Early Life
Vinod Khosla was born on January 28, 1955, in Pune, India. His father was an officer in the Indian Army. Khosla's interest in technology sparked at a young age after reading about the founding of Intel, inspiring him to pursue a career in the field. He attended Mount St. Mary's School in Delhi and went on to study electrical engineering at IIT Delhi, earning a bachelor's degree. He later earned a master's in biomedical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.
Rise to Success
Khosla's career began with a desire to be an entrepreneur. He co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982 with Scott McNealy, Andy Bechtolsheim, and Bill Joy. He served as the first CEO, leading the company to profitability within its first year. He later left Sun Microsystems in 1985 to pursue venture capitalism. In 1986, he joined Kleiner Perkins as a general partner. In 2004, he founded Khosla Ventures, a venture capital firm focusing on early-stage companies in various technology sectors.
Key Business Strategies
Khosla is known for his willingness to take risks and invest in groundbreaking technologies. He focuses on high-reward opportunities, particularly in areas like AI, green technology, and biotechnology. His investment philosophy centers on backing the people behind the idea rather than the idea itself. Khosla Ventures has invested in companies like DoorDash, Instacart, and OpenAI.
Philanthropy
Khosla and his wife, Neeru Khosla, have supported various philanthropic initiatives. They donated $500,000 to the Wikimedia Foundation. Neeru Khosla is also the co-founder of the CK-12 Foundation, which aims to provide low-cost K-12 education.