Proving Ground

What would cause a young African American engineer to walk away from a promising career at the world’s foremost electronics research and development company to start a business, from scratch, in his basement?


David Tarver not only did that, he convinced two African American colleagues to join him in the improbable venture. Twelve years later, he negotiated the sale of that venture, Telecom Analysis Systems Inc., for $30 million. Tarver’s business success was accomplished without the help of angel investors, venture capital, government grants, or minority business development programs.


Overcoming obstacles related to race, technology, and business, Tarver and his colleagues conceived, designed, engineered, and manufactured sophisticated telecommunications instruments and sold them in more than twenty countries.