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From $8 to $75 Billion: Kanwal Rekhi's Journey from Layoffs to Nasdaq Success
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Moneycontrol•23-09-2026, 17:13
From $8 to $75 Billion: Kanwal Rekhi's Journey from Layoffs to Nasdaq Success
- •Kanwal Rekhi, an IIT Bombay alumnus, left India in 1967 with just $8 and went on to build a business empire now valued at over $75 billion.
- •After facing three layoffs, Rekhi founded Excelan, a networking technology company that went public in 1987 and later merged with Novell.
- •He became the first Indian-American founder to take a VC-backed company public, transitioning from employee to a successful entrepreneur.
- •Rekhi's career expanded into investing and mentoring, backing companies like Exodus Communications and Poshmark, and co-founding The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE).
- •He has significantly contributed to India's entrepreneurial ecosystem, supporting IIT Bombay, establishing the Kanwal Rekhi School of Information Technology, and mentoring over 10,000 entrepreneurs.
Key Questions Answered
Kanwal Rekhi left India in 1967 with an engineering degree from IIT Bombay and $8 in his pocket. In 1982, he founded Excelan, a network technology company that eventually went public in 1987 before merging with Novell in 1989.
Rekhi became a major donor to IIT Bombay, supported the IIT Bombay Heritage Fund, and founded the Kanwal Rekhi School of Information Technology. He also co-founded The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) to bridge the Indian startup ecosystem and Silicon Valley.
Businesses associated with Kanwal Rekhi's entrepreneurial and investment journey are valued at over $75 billion. Additionally, he holds $9.9 billion in assets as an investor and has mentored more than 10,000 entrepreneurs.
