Deepak Kamra

Deepak Kamra has a knack for identifying innovative companies that disrupt the status quo to become leaders in their fields. After an 11-year career growing technology startups into successful global leaders, Deepak joined Canaan in 1991 and is focused on investments in digital media, specifically as it relates to the seismic shift taking place in online advertising. Deepak led Canaan’s early investment in DoubleClick, the Internet’s first and leading online advertising solution; Match.com, the most popular dating site worldwide; and BharatMatrimony, the world’s number-one online matrimony site.

He also invested in voice-over-IP infrastructure company Acme Packet, which became one of the top-ten performing IPOs of 2006, and his recent IPO, SuccessFactors, is the leading company in human performance and talent management. Deepak is interested in funding innovative companies in what he calls “B2B 2.0”, or enterprise applications and managed services that leverage talent from India and the US to improve business-to-business relationships, as well as companies providing software-as-a-service and open source software.  He currently sits on the boards of technology-driven global companies such as On24, the leader in webcasting; and Zmanda, a leader in open source backup software. He also directed Canaan’s investments in AllBusiness.com, Concord Communications, ImpulseBuy Network, iPrint.com, Latitude Communications, PriorityCall Management, Recourse Technologies, and SalesLogix. Recognizing early the global nature of venture capital, Deepak initiated Canaan’s investments in the India market starting in 2001.

Before joining Canaan, Deepak gained 11 years of executive operating experience at growth companies in the telecommunications, computer and software industries. He was a key member of the startup team at Aspect Communications, helping lead the pioneer in call center technologies to a successful IPO in 1990, and has also held leadership roles at telecommunications companies like ROLM Corp. and TRW Datacomm International.

Deepak received a BA from Carleton University and an MBA from Harvard Business School. In his spare time, he is involved in several microfinance initiatives to spur economic growth in developing nations and currently serves as Chairman of the Investment Committee at Deutsche Bank’s Global Microfinance Consortium. He was recently included on the Forbes Midas List, a prominent list ranking the best dealmakers in technology and is also on the Board of the National Venture Capital Association.

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