PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwired - Nov 11, 2014) - B.V. Jagadeesh, serial entrepreneur, venture capitalist and philanthropist, will be the distinguished speaker at VC Taskforce's 6th Annual Innovation Catalyst Awards Gala to be held November 13, 2014 at the Palo Alto Hills Golf and Country Club. This year's ICA event, which recognizes venture community leaders for being catalysts of innovation and entrepreneurship, will be honoring TiE, The Indus Entrepreneurs.
A prominent figure in Silicon Valley, Jagadeesh is one of the pioneers of early stage investments and probably best recognized as the founder of one of the original colocation/hosting providers, Exodus Communications and CEO of NetScaler.
"We are honored and proud to announce Jagadeesh as the opening speaker at the Gala this year. He will bring a wealth of experience as an entrepreneur and VC that spans over two decades to our audience," said Monika Raj, Member ICA Gala Awards Executive committee. "Over the years, Jagadeesh has won the respect of the venture community not just because of the several successful ventures he has been a part of, but also for the personal interest he takes in mentoring and nurturing talent. Over the years, his unique approach has earned him respect of peers and entrepreneurs alike."
An entrepreneur at heart, Jagadeesh started several small ventures a few years after coming to the United States. He did this while still holding a job at established corporations such as Novell and 3Com. In 1993 he quit the full-time job and joined hands with K.B. Chandrasekhar to start Fouress Inc., which specialized in networking consulting. The company eventually metamorphosed into Exodus pioneering the concept of Internet Datacenters.
Today, Jagadeesh is actively involved with angel investing and mentoring in companies both in the US and in India. Currently, he is the Managing Partner at KAAJ Ventures and an Adjunct Professor, Leavey School of Business, Santa Clara University. He is an investor and active board member at Cloud Velocity, ScaleArc, Nutanix, Fonemine and Arkin Networks in the US and Triumph Software, Flutura and Rakya Technologies in India.
Jagadeesh has a strong presence in the academic world and philanthropy as well, being associated with top-notch institutions like IIM-Bangalore and IIT- BHU as well as Santa Clara University. He believes that it is most important to give back to those sectors which helped him to rise and hence his philanthropic involvement in projects related to education and the enhancement of quality of life. He actively supports institutions such as UVCE Foundation, One School At A Time (OSAAT), Bagalur Village Schools, Akshaya Patra, India Literacy Project (ILP), Shankara Cancer Hospital, Shankara Eye Hospitals, Boys and Girls Club in California, India Community Center and Morgan Autism also in California.
The VC Taskforce 2014 ICA Gala is an invitation-only event. Space is limited and advance reservations are required. Early bird pricing (until Oct. 31) for the gala is $250 per person or $450 for two tickets and includes fine wines, exquisite hors d'oeuvres and dinner. Sponsorships are available at $25,000 (Chairman), $15,000 (Executive), $10,000 (Director), and from $7,500 to $4,000 (Tables).
For information about the gala or a sponsorship, contact June Riley at june@vctaskforce.com. Gala tickets can be purchased on the website here.
About the Innovation Catalyst Award
VC Taskforce established the Innovation Catalyst Award in 2009 to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions made by visionary leaders in the investment community. In 2013, VC Taskforce honored legendary female venture capitalist Ann Winblad, founding partner and managing director of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners. The 2012, 2011, 2010 and 2009 honorees were the Draper Family, Reid Hoffman, Richard "Dick" Kramlich and Franklin "Pitch" Johnson, respectively.
About VC Taskforce
"Enhancing collaboration in the venture community"
Founded in 2001, VC Taskforce is an organization that provides forums for real-time information exchange and dialogue through a series of networking events, panels, keynote discussions, workshops and roundtable meetings conducted by investors and business and industry experts that support venture capitalists, institutional investors, angels, companies looking for funding and venture-backed company executives in managing their businesses for maximum success. Visionary thinking, uncensored questions and opinionated discussions around pressing issues that face members are hallmarks of events. Today, more than 17,000 members and participants have been actively involved in VC Taskforce. www.vctaskforce.com.
Contact Information:
VC Taskforce Media Contact:
Carol Felton
President
InsightCircle PR
Tel: 408-807-3780
