Viresh Bhatia Recognized as Software Entrepreneur of the Year in Ernst & Young’s Regional Award
SCHAUMBURG, Ill., July 19, 1999 — InstallShield® Software Corporation, a leading provider of software deployment tools and services for enterprise corporations and independent software vendors, today announced that co-founder and CEO Viresh Bhatia recently earned the Ernst & Young regional Software Entrepreneur Of The Year Award® for Illinois and Northwest Indiana. The award enters Bhatia into the national competition for entrepreneurs who have created and sustained growing business ventures.
“Bhatia’s selection from an outstanding field of candidates is a direct reflection of the overall success that InstallShield continues to enjoy,” said Randall Tavierne, Ernst & Young Entrepreneurial Services Partner. “The company’s financial growth and Bhatia’s professional history all contributed to his selection as an award recipient.”
In 1987, Bhatia co-founded InstallShield as a two-person company. Today, InstallShield is the worldwide leader in software deployment tools, and is one of the largest and fastest growing software companies in the U.S.; the company recently expanded its product lineup to include software distribution solutions for network and system administrators.
“It is an honor to be recognized as a successful entrepreneur in a rapidly changing and increasingly competitive marketplace,” said Bhatia. “As InstallShield continues to grow, it will become more important to quickly develop the most comprehensive installation, deployment and enterprise management solutions for meeting a growing range of customer needs.”
The 13th annual regional Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year awards are one of the nation’s most prestigious distinctions for entrepreneurs who have created and sustained growing business ventures. Award recipients were chosen by a regional panel of judges that included entrepreneurs and prominent leaders from academia, business and the media.
Winners were recognized as the premier regional companies that embody the vision, leadership and determination necessary to succeed in today’s highly competitive business environment. For Bhatia, InstallShield’s quick assent to the top was founded on years of dedication and sacrifice.
Originally from Delhi, India, Bhatia immigrated to the U.S. with his family in 1979, when he was fourteen. While in high school in Schaumburg, Illinois, he developed an interest in computers, and his self-taught knowledge of computer technology established his reputation as the resident computer expert among his teachers, fellow students and friends. After completing high school, Bhatia attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he and longtime friend, Rick Harold, first began developing the business model for InstallShield Software Corporation.
“The emergence of Microsoft’s Windows® platform in the early 1990’s was a major opportunity for InstallShield to provide Windows installation products that streamlined the existing installation process,” said Brian Hall, vice president of marketing, InstallShield Software Corporation. “Since that time, InstallShield has become the ubiquitous installation and deployment solutions provider for the Windows ISV community.”