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"I ask myself one question every day - What have I done today that will increase the odds of success for our entrepreneurs?"
Agitar
Amobee
Exeros
Jajah
Nominum
Market Live
oDesk
Palo Alto Networks
Plaxo
Strongmail |
Venky Ganesan
Managing Director
As a Managing Director of Globespan, Venky sources new investment opportunities, evaluates and negotiates investments, and serves on the boards of portfolio companies. Based in Palo Alto, he focuses on investments in Software and Internet/Infrastructure start-ups. Venky, a successful entrepreneur himself, shares his intense focus on results, strategic market view, and technical expertise to help the firm's portfolio companies achieve market leadership.
Venky serves on the boards of Agitar, Amobee, Exeros, Jajah, Market Live, Nominum, oDesk, Palo Alto Networks, Plaxo, and Strongmail. Venky previously served on the board of Sendia (acquired by Salesforce.com).
Prior to Globespan, Venky served as Vice President of JAFCO Ventures. While at JAFCO, Venky co-founded Trigo Technologies, Inc. where he later served as Chief Operating Officer. He envisioned the idea behind Trigo's middleware as an Associate in the Boston office of JAFCO Ventures. He and the founding team then incubated the software company in JAFCO's Palo Alto office. Venky helped to build Trigo into the market leader in the product information management arena. The company was acquired by IBM resulting in a substantial return for all investors. Venky also previously worked at McKinsey & Co., in the firm's Los Angeles and Johannesberg offices.
He started his career as a Program Manager at Microsoft's Encarta Group, where he realized that "ultimately jobs are all about people - working for people, working with people, working to make people successful. It's a life lesson I use everyday."
Today at Globespan, Venky has the "privilege and opportunity to meet and work with some of the most passionate, motivated and intelligent people in the world. It's very humbling to know that I can play a small part in making their vision a reality."
Venky believes that working as a team with entrepreneurs means "having shared vision, shared reality and a shared commitment to make the vision a reality." Venky earned degrees in Math, Economics and Computer Science from Reed College and the California Institute of Technology. He was a Rhodes Scholar Finalist from India and played squash for his college. He lives in San Francisco with his wife and two daughters. When he finds the time, he loves to read, enjoys sports, and is a die-hard cricket fan. He actively volunteers for Caltech and Reed and is very involved with The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) as a charter member.
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