. As the VP of Sales and Marketing for a company he had helped grow from $30 million to $180 million in revenue, he was earning a "half-million dollar paycheck." However, the desire to repeat that success for himself was overwhelming. "On one end was the temptation to do it for myself," Sehgal recalls. "On the other end was the fear that this paycheck would stop coming."

The final triggers were personal and legal: he received his Green Card in 2000, granting him the freedom to move, and he realized he wanted to tackle a larger problem in the data storage industry—one that didn't compete with his previous employer but solved a broader "intelligent storage" issue for the burgeoning internet era.

Navigating the "Nuclear Winter"

Sehgal’s first major venture, iVivity, raised $11 million in August 2001—just 11 days before the 9/11 attacks changed the world forever. "The market nose-dived," he notes. "It took a while to come back." This period taught him the most critical quality of an entrepreneur: **Resilience**. By staying true to the mission and managing the "nuclear winter" with perseverance, iVivity eventually built its storage chip and was successfully acquired by a larger player.

This experience informed his approach to MSys Technologies years later. Instead of chasing external capital, he self-funded MSys, treating it as a project he could run for the rest of his life. This shift in mindset changed everything—from the people he hired to the clients he served—ensuring that every decision was made for the next 20 years, not the next 18 months.

The "Dhanda" vs. The Startup

Sehgal is a vocal critic of the "startup fad" where people want to start a company just for the sake of it. "A company is a result of solving a problem," he argues. He distinguishes between a "Dhanda" (a simple trade) and a "Startup Business." A true startup must be scalable and defensible. If the idea is "half-baked" or easily copied, it won't survive the market test.

He shares a playful example of a "billion-dollar idea": solving the "ugly balcony" problem in Indian cities where multi-colored laundry hangs from high-end villas. "It’s not enough to see the problem; you need a chemical or electrical engineer to create a solution that doesn't damage fabric or require electricity. You must answer 'Why You' before you pitch."

Leadership and the Co-founder Equation

One of Sehgal's strongest recommendations for aspiring founders is to have a co-founder. In his early ventures, he paired his sales and marketing expertise with a VP of Engineering. "The two major skills you need to run a company are already there in the founders," he says. This synergy allows for faster execution and provides a support system during the inevitable market downturns.

The Future: Digital Transformation at Scale

Today, MSys Technologies continues to grow as a leader in digital transformation. By focusing on product engineering services, Sehgal has turned his "retirement plan" into a multi-national powerhouse. His journey from corporate executive to serial entrepreneur serves as a blueprint for how to bridge the gap between high-level institutional knowledge and the "jugad" mindset of a startup.

"Resilience and perseverance are the qualities every entrepreneur needs," Sehgal concludes. "Things will go wrong, but if you solve a real problem, you will come back."

Key Takeaways

For Senior Executives: The jump to entrepreneurship is hard but rewarding. Prepare your mindset for the loss of a steady paycheck and focus on the "freedom" of value creation.

For Young Founders: Start early. Direct-out-of-college startups have the lowest risk profile. Don't worry about funding; worry about perfection of the "What, Why, and How."

For Tech Innovators: Storage and data are evergreen. As the internet era evolves into the AI era, focus on "intelligent" infrastructure that solves the next decade's problems.

About the Guest

Sanjay Sehgal is the Chairman and CEO of MSys Technologies. A veteran of the global tech industry with over 30 years of experience, he is a serial entrepreneur who has successfully built and exited multiple companies in the storage and semiconductor space. Based in Atlanta, Georgia, Sehgal is also a sought-after mentor and social media personality, sharing his insights on leadership, meditation, and sustainable entrepreneurship with millions worldwide.