Gandhinagar: Silicon Valley pioneer, veteran venture capitalist, and IIT alumnus Mr Kanwal Rekhi shared a powerful vision for a startup-led India during a student-led fireside chat at IIT Gandhinagar, urging young minds to move beyond campus placements and embrace entrepreneurship as a path to self-reliance and national growth.
Addressing a packed audience at the Jagdish Patel Learning Theatre, Mr Rekhi challenged students to “stop being job takers and start being job makers,” framing entrepreneurship as a radical but necessary decision rooted in accountability, resilience, and first-principles thinking.
A Masterclass on Failure, Responsibility, and Resilience
The session, titled “Thinking Big, Building Bold,” went beyond conventional startup success stories to explore the deeper foundations of innovation. Mr Rekhi reflected on his journey as a first-generation learner, growing up amid financial constraints and frequent transitions, and credited these experiences for instilling resilience and self-belief.
He recalled leaving India for the United States as part of the “$8 Men,” a group of young immigrants who arrived with almost nothing. Rather than seeing this as a disadvantage, he described being underestimated as a competitive edge.
“I internalised early in life not to blame anyone else or my circumstances,” he told students.
From IIT Bombay to Silicon Valley
Tracing his path from IIT Bombay to Silicon Valley, Mr Rekhi spoke candidly about professional setbacks, including being laid off early in his career. These failures, he said, became turning points.
“After my layoff, I decided that nobody would ever own my career except myself,” he shared.
This mindset eventually led him to found Excelan, one of the early companies to commercialise high-performance Ethernet networking, marking his entry into Silicon Valley’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
Entrepreneurship as a Personal Decision
Mr Rekhi described entrepreneurship as a deeply personal choice shaped by timing, responsibility, and the courage to ask, “Why not me?” He encouraged students to view global challenges—ranging from infrastructure to artificial intelligence—not as abstract problems, but as personal invitations to innovate.
On leadership during crises, he emphasised returning to fundamentals:
“Ask why is that so. Understand how systems work, and then figure out what needs to be done.”
A Bold Vision for India’s Startup Future
Expanding the discussion to India’s innovation landscape, Mr Rekhi highlighted the country’s rapid entrepreneurial growth and increasing confidence in its own people.
“We began with 500 startups and now have nearly 200,000. Hopefully, we may have 10 million entrepreneurs by 2047,” he said.
He stressed that while policy support and capital are important, India’s startup future ultimately depends on individual mindset, initiative, and the willingness to step out of comfort zones.
Lessons from ‘The Groundbreaker’
Mr Rekhi’s recent memoir, The Groundbreaker: Risks, Rewards and Lessons from a Legendary Entrepreneur, captures many of the experiences shared during the fireside chat. The interaction at IIT Gandhinagar offered students a glimpse into the journey that transformed a quiet, introspective student into one of Silicon Valley’s most influential figures.
By shifting the focus from individual success to collective impact, the evening served as a reminder that India’s next technology revolution will be driven by those bold enough to bet on themselves.
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