Saurabh Srivastava is one of India’s leading entrepreneurs and institution builders, widely acknowledged in India and globally, as one of the architects of the Indian IT Industry and as leading the creation of a vibrant entrepreneurial eco system in India. In March last year PM Narendra presented him an Award for contribution to the Indian IT Industry and in January this year the Indian Government awarded him the Padma Shri .
He co-founded and Chaired key institutions of modern India focussed on entrepreneurship: NASSCOM; Indian Venture Capital Association; TiE New Delhi NCR (also served 5 years on the Global Board); Indian Angel Network (now arguably the world’s largest investor group with 100 portfolio companies, 400 investor members globally and 7 chapters). At the UK government’s invitation IAN’s chapter was launched in London at 10 Downing Street by PM David Cameron, with 4 cabinet Ministers present
After working for IBM and Tata Unisys in the US and India, Saurabh became a highly successful serial entrepreneur , founding several successful IT companies. One was ranked amongst the top 20 Indian software companies and, post merger, listed as Xansa on the London Stock Exchange with revenues of approx. US $ 800 mill till it was acquired by Steria. Saurabh now Chairs Steria in India.
He is a doyen of entrepreneurship and angel/VC investments. He has been involved in investing in around 100 start-ups and has personally mentored hundreds of entrepreneurs. He founded and chaired India’s first private sector VC Fund- Infinity, which created companies like India Bulls, India Games and Avendus. He was adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at IIT Bombay, on the board of Incubation Cell of IIT Delhi and is on the board of the Entrepreneurship/ Innovation Cell at IIT Kanpur.
At the forefront of public service, constantly striving to help create a positive environment for start ups and entrepreneurship in India, he has served on virtually every Committee set up by government to look at different aspects of start ups and entrepreneurship in India : The National Innovation Council, SEBI Committee on Alternative Investment Funds, , Investment Committee of the Government’s India Aspiration Fund of Funds Committee to Examine the Financial Structure of the MSME Sector, Bombay Stock Exchange Hi-Tech Advisory Panel ,Telecom Centre of Excellence and the National Expert Advisory Committee on Innovation, Incubation and Technolgy Entrepreneurship. He is on the board of CSIR Tech Ltd(set up by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to commercialise its technologies) and Media lab Asia ( Deity). He Chaired the Software and Electronics Promotion Council, was on the Railway Expert Committee, etc
He is a co founder of Ashoka University and serves/has served on the Advisory Boards of Imperial College Business School, London and Uttarakhand and Himachal Universities in India. He has a Masters from Harvard University and a B Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. Other Awards include “Distinguished Alumnus Award” from IIT, the Data Quest (Indian IT Industry’s Oscars) Lifetime Achievement Award, an Honorary Doctorate in Technology from the University of Wolverhampton, UK, and Awards from TiE, LMA and other organizations.