Kanwal Rekhi

Kanwal Rekhi is a seasoned venture capitalist and entrepreneur with a focus on early-stage technology startups in the US and India. As the Managing Director and Co-Founder of Inventus Capital Partners, he has been instrumental in leading seed rounds and providing hands-on support to founders, investing up to $4 million to help companies scale rapidly. His investment approach emphasizes collaboration and mentorship, aiming to build category-defining companies across sectors such as digital services, enterprise software, consumer internet, and mobile technology.

Prior to founding Inventus in 2007, Rekhi co-founded Excelan, a company that commercialized Ethernet and TCP/IP standards, and took it public in 1987, becoming the first Indo-American founder and CEO to list a venture-backed company on the NASDAQ. He also co-founded The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) in 1995, a global network supporting Indian entrepreneurs. His extensive experience includes serving on the boards of several successful startups, including Poshmark, which went public on NASDAQ, and Sierra Atlantic, acquired by Hitachi.

Rekhi holds a BSEE from the Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay, and an MSEE from Michigan Technological University, where he also received honorary doctorates in Business and Engineering. He has been recognized with awards such as the Arthur-Young/Venture Magazine Entrepreneur of the Year in 1987 and the Bina Chaudhuri Award for Distinguished Service by the California Institute of Integral Studies. His contributions have significantly impacted the entrepreneurial landscape, particularly in fostering connections between Silicon Valley and India.