Harish Gandhi Joins Canaan’s India Office as Executive Director

Canaan Partners Continues to Expand its Presence and Commitment in India

MENLO PARK, Calif. – Jan. 15, 2008 - Canaan Partners, a $2.3 billion global venture capital firm, today announced Harish Gandhi has joined the firm as Executive Director in Canaan’s India offices.  In his new role, Gandhi will work to strengthen and expand Canaan’s technology investments in the Indian market and will work hand-in-hand with the country’s top entrepreneurs to build tomorrow’s leading international companies.

Gandhi has extensive business operations experience in the telecommunications market. Prior to joining Canaan, Gandhi spent fifteen years in various engineering, product marketing and business development roles at companies including Nokia and India’s largest mobile operator, Bharti Airtel. 

“We are thrilled to have Harish strengthen our team in India,” said Alok Mittal, Managing Director at Canaan Partners. “Harish brings a wealth of experience in the telecom market and has worked in both the United States and India. His unique experience will help us build an even stronger investment portfolio in the region as we continue to attract and invest in entrepreneurs in the telecom segment.”

Prior to joining Canaan Partners, Gandhi headed the value added services business and the new product development team at Bharti Airtel. Gandhi also served as Vice President Business Strategy and Planning at Bharti Airtel where he was responsible for leading the company’s 3G effort.  Prior to Bharti, Gandhi served as Director of Marketing and Technology at Nokia and as Director of Business Development for Dilithium Networks (a telecom start-up).

“With a track record of successful India investments including Bharat Matrimony, Cellcast, iYogi and techTribe, Canaan Partners is fueling the growth of India’s next wave of technology innovators,” said Gandhi. “I look forward to joining the Canaan team and tapping the immense potential the Indian technology and telecom sectors have to offer.”

Gandhi is a B. Tech graduate from IIT Bombay. He also holds a Master of Science degree from the University of Maryland, and has an MBA from the Wharton Business School.