New Delhi, July 11 -- More than a hundred years before venture capital, pitch decks or exit strategies entered the lexicon of Indian business, Hemendra Mohan Bose was living the founder's life in colonial Calcutta. A serial entrepreneur before the term even existed, he kept leaping into entirely new industries because he was endlessly fascinated by emerging technologies and convinced Indians could master them.

Born in 1866 into an educated Brahmo family, Bose was on track to become a doctor. A laboratory explosion at Calcutta Medical College that badly injured one of his eyes abruptly ended his medical career. Rather than discouraging him, the accident sparked a lifelong fascination with applied chemistry and industrial experimentation....