Bhushan Kulkarni challenged Washtenaw Community College graduates to measure success not only by what they achieve, but by how many others they help.
Delivering the keynote address during the college’s 2026 Commencement ceremony, the tech entrepreneur and recipient of WCC’s Honorary Associate Degree in Community Service urged graduates to pay it forward.
“At some time, someone helps you. A teacher, a mentor, a parent, a friend or maybe a total stranger that believed in you,” Kulkarni said. “Be that person to someone else. Take time in your busy lives to lift others up. Success is meaningful, but significant success comes from helping others succeed.”
COMMENCEMENT PHOTOS: Gallery I | Gallery II
The message reflected Kulkarni’s own journey. He and his wife, Swatee, came to the United States from India more than 35 years ago to pursue graduate studies in engineering.
“When I first came to this country, I had a name people struggled to pronounce. They still do. An accent people struggle to understand. And exactly $150 in my pocket,” Kulkarni said. “I didn’t know anyone. I didn’t have a road map. But I had a scholarship for education, determination and a willingness to step outside my comfort zone again and again.
“Sometimes I succeeded, sometimes I failed. Actually, many times I failed. But every single time I learned. And learning compounds just like interest, except this is the kind of interest that you don’t pay any taxes on.”
More than three decades later, Kulkarni returned to the Commencement stage not as someone searching for opportunity, but as someone encouraging graduates to embrace it.
Before Kulkarni took the podium, WCC Board of Trustees chair Christina Fleming introduced him as “a highly accomplished entrepreneur who has spent more than three decades building and leading innovative companies across the technology sector.”
Kulkarni is the founder and CEO of Ann Arbor-based GDI Infotech and InfoReady Corporation, as well as a co-founder of SensCy. His companies have been recognized nationally for their growth and impact and he has earned recognition as an Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
However, it was Kulkarni’s deep commitment to community that earned him special recognition from WCC.
For decades, he has dedicated his time, leadership and philanthropy to organizations like Saline Area Schools, the Ann Arbor Area Chamber of Commerce, the Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation, Ann Arbor SPARK and others to support economic development, education and opportunity for others.
He serves as board co-chair of the Michigan Founders Fund, a group of entrepreneurs and investors working to grow high-impact startups and strengthen civic leadership across Michigan’s startup community.
At WCC, Kulkarni has been a passionate and generous advocate for the college and its students. He joined the WCC Foundation Board of Directors in 2018 and was the board chair from 2023 to 2025.
His family established an endowed scholarship that will support students in perpetuity, and he has invested in the next wave of innovators through work with the WCC Entrepreneurship Center.
In return, Kulkarni praised WCC for creating opportunity and supporting students as they pursue their goals.
“Everyone needs a launch pad. And you’ve got a great one here at WCC," he said. "What makes this place special isn’t just the classrooms or the degrees. It’s the people, the faculty, the staff, administration, the trustees that volunteer their time every day. They are relentless in opening doors, solving problems and believing in you, sometimes even before you believe in yourselves.”
Tags: Bhushan Kulkarni, Class of 2026, Commencement, Graduation, Honorary Associate Degree, June 2026, On The Record