Vikas Gupta

My Stuff: Vikas Gupta

The TransGaming CEO shares his must-have tech and toys

By Robin Roberts

Vikas Gupta was studying biochem at the University of Waterloo in the mid–’80s with the aspiration to be a cardiac surgeon, but two years into his undergrad degree, he discovered his heart wasn’t into it. So he switched to technology – computer science, math, engineering – which proved to be a game–changer in 2001 when he met Gavriel State, founder of Toronto–based TransGaming. The company specializes in video game portability technology, and when Gupta signed on, he was hooked. Now president and CEO, he shares the gadgets and gizmos that keep him in the game.

  1. My Phone: iPhone

Gupta says he’d always used a BlackBerry, primarily because he wanted to support a homegrown company. A few years ago, due for an upgrade, he “reluctantly” migrated to an iPhone, “and my whole world changed,” he says. “I was connected in a way that I could never have been before. The iPhone has become a much broader utility device for me.” He says it’s become indispensable during his 90-minute work commute for conference–calling, web–browsing, and consulting his master contact list.

  1. My Social-Media Site: Twitter

Gupta says he’s purposely stayed away from Facebook because he likes the “old school” philosophy of actually phoning people. He is, however, on Twitter (@vikaskgupta). With offices in Tel Aviv and Kiev, he and his colleagues used Twitter to obtain real-time information about what was happening during conflicts in those regions.

  1. My Travel Accessory: Headphones

Gupta is in the air every other week, logging over 130,000 miles annually to cities like New York, London, New Delhi, Beijing and Taipei, so he grabs sleep when and where he can, particularly during overseas flights. To help send him off to the land of nod, he relies on his “noise-canceling, souped-up Bose headphones”.

  1. My Computer: MacBook Pro

Gupta is a Mac man, for work and play. “I usually have a lot of applications open at the same time — multiple Word documents, Excel spreadsheets, Keynote presentations, e-mails, browser windows, PDFs, etc. — plus, I’m on the move a lot, from boardrooms to airplanes to hotels, so being able to close the lid then pop it open without having to reboot is so convenient,” he says. And because TransGaming deploys video games on the Mac (as well as other platforms), he says his laptop “is blazing fast enough to run all the games we work on.”

  1. My Tablet: iPad

Gupta has two iPads, one for the family to use for music, recipes and research, another for work. “I take it to trade shows because it’s easier to have a smaller, compact device to look things up, to find what company is located in what booth, and also have access to my calendar and email.”

  1. My Business Book: Good To Great

Gupta is a big Jim Collins fan and preaches his “good to great” principles to his employees as well as to the entrepreneurship students he lectures.

  1. My Business Organization: Young President’s Organization

“I’ve met exceptionally talented CEOs from all over the world,” says Gupta. “I have access to people, places, things I would not have otherwise, and have cultivated deep friendships and camaraderie that will continue for the rest of my life.”

  1. My App: Air Canada

Gupta relies on his Air Canada app to keep his flights organized, for seat selection, as well as to check other flights if his schedule changes. “I can check in through my app and hit one button to show my boarding pass on my main screen. It automatically synchronizes with my calendar, which gives me a reminder to board my plane.”

  1. My Go-To Game: Metal Gear Rising: Reveneance

Being in the gaming business, Gupta has a lot to choose from, but he’s jazzed about recently released Metal Gear Rising. “It’s got a great storyline, beautiful graphics. I enjoy playing it on my laptop because it’s very high–energy, and a lot of fun. I also like playing Flow with my family, a very simple, Matrix–based game of connect the dots.”

  1. Work Stuff

“I rely enormously on Google Drive, DropBox, NetSuite, and a new HR system we just implemented called TribeHR,” says Gupta. “Nothing sexy here, and we take our usage for granted, but all very important tools and applications.”