LDC Top 50 2024
Ram Gupta
Founder
Nybble
Ram Gupta’s purpose is simple: to invest in people. His diverse team at tech firm Nybble has been recruited from all walks of life. “All that matters to us is potential,” he says. The son of immigrant parents, Ram Gupta grew up with “everything and nothing”. He launched Nybble in 1998 as an IT retailer, pivoting in 2010 to an MSP supplying equipment and software to automotive and manufacturing companies.
The multi-million-pound company will grow 30% next year, and is trading internationally for the first time. “But most importantly, we have doubled our workforce over the last year, and we’re helping to grow those people’s ambition and skill,” he says.
We have doubled our workforce over the last 12 months, and we’re helping to grow those people’s ambition and skill.”
Q&A
What’s your ambition with Nybble?
When I was 14, I went into a Richer Sounds to buy a cassette. I had taken the train to Leeds but when I got there, it was out of stock. Even though I only had £1 to spend, the manager personally drove me to Manchester so I could buy the tape, and paid my train fare back to Blackburn. I have never forgotten that experience, and that commitment to customer service. I want to be the Richer Sounds of IT where we offer the customer is king experience to all our customers.
We also have a strong social purpose. Our ambition goes beyond profit, and we’re known for our social values. As we grow, we’ll remain focussed on supporting our employees and those people in society who may be in need of our help.
Why did you move away from physical retail?
We closed the stores with a heavy heart. We had all these talented people and I felt that if we didn’t create more challenging and interesting roles for them, we would lose them. In 2009 we became a managed service provider (MSP) to provide a best-in-class IT experience that would help other businesses to be better and grow. That said, we still have some retail customers, many of them elderly who were loyal to us for years and we remain loyal to them today.
Where does your drive come from?
My father was a high court lawyer in India, but when he came here, he couldn’t work in law and became a despatcher in the food industry. My mum didn’t speak English and my four brothers and I lived in a two up, two down. I remember dreading non-uniform days at school because I didn’t really have any other clothes. My father gained a degree in Maths and an MsC in Computer Science, moving into a career he loved, and that really inspired me. He taught me that hard work solves most problems.
