Vinod Khosla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Vinod Khosla
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Khosla in 2024
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| Born | 28 January 1955 Pune, Bombay State, India
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| Education | IIT Delhi (BTech) Carnegie Mellon University (MS) Stanford University (MBA) |
| Known for | Co-founder of Sun Microsystems Founder of Khosla Ventures |
| Spouse(s) | Neeru Khosla |
| Children | 4 |
Vinod Khosla (born January 28, 1955) is a very successful Indian-American businessman. He is also a venture capitalist. This means he invests money in new companies that he thinks will grow big.
Vinod Khosla helped start a famous computer company called Sun Microsystems. He also created his own investment firm, Khosla Ventures. He became very wealthy by investing early in new technologies. These included computer networks, software, and clean energy. Many people see him as one of the most important venture capitalists. Forbes magazine named him a top investor many times. In January 2025, his wealth was estimated to be about $7.2 billion.
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About Vinod Khosla's Life
Vinod Khosla was born on January 28, 1955, in Pune, India. His family was from the Punjabi region. His father was an officer in the Indian Army. He wanted Vinod to join the army too.
When Vinod was a teenager, he read about the company Intel. This made him want to work in technology. He decided he wanted to start his own business. He was inspired by Intel's co-founder, Andrew Grove.
From 1971 to 1976, Khosla studied electrical engineering at IIT Delhi. He started the first computer club there. He even ran the school's computer center for a while. As a teenager, he wrote about a new computer idea called "parallel processing." In 1975, he tried to start a company. It would make soy milk for people in India who didn't have refrigerators.
Khosla then earned a master's degree from Carnegie Mellon University. He wanted to go to Stanford Graduate School of Business for his MBA. He was first rejected because he didn't have enough work experience. He worked two full-time jobs to get experience. He was rejected again. But he convinced Stanford to accept him after he started at Carnegie Mellon. He earned his MBA in 1980.
He is married to Neeru Khosla, his girlfriend from childhood. They have four children together.
Vinod Khosla's Career Journey
After finishing his MBA in 1980, Khosla wanted to be an entrepreneur. He turned down other job offers to start his first business.
Starting Sun Microsystems and Early Investments
Khosla first helped create a company called Daisy Systems. It made special computer hardware. He left to start a company that made general-purpose computers. In 1981, he tried to start another company, but it didn't work out.
In 1982, Khosla helped start Sun Microsystems. The name "SUN" came from Stanford University Network. He started it with Scott McNealy, Andy Bechtolsheim, and Bill Joy. Sun Microsystems sold powerful computers called servers. They also made desktop computers. They even created the famous Java programming language.
Khosla raised $300,000 to start Sun Microsystems. Within five years, the company was making $1 billion in sales each year. Khosla was the first chairman and CEO from 1982 to 1984. Then he left to become a venture capitalist.
In 1986, Khosla joined a venture capital firm called Kleiner Perkins. There, he invested in many new technologies. These included video games and computer chips.
He helped create Nexgen, a company that made computer processors. He also invested in Excite, an early internet search engine. He helped them get the special equipment they needed. This investment became very successful. After this, Khosla focused on companies that improved internet speed.
He helped start Juniper Networks, which makes internet routers. He invested $275,000, which grew into a huge return. A $3 million investment in Juniper Networks later earned $7 billion for Kleiner Perkins. He also helped start Cerent Corporation and Siara. These companies were also sold for billions of dollars.
Creating Khosla Ventures
In 2004, Khosla left Kleiner Perkins. He wanted to spend more time with his children. He also wanted to invest in science-based startups. These companies would focus on making a "social impact." So, he started his own firm, Khosla Ventures. He had about $1.5 billion from his past successes. His new firm is in Menlo Park, California.
In 2009, Khosla Ventures raised $750 million to invest in new companies. They also raised $250 million for riskier projects. The firm became known for investing early in companies like Square. They also invested a lot in alternative energy technologies. These include solar power, biofuels, and better batteries. Khosla believes in big breakthroughs in clean energy. He thinks this is better than just using less energy.
Khosla Ventures invested in companies like LanzaTech (carbon recycling) and QuantumScape (batteries). They also invested in Impossible Foods, which makes plant-based meat. Khosla believes that new technologies can solve climate change. By 2008, his company had invested in 65 startups. Most of them focused on clean technology.
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Starting in 2010, Khosla Ventures began investing in food companies. They were early investors in Instacart and DoorDash. They also invested in financial technology (fintech) companies. These included Square, Stripe, and Affirm. These investments brought big returns. In 2010, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair joined Khosla Ventures as an advisor.
In 2012, Khosla wrote an article about artificial intelligence (AI) in medicine. He thought that "bionic assistance" would help doctors. He started investing in companies that use AI in medical treatments.
In 2018, Khosla said his goal was to "reinvent societal infrastructure." This means using technology to improve things like housing. He mentioned 3D-printing houses for people without homes. He invests in "black swan" technologies. These are risky but could have huge benefits for the environment and society. In 2019, he showed 100 companies his firm invested in. They were working on health, robotics, transportation, and AI.
Khosla Ventures was the first venture capital investor in OpenAI. This company is famous for its AI technology. The firm invested $50 million in OpenAI in 2019.
Khosla also offered personal loans to startups. This happened after the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. When Sam Altman was removed from OpenAI, Khosla wanted him to be brought back. He later criticized Elon Musk for suing OpenAI.
Khosla Ventures now manages about $15 billion for investors. Khosla also uses his own money for investments.
Vinod Khosla's Beliefs
How Business Can Help Society
Khosla believes that capitalism can solve big social problems. He thinks businesses can grow and make a large impact. He also believes that economic solutions will help with global warming. Khosla thinks that machine learning (AI) will change many jobs. But he also believes it will create enough wealth for everyone to have a basic income.
Politics and Climate
Khosla has given money to both Democrats and Republicans. He supports politicians based on their climate policies. He is a Democrat. He has hosted fundraising dinners for Barack Obama in 2013 and Joe Biden in 2024.
In 2006, Khosla strongly supported "Yes on 87" in California. This was a plan for clean energy, but it did not pass. He supported Hillary Clinton in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
Helping Others and Groups He's Part Of
Khosla was an honorary chair for DonorsChoose in the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2000, he received the Golden Plate Award. In 2006, his wife Neeru Khosla helped start the CK-12 Foundation. This group creates free online textbooks to lower education costs. Vinod and Neeru Khosla have donated $500,000 to the Wikimedia Foundation.
In 2007, Khosla won the EY Entrepreneur of the Year award. He was also on the board of the Blum Center at the University of California, Berkeley. This center works to solve extreme poverty and disease. He advises HackerRank, a website for coding challenges.
He also helped start TiE, a group for entrepreneurs. He has worked with groups that give small loans to businesses in developing countries. Khosla is on the Board of Trustees at Carnegie Mellon University. He is also part of the Giving Pledge. This is a promise by wealthy people to give away most of their money.
In April 2021, Khosla offered to pay for oxygen imports for hospitals in India. This was during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Martins Beach Access Issue
Since 2010, Khosla has been in a legal fight about Martins Beach. This beach is near his land in California. Martins Beach used to be a popular spot for families and surfers. After Khosla bought the land next to it, he blocked public access. He put up a gate and had guards at the entrance.
In August 2017, a California court said Khosla must let the public use Martins Beach again. In October 2018, the US Supreme Court decided not to hear Khosla's appeal. This meant the California court's decision stood. However, in November 2018, another court said the previous owners didn't mean for access to be public. In January 2020, the California Coastal Commission sued Khosla. They said he was breaking a law about coastal access.
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See also
In Spanish: Vinod Khosla para niños
