Kumar Sreekanti

Venture Partner / West Coast

Since 2025

Kumar Sreekanti is a Venture Partner at Canaan, where he leads investments in enterprise infrastructure software. With over three decades of experience as an operator in enterprise software, cloud infrastructure, and AI/ML, Kumar has built and scaled businesses as a founder and executive. He now focuses on mentoring founders and helping startups navigate growth and innovation challenges. He views this transition as moving from player to coach, sharing lessons learned from years on the court.

As the co-founder and CEO of BlueData, Kumar led the company through transformative innovations in big data, AI, and machine learning, culminating in its acquisition by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. At HPE, he served as Global CTO & Head of Software, shaping next-generation cloud-native technologies. Earlier in his career, he held leadership roles at VMware and Akamai, contributing to foundational advancements in modern cloud and streaming services.

A graduate of IIT Kanpur, Kumar’s journey from founder to mentor is driven by his passion for empowering entrepreneurs and sharing the lessons of his career.

Kumar in 5

Origins: Born and raised in India and shaped by the wisdom of Eastern philosophies.

Sport: An avid runner who finds rhythm and clarity in the discipline of training.

Dream Job: A 'monk in the valley,' bridging technology with reflections on life's purpose.

Interests: Enjoys reading, photography, gardening, and hiking in nature.

Influence: Two timeless classics: "The C Programming Language" by Kernighan and Ritchie shows beauty in simplicity, and "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse guides the journey.

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Kumar in 5

Origins: Born and raised in India and shaped by the wisdom of Eastern philosophies.

Sport: An avid runner who finds rhythm and clarity in the discipline of training.

Dream Job: A 'monk in the valley,' bridging technology with reflections on life's purpose.

Interests: Enjoys reading, photography, gardening, and hiking in nature.

Influence: Two timeless classics: "The C Programming Language" by Kernighan and Ritchie shows beauty in simplicity, and "Siddhartha" by Hermann Hesse guides the journey.