Kanwal Rekhi — SPARQNOW

At-a-Glance

First Indian-American founder to take a VC-backed company public (Excelan, 1987)
Managing Director of Inventus Capital Partners and SV Quad
Co-founder of TiE
Mentored 10,000+ entrepreneurs
Invested in more than 200 early-stage teams
Advisory Board Member, RAND Center for Asia Pacific Policy

Biography

Kanwal Rekhi is an Indian-American businessman, venture capitalist, and angel investor. He is recognized as the first Indian-American founder and CEO to take a VC-backed company public, achieving this milestone in 1987 when Excelan, a networking startup, was listed on the US stock exchange. Excelan played a role in laying the foundation of the internet.

Following Excelan's IPO and merger, Rekhi transitioned his focus to enabling other entrepreneurs.