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Vinod Khosla

Dealmaker

Vinod Khosla is one of Silicon Valley's most prominent and outspoken venture capitalists, best known for co-founding Sun Microsystems in 1982 and later founding Khosla Ventures in 2004. His investment philosophy centers on high-risk, high-impact bets in areas such as clean energy, artificial intelligence, health, and frontier technology — sectors where he believes technology can fundamentally reshape human civilization. He is widely regarded as a contrarian thinker who actively challenges conventional wisdom in both technology and venture capital. At Khosla Ventures, he has backed hundreds of startups including Impossible Foods, Stripe, DoorDash, and OpenAI, establishing the firm as a major force in early-stage and growth investing. His approach emphasizes backing founders with bold visions even when the science or market is unproven, a stance that has produced both landmark successes and high-profile failures. Khosla is a frequent and provocative voice on the future of AI, healthcare, and energy, often making sweeping predictions about technology displacing traditional professions. He holds a degree in electrical engineering from IIT Delhi and an MS from IIT Delhi, as well as an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Last updated Oct 24, 2026 by ATDb automated enrichment

Role
Founder
Company
Khosla Ventures
Based
Menlo Park, California, United States

AI-drafted from public sources1 source cited

Years in industry
45 years

Bio

Vinod Khosla is one of Silicon Valley's most prominent and outspoken venture capitalists, best known for co-founding Sun Microsystems in 1982 and later founding Khosla Ventures in 2004. His investment philosophy centers on high-risk, high-impact bets in areas such as clean energy, artificial intelligence, health, and frontier technology — sectors where he believes technology can fundamentally reshape human civilization. He is widely regarded as a contrarian thinker who actively challenges conventional wisdom in both technology and venture capital. At Khosla Ventures, he has backed hundreds of startups including Impossible Foods, Stripe, DoorDash, and OpenAI, establishing the firm as a major force in early-stage and growth investing. His approach emphasizes backing founders with bold visions even when the science or market is unproven, a stance that has produced both landmark successes and high-profile failures. Khosla is a frequent and provocative voice on the future of AI, healthcare, and energy, often making sweeping predictions about technology displacing traditional professions. He holds a degree in electrical engineering from IIT Delhi and an MS from IIT Delhi, as well as an MBA from Stanford Graduate School of Business.

Expertise & education

Expertise

Venture CapitalDeep TechnologyArtificial IntelligenceClean EnergyHealthcare TechnologyEarly-Stage InvestingEnterprise TechnologyClimate Tech

Education

  • BTech, Electrical Engineering, IIT Delhi
  • MS, Biomedical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
  • MBA, Stanford Graduate School of Business

Speaking topics

The future of artificial intelligenceClean energy and climate technologyVenture capital and high-risk innovationAI's impact on healthcare and medicineThe role of technology in solving global challenges

Recognition

Notable achievements

  • Co-founded Sun Microsystems in 1982, which became a defining company of the workstation and internet era
  • Founded Khosla Ventures in 2004, backing transformative companies including Stripe, DoorDash, Impossible Foods, and OpenAI
  • Early champion of clean energy and climate technology investing, helping legitimize the sector for venture capital

Awards

Forbes Midas List — multiple appearances