Chandigarh, January 24
Kanwal Rekhi, the first Indian-American founder and CEO to take a company public on the NASDAQ, a co-architect of India’s entrepreneurial revolution, and a mentor to hundreds of startup founders today launched his book The Groundbreaker in Chandigarh today. The book chronicles the rise of Indian entrepreneurship through the lens of his own journey, offering lessons on innovation, risk-taking, leadership, resilience and building globally relevant companies from an Indian mindset. With lessons on resilience, leadership innovation, and purpose, the book is at once a deeply personal story of overcoming adversity and an urgent rallying cry for the next generation of changemakers.
The book launch marks a symbolic homecoming for Kanwal Rekhi, who was born in Rawalpindi, Punjab and continues to draw inspiration from the region even as his career has helped shape the rise of Indian-origin leadership in global technology. Rekhi’s current focus aligns closely with Punjab’s growing emphasis on building a robust startup culture, particularly by driving economic transformation in rural and semi-urban areas through entrepreneur-led growth.
As Punjab accelerates policy reforms, infrastructure development, and education-led initiatives to strengthen its startup ecosystem, Rekhi has consistently advocated for shifting the mindset at an early age. Recently, Rekhi inaugurated KREST (Kanwal Rekhi Rural Entrepreneurship and Startup Centre) in Telangana, a dedicated rural incubation hub shaped by nearly three years of sustained vision and commitment. At KREST, the focus extends beyond physical infrastructure to include mentorship, access to funding, and market linkages for grassroots innovators. Through initiatives such as YUVA and Bridge2Bharat, he is supporting students and first-time founders from Tier-2 and Tier-3 regions, reinforcing his belief that India’s next wave of entrepreneurship will emerge from smaller cities and towns.
While addressing the media in Chandigarh Kanwal Rekhi said, Chandigarh is emerging as a strong hub for young entrepreneurs, backed by talent, education, and a growing startup ecosystem. As India works towards its 2047 vision, empowering first-generation founders is critical. Through initiatives like the KREST Centre under the Kakatiya Sandbox, our goal is to support 10,000 student entrepreneurs and 500 startups by 2030, with a longer-term vision of nurturing 10 million entrepreneurs by 2047. This book is intended to offer practical guidance to aspiring founders, and I see Punjab playing an important role in shaping India’s next phase of entrepreneurial growth.”
ABOUT KANWAL REKHI
Kanwal Rekhi was the first Indo-American founder and CEO to take a venture-backed company public on the NASDAQ. He has founded and built The IndUS Entrepreneurs (TiE) into the largest global network of Indian entrepreneurs, and co-founded Inventus Capital Partners, where he applies his time, energy, and attention for building the venture franchise into a catalyst for India’s tech revolution. He came to the United States from India for graduate studies, advanced through the engineering ranks in a number of technology companies, and then co-founded Excelan in Silicon Valley to commercialize Ethernet and TCP/IP-standards that became the basis of the internet as we know it today.
BOUT THE BOOK
In The Groundbreaker, Rekhi shares a first-hand account of what it meant to be an American at the dawn of the digital age, what it means to be an American now amid massive change and uncertainty, and why democracy is crucial to the role entrepreneurs play in moving the world toward a better tomorrow. More than a memoir, this book is a call to action—for dreamers, doers, and those brave enough to bet on themselves. With lessons on resilience, leadership innovation, and purpose, it’s at once a deeply personal story of overcoming adversity and an urgent rallying cry for the next generation of changemakers.
