After earning a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from Bangalore University in India, Gonchikar Raya began his career with the Karnataka State government, where he focused on road construction, water systems, and town planning. In 1979, after eight years of designing and constructing various projects for the state, Gonchikar Raya moved to the United States, where he began working at Augusta, Georgia's Vogtle nuclear power plant. He also worked for a utility company in Georgia before relocating to Texas in 1981.

From 1981 to 1990, Gonchikar Raya served as a senior engineer with the Fluor Corporation and managed 30 engineering personnel at the Callaway Nuclear Power Plant in Fulton, Missouri. He subsequently worked as a design engineer for Bechtel Corporation until 1993, when he purchased a retail business and began investing in real estate.

To date, Mr. Raya has purchased over 30 commercial real estate properties in Atlanta, including one previously neglected building that he remodeled and is now worth over $3 million. He has built his real estate portfolio by utlizing his strong analytical skills and has increased his net worth by studying the stock market and judiciously trading bonds, stocks, and mutual funds.