Ankur Gopal is the founder of Interapt, an award-winning IT Services firm that works with Fortune 1000 companies and communities on digital transformation, BPO, and IT workforce training. As in many companies and communities, Gopal faced difficulty in finding talent to serve the needs of his clients, which led him to create a 6-month paid training program which has now turned into one of the leading IT Apprenticeship models in the U.S. His program focuses on serving underemployed and unemployed individuals in rural and urban areas, as well as veterans into IT job opportunities with upward mobility.
This model for creating high-wage IT job opportunities; while simultaneously removing people from crises, has been called a bold national model in solving the skills gap and creating net new jobs for America. Interapt has worked with the Department of Labor on helping write the national standards for IT Apprenticeships in the U.S. Most recently, Interapt announced a national partnership with General Assembly, creating multiple training locations nationally with global partners.
Interapt’s work has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, PBS Newshour, Fox News, EY Strategic Growth Forum, Salesforce Dreamforce, TEDx Palo Alto, USA Today, and The Daily Show with Trevor Noah. Awards received included Kentucky’s Best Places to Work, Emerging Company of the Year, and Excellence in Corporate Philanthrophy.
Ankur is the recipient of the EY Entrepreneur of The Year, 40 Under 40, Kentucky Entrepreneur Hall of Fame, and the Business Journal’s Business of the Year and Most Admired CEO. In 2020, he was selected as an Endeavor Entrepreneur, a global distinction that recognizes and supports of the world’s highest growth companies, and in 2022 was elevated to join the Endeavor board. He was honored by his alma mater, the University of Illinois, as their 2018 Commencement Speaker.
Ankur has been a featured speaker at EY Strategic Growth Forum, The University of Chicago, Stanford University, and Mckesson’s Annual Meeting. He continues to speak at conferences and corporations throughout the world on creating high-tech job opportunities by blending capitalism, altruism, and entrepreneurship. He credits the guidance of his teachers, mentors, and family’s immigration story for helping define his purpose and his entrepreneurial journey.
Ankur is an alumnus of Second City Chicago, where he performed stand-up comedy and improv on the Main Stage. He is a lifelong tennis player, and continues to play and compete nationally. He enjoys live music, independent films, video games, and cooking for his friends and family.
He and his wife, Dr. Kiran Gopal, reside in Louisville and have 2 children, Arya (7) and Arman (5).
