Vinod Khosla
Encyclopedia
Vinod Khosla, ਵਿਨੋਦ ਖੋਸਲਾ (Gurmukhi); born 28 January 1955) is an India
n-born American
venture capitalist and an influential personality in Silicon Valley
.
Khosla was one of the co-founders of Sun Microsystems
, where he served as its first CEO and Chairman in the early 1980s. In 1986, he became a general partner of the venture capital
firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, where he remained through the early 2000s.
In 2004 Khosla formed his own firm, Khosla Ventures
, which focused on venture investments in various technology sectors, most notably clean technology
.
He is also known for his witty but controversial statements, for example: "If it doesn't scale, it doesn't matter. Most of what we talk about today—hybrid, biodiesel, ethanol, solar photovoltaics, geothermal—I believe are irrelevant to the scale of the problem."
, India
. He read about the founding of Intel in Electronic Engineering Times at the age of fourteen and this inspired him to pursue technology as a career.
Khosla went on to receive degrees from the IIT Delhi, India (Bachelor of Technology
in Electrical Engineering
), Carnegie Mellon University
(Masters in Biomedical Engineering), and Stanford Graduate School of Business
(MBA).
in 1980, Khosla worked for electronic design automation company Daisy Systems
. Then in 1982, Khosla co-founded Sun Microsystems
(SUN is the acronym for the Stanford University Network), along with his Stanford classmates Scott McNealy
, Andy Bechtolsheim
, and UC Berkeley computer science graduate student Bill Joy
. Khosla served as the first Chairman and CEO of Sun Microsystems
from 1982 to 1984, when he left the company to become a venture capitalist.
In 1986, Khosla joined the venture capital
firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as a general partner. At Kleiner, Khosla became a recognized venture capitalist, with several successful early stage investments. Khosla also played a key role with several of the tech industry's most spectacular failures, including Asera, Dynabook
, BroadBand Office, Excit@Home, and many others.
He also invested in an Indian Microfinance
NGO, SKS Microfinance
, which lends small loans to poor women in rural India. Khosla is also one of the founders of TiE
, The Indus Entrepreneurs, and has guest-edited a special issue of The Economic Times
(ET), a leading business newspaper in India.
Khosla was featured on Dateline NBC
in May 2006 where he discussed the practicality of ethanol
as a gasoline
substitute. He is known to have invested heavily in ethanol companies, in hopes of widespread adoption. He cites Brazil
as an example of a country that has ended its dependence on foreign oil.
Khosla was a major proponent of the "Yes on 87" campaign to pass California's Proposition 87
, The Clean Energy Initiative, which failed to pass in November, 2006.
In 2006, Khosla's wife Neeru
co-founded the CK-12 Foundation
that aims to develop open source textbooks
and lower the cost of education in America and the rest of the world. Khosla and his wife are also donors to the Wikimedia Foundation
, in the amount of $500,000.
firm, Khosla Ventures
. The firm is based in Menlo Park, California
and manages approximately $1 billion of investor capital as well as investments funded by Khosla himself.
In September 2009, Khosla completed fundraising for two new funds, to invest in cleantech and information technology
start-ups. Khosla Ventures III secured $750 million of investor commitments to invest in traditional early stage and growth stage companies. Khosla also raised $250 million for Khosla Seed, which will invest in higher-risk opportunities.
In May 2010 it was announced that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair
was to join Khosla Ventures to provide strategic advice regarding investments in technologies focused on the environment.
, Khosla has been involved in the founding of a number of other businesses and organizations. Khosla was also involved with the founding of Daisy Systems
in 1981. He is also one of the founders of TiE
, The Indus Entrepreneurs, and has guest-edited a special issue of Economic Times (ET), a leading business newspaper in India.
Khosla was a finalist for the 1999 World Technology Award
and served as the Honorary Chair of the DonorsChoose
San Francisco Bay Area Advisory Board. In addition, Khosla is a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Blum Center for Developing Economies at the University of California, Berkeley
. The Center is focused on finding solutions to address the crisis of extreme poverty and disease in the developing world.
Mr.Khosla said at the NASSCOM that "Being a Enter pruner was hot".When asked whether he ever feared failure, Khosla said only those who dare to fail can succeed. “Freedom to fail is a key ingredient in success. Try and fail, but do not fail to try. Every disadvantage in India is an opportunity to do something big,” he said.
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n-born American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
venture capitalist and an influential personality in Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley
Silicon Valley is a term which refers to the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area in Northern California in the United States. The region is home to many of the world's largest technology corporations...
.
Khosla was one of the co-founders of Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
, where he served as its first CEO and Chairman in the early 1980s. In 1986, he became a general partner of the venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, where he remained through the early 2000s.
In 2004 Khosla formed his own firm, Khosla Ventures
Khosla Ventures
Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on early stage companies in the Internet, computing, mobile, silicon technology and clean technology sectors....
, which focused on venture investments in various technology sectors, most notably clean technology
Clean technology
Clean technology includes recycling, renewable energy , information technology, green transportation, electric motors, green chemistry, lighting, Greywater, and many other appliances that are now more energy efficient. It is a means to create electricity and fuels, with a smaller environmental...
.
He is also known for his witty but controversial statements, for example: "If it doesn't scale, it doesn't matter. Most of what we talk about today—hybrid, biodiesel, ethanol, solar photovoltaics, geothermal—I believe are irrelevant to the scale of the problem."
Early life and education
Khosla's father was in the army and was posted at New DelhiNew Delhi
New Delhi is the capital city of India. It serves as the centre of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It is one of the nine districts of Delhi Union Territory. The total area of the city is...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He read about the founding of Intel in Electronic Engineering Times at the age of fourteen and this inspired him to pursue technology as a career.
Khosla went on to receive degrees from the IIT Delhi, India (Bachelor of Technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
in Electrical Engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
), Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
(Masters in Biomedical Engineering), and Stanford Graduate School of Business
Stanford Graduate School of Business
The Stanford Graduate School of Business is one of the professional schools of Stanford University, in Stanford, California and is broadly regarded as one of the best business schools in the world.The Stanford GSB offers a general management Master of Business Administration degree, the Sloan...
(MBA).
Career
After graduating from Stanford UniversityStanford 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...
in 1980, Khosla worked for electronic design automation company Daisy Systems
Daisy Systems
Daisy Systems Corporation incorporated in 1981 in Mountain View, California, was a computer-aided engineering, CAE, company, a pioneer in the Electronic design automation industry....
. Then in 1982, Khosla co-founded Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
(SUN is the acronym for the Stanford University Network), along with his Stanford classmates Scott McNealy
Scott McNealy
Scott McNealy is an American business executive. He co-founded computer technology company Sun Microsystems in 1982 along with Vinod Khosla, Bill Joy, and Andy Bechtolsheim.-Biography:...
, Andy Bechtolsheim
Andy Bechtolsheim
Andreas von Bechtolsheim is an electrical engineer who co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982 and was its chief hardware designer....
, and UC Berkeley computer science graduate student Bill Joy
Bill Joy
William Nelson Joy , commonly known as Bill Joy, is an American computer scientist. Joy co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982 along with Vinod Khosla, Scott McNealy and Andy Bechtolsheim, and served as chief scientist at the company until 2003...
. Khosla served as the first Chairman and CEO of Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
from 1982 to 1984, when he left the company to become a venture capitalist.
In 1986, Khosla joined the venture capital
Venture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as a general partner. At Kleiner, Khosla became a recognized venture capitalist, with several successful early stage investments. Khosla also played a key role with several of the tech industry's most spectacular failures, including Asera, Dynabook
Dynabook
The Dynabook concept, created by Alan Kay in 1968, described what is now known as a laptop computer or a tablet or slate computer with nearly eternal battery life and software aimed at giving children access to digital media...
, BroadBand Office, Excit@Home, and many others.
He also invested in an Indian Microfinance
Microfinance
Microfinance is the provision of financial services to low-income clients or solidarity lending groups including consumers and the self-employed, who traditionally lack access to banking and related services....
NGO, SKS Microfinance
SKS Microfinance
SKS Microfinance Limited" is a non-banking finance company , regulated by the Reserve Bank of India. SKS claims its mission is to eradicate poverty by providing financial services to the poor....
, which lends small loans to poor women in rural India. Khosla is also one of the founders of TiE
TiE
TiE is a global nonprofit dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship. TiE has 54 chapters in 13 countries, with a total membership exceeding 13,000. TiE is most closely affiliated with the South Asian business community, and is recognized as an important networking forum for entrepreneurs and investors...
, The Indus Entrepreneurs, and has guest-edited a special issue of The Economic Times
The Economic Times
The Economic Times is an English-language Indian daily newspaper published by the Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.. The Economic Times was started in 1961. It is the most popular and widely read financial daily in India, read by more than 8 lakh people...
(ET), a leading business newspaper in India.
Khosla was featured on Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
in May 2006 where he discussed the practicality of ethanol
Ethanol fuel
Ethanol fuel is ethanol , the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. It is most often used as a motor fuel, mainly as a biofuel additive for gasoline. World ethanol production for transport fuel tripled between 2000 and 2007 from 17 billion to more than 52 billion litres...
as a gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
substitute. He is known to have invested heavily in ethanol companies, in hopes of widespread adoption. He cites Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
as an example of a country that has ended its dependence on foreign oil.
Khosla was a major proponent of the "Yes on 87" campaign to pass California's Proposition 87
California Proposition 87 (2006)
California Proposition 87 was a proposition on the ballot for California voters for the November 7, 2006 general election, officially titled Alternative Energy. Research, Production, Incentives...
, The Clean Energy Initiative, which failed to pass in November, 2006.
In 2006, Khosla's wife Neeru
Neeru Khosla
Neeru Khosla is the Co-Founder and Chair of the non-profit CK12 Foundation.She has a master's degree in Molecular Biology from San Jose State University and a master's degree in education from the Stanford University School of Education...
co-founded the CK-12 Foundation
CK-12 Foundation
CK-12 is a non-profit organization based in California founded with the mission to reduce the cost of textbook materials for the K-12 market, both in the US and world-wide . They maintain the FlexBook open source tool for creating remixable texts, and as of July 2009 were developing 30...
that aims to develop open source textbooks
Open textbook
An open textbook is an openly-licensed textbook offered online by its author or through a non-profit or commercial open-licensed publisher. The open license sets open textbooks apart from traditional textbooks by allowing users to read online, download, or sometimes print the book at no additional...
and lower the cost of education in America and the rest of the world. Khosla and his wife are also donors to the Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia Foundation
Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. is an American non-profit charitable organization headquartered in San Francisco, California, United States, and organized under the laws of the state of Florida, where it was initially based...
, in the amount of $500,000.
Khosla Ventures
In 2004 Khosla formed his own venture capitalVenture capital
Venture capital is financial capital provided to early-stage, high-potential, high risk, growth startup companies. The venture capital fund makes money by owning equity in the companies it invests in, which usually have a novel technology or business model in high technology industries, such as...
firm, Khosla Ventures
Khosla Ventures
Khosla Ventures is a venture capital firm focused on early stage companies in the Internet, computing, mobile, silicon technology and clean technology sectors....
. The firm is based in Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park, California
Menlo Park, California is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south; Atherton, North Fair Oaks, and Redwood City...
and manages approximately $1 billion of investor capital as well as investments funded by Khosla himself.
In September 2009, Khosla completed fundraising for two new funds, to invest in cleantech and information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
start-ups. Khosla Ventures III secured $750 million of investor commitments to invest in traditional early stage and growth stage companies. Khosla also raised $250 million for Khosla Seed, which will invest in higher-risk opportunities.
In May 2010 it was announced that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
was to join Khosla Ventures to provide strategic advice regarding investments in technologies focused on the environment.
Other accomplishments and affiliations
In addition to his role in founding Sun MicrosystemsSun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
, Khosla has been involved in the founding of a number of other businesses and organizations. Khosla was also involved with the founding of Daisy Systems
Daisy Systems
Daisy Systems Corporation incorporated in 1981 in Mountain View, California, was a computer-aided engineering, CAE, company, a pioneer in the Electronic design automation industry....
in 1981. He is also one of the founders of TiE
TiE
TiE is a global nonprofit dedicated to fostering entrepreneurship. TiE has 54 chapters in 13 countries, with a total membership exceeding 13,000. TiE is most closely affiliated with the South Asian business community, and is recognized as an important networking forum for entrepreneurs and investors...
, The Indus Entrepreneurs, and has guest-edited a special issue of Economic Times (ET), a leading business newspaper in India.
Khosla was a finalist for the 1999 World Technology Award
World Technology Award
The World Technology Awards are presented annually by The World Technology Network at its World Technology Summit to individuals and corporations achieving significant, lasting progress in categories pertaining to science, technology, the arts, and design...
and served as the Honorary Chair of the DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose
DonorsChoose.org is a United States based nonprofit organization that provides a way for people to donate directly to specific projects at public schools ....
San Francisco Bay Area Advisory Board. In addition, Khosla is a Member of the Board of Trustees of the Blum Center for Developing Economies at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. The Center is focused on finding solutions to address the crisis of extreme poverty and disease in the developing world.
Mr.Khosla said at the NASSCOM that "Being a Enter pruner was hot".When asked whether he ever feared failure, Khosla said only those who dare to fail can succeed. “Freedom to fail is a key ingredient in success. Try and fail, but do not fail to try. Every disadvantage in India is an opportunity to do something big,” he said.
External links
- Making cement while sequestering carbon, Issue 127, July 2008; Retrieved 2008-07-20.
- From geeks to greens. The Economist, Feb 28, 2008
- Vinod's presentations, papers
- Press release about significant gift to Wikimedia Foundation (which runs Wikipedia)
Speeches
- Fear, Greed and Sky Diving, Khosla speaks at Stanford
- Vinod speaks to Google employees about ethanol on March 29, 2006
- Vinod Khosla Charlie RoseCharlie Rose (talk show)Charlie Rose is an American television interview show, with Charlie Rose as executive producer, executive editor, and host. The show is syndicated...
, 22 Sept. 2006