Gurbaksh Chahal
Encyclopedia
Gurbaksh Singh Chahal is an Indian-American internet
entrepreneur
and a best-selling author
. By the age of 25, he had founded and sold two advertising companies for a total of US$340 million.
in Punjab, India to Avtar Singh and Arjinder Chahal. In 1985, his parents received a visa for America through the Diversity Visa (DV) program, also known as the Green Card Lottery, and the following year, when he was four, the family settled in San Jose, California.
focused on performance-based advertising. Two years later, on November 1, 2000, ValueClick
announced it agreed to buy ClickAgents in a $40 million all-stock merger. Chahal had a three year non-compete agreement with ValueClick.
On January 12, 2004, Chahal formed BlueLithium
. BlueLithium specialized in behavioral targeting
of banner advertising (a process that tracks web users' habits online in order to show ads they are most likely to respond to).
The advertising network which was recognized as an innovator in the online advertising
space in a Business 2.0
article. In 2006, under Chahal's leadership, BlueLithium was named Top Innovator by AlwaysOn.
On October 15, 2007, Yahoo!
bought Blue Lithium for $300 million in cash. Chahal remained CEO of the company through the transition period.
In September 2009, Chahal started his third venture, gWallet, an advertising company focused on bringing brands into social media. On December 1, 2009, gWallet raised its first institutional round of financing totaling $12.5 million from Adam Street Partners, Trinity Ventures, Stanford University
and various others. On October 18, 2010, a few days after Chahal's non-compete expired, the Company re-branded itself as RadiumOne
, and launched an ad network focused on overlaying social and intent data together. On March 2011, RadiumOne
announced it had raised another $21 million in financing which valued the Company at $200 million.
to discuss his life and business journey. In his interview, Oprah Winfrey
introduced him as "one of the youngest and also the wealthiest entrepreneurs on the planet Earth".
Chahal appeared on an episode of the Fox TV reality show Secret Millionaire
, where he went undercover in the Tenderloin
district of San Francisco to give away at least $110,000 of his own money.
On January 8, 2009, he was featured on Extra TV
as America's Most Eligible Bachelor.
.
On April 29, 2010, Chahal was awarded the Leaders In Management Award and an Honorary
Doctorate
degree in Commercial Science from Pace University
for his career achievements as an entrepreneur. In April 11, 2011, Men's Health
also recognized him as one of the world's richest and fittest guys.
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and a best-selling author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. By the age of 25, he had founded and sold two advertising companies for a total of US$340 million.
Early life
Chahal was born in Tarn Taran SahibTarn Taran Sahib
Tarn Taran Sahib a city in the Indian state of Punjab. It is the district headquarters and hosts the municipal council of Taran Taran district.-History:Tarn Taran Sahib was founded by the fifth Sikh Guru Shri Guru Arjan Dev Ji...
in Punjab, India to Avtar Singh and Arjinder Chahal. In 1985, his parents received a visa for America through the Diversity Visa (DV) program, also known as the Green Card Lottery, and the following year, when he was four, the family settled in San Jose, California.
Business ventures
On December 15, 1998, aged 16, Gurbaksh Chahal dropped out of high school to work full time at his first venture, ClickAgents. ClickAgents was an advertising networkAdvertising network
An online advertising network or ad network is a company that connects advertisers to web sites that want to host advertisements. The key function of an ad network is aggregation of ad space supply from publishers and matching it with advertiser demand...
focused on performance-based advertising. Two years later, on November 1, 2000, ValueClick
ValueClick
ValueClick is a Westlake Village, CA-based online advertising company, which provides online advertising campaigns and programs for advertisers and advertising agency customers in the United States and internationally....
announced it agreed to buy ClickAgents in a $40 million all-stock merger. Chahal had a three year non-compete agreement with ValueClick.
On January 12, 2004, Chahal formed BlueLithium
BlueLithium
BlueLithium is an online advertising network, founded by Gurbaksh Chahal in January 2004. Its service is intended to join behavioral targeting with advanced data analytics to improve campaign optimization over a global advertising network....
. BlueLithium specialized in behavioral targeting
Behavioral targeting
Behavioral targeting is a technique used by online publishers and advertisers to increase the effectiveness of their campaigns.Behavioral targeting uses information collected on an individual's web-browsing behavior, such as the pages they have visited or the searches they have made, to select...
of banner advertising (a process that tracks web users' habits online in order to show ads they are most likely to respond to).
The advertising network which was recognized as an innovator in the online advertising
Online advertising
Online advertising is a form of promotion that uses the Internet and World Wide Web to deliver marketing messages to attract customers. Examples of online advertising include contextual ads on search engine results pages, banner ads, blogs, Rich Media Ads, Social network advertising, interstitial...
space in a Business 2.0
Business 2.0
Business 2.0 was a monthly magazine publication founded by magazine entrepreneur Chris Anderson, Mark Gross, and journalist James Daly in order to chronicle the rise of the "New Economy"...
article. In 2006, under Chahal's leadership, BlueLithium was named Top Innovator by AlwaysOn.
On October 15, 2007, Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
bought Blue Lithium for $300 million in cash. Chahal remained CEO of the company through the transition period.
In September 2009, Chahal started his third venture, gWallet, an advertising company focused on bringing brands into social media. On December 1, 2009, gWallet raised its first institutional round of financing totaling $12.5 million from Adam Street Partners, Trinity Ventures, Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
and various others. On October 18, 2010, a few days after Chahal's non-compete expired, the Company re-branded itself as RadiumOne
RadiumOne
RadiumOne is an online advertising network, founded by Gurbaksh Chahal in September 2009. It is Chahal's, third venture in advertising networks....
, and launched an ad network focused on overlaying social and intent data together. On March 2011, RadiumOne
RadiumOne
RadiumOne is an online advertising network, founded by Gurbaksh Chahal in September 2009. It is Chahal's, third venture in advertising networks....
announced it had raised another $21 million in financing which valued the Company at $200 million.
Television appearances
On October 23, 2008, Chahal appeared on The Oprah Winfrey ShowThe Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
to discuss his life and business journey. In his interview, Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
introduced him as "one of the youngest and also the wealthiest entrepreneurs on the planet Earth".
Chahal appeared on an episode of the Fox TV reality show Secret Millionaire
Secret Millionaire
The Secret Millionaire is a reality television show which originated in the UK, in which millionaires go incognito into impoverished communities and agree to give away tens of thousands of pounds . Members of the community are told the cameras are present to film a documentary...
, where he went undercover in the Tenderloin
Tenderloin, San Francisco, California
The Tenderloin is a neighborhood in downtown San Francisco, California, in the flatlands on the southern slope of Nob Hill, nestled between the Union Square shopping district to the northeast and the Civic Center office district to the southwest...
district of San Francisco to give away at least $110,000 of his own money.
On January 8, 2009, he was featured on Extra TV
Extra (TV series)
Extra is an American entertainment television news program covering events and celebrities which debuted on September 5, 1994 in syndication. It is produced at Victory Studios in Glendale, California by Telepictures Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television Distribution...
as America's Most Eligible Bachelor.
Personal life
Chahal currently lives in San Francisco, CaliforniaSan Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
On April 29, 2010, Chahal was awarded the Leaders In Management Award and an Honorary
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
Doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
degree in Commercial Science from Pace University
Pace University
Pace University is an American private, co-educational, and comprehensive multi-campus university in the New York metropolitan area with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, New York.-Programs:...
for his career achievements as an entrepreneur. In April 11, 2011, Men's Health
Men's Health (magazine)
Men's Health , published by Rodale Inc. in Emmaus, Pennsylvania, United States, is the world’s largest men’s magazine brand, with 44 editions around the world. It is also the best-selling men's magazine on U.S. newsstands. It covers fitness, nutrition, sexuality, lifestyle and other aspects of...
also recognized him as one of the world's richest and fittest guys.
Awards and recognitions
- 2006: AlwaysOn Top Innovator of the Year
- 2010: Anokhi Awards, Excellence in Digital Entrepreneurship
- 2010: BusinessWeek, Best Young Tech Entrepreneurs
- 2010: Pace University, Leaders in Management Award
- 2010: Darpan, Extraordinary Awards - International Sensation
- 2010: MensXP, X51 - India's Most Influential Business Man of the Year
- 2011: Most Influential CEO - Under30CEO
- 2011: Forbes Greatest Risks