1981/BT/ME CTO, Clari Inc
Mr. Venkat Rangan epitomizes entrepreneurial excellence through a remarkable career spanning 40 years, characterized by innovative ventures and transformative leadership. He is a proud alumnus of IIT Madras, having graduated in 1981 with a B. Tech in Mechanical Engineering and completed his MS from the University of Miami in 1983.
Co-founder of two US-based companies, Clari Inc. and Clearwell Systems Inc., and a founding member of VitalSigns Software and Rhapsody Networks Inc., Mr. Rangan currently serves as the Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Clari Inc. Under his visionary guidance, Clari Inc. has evolved into a global powerhouse with operations in the US, India, and UK, boasting a workforce of over 800 employees. His technological acumen and leadership have propelled Clari Inc. to its current pre-IPO stage, with Inc. Magazine recognizing the company as one of the Best Places to Work for over five consecutive years.
Mr. Rangan’s prior ventures have yielded substantial success, notably Clearwell Systems, which revolutionized electronic discovery by integrating AI/ML for document classification and automated review. The company’s ground-breaking solutions standardized the eDiscovery process, significantly reducing costs and enhancing litigation readiness for corporate legal teams. Clearwell Systems’ exceptional growth culminated in its acquisition by Symantec for $410M.
As Vice President of Technology at Rhapsody Networks, Mr. Rangan drove innovations in storage virtualization, iSCCI, and Fiber Channel technologies, leading to the company’s acquisition by Brocade Communications. Similarly, his tenure as Vice President and Chief Architect at VitalSigns software witnessed the company’s successful acquisition by International Network Systems, followed by Lucent Technologies, Inc.
Mr. Rangan’s entrepreneurial journey began at Metrix Network Systems, where his pioneering network monitoring solutions led to its acquisition by Hewlett-Packard Inc. His diverse career also includes roles at Proximity Technology Inc., Metrix Systems Inc., Sun Microsystems, Wang Labs, Hewlett-Packard, and Microsoft, where he honed his engineering and product development skills. Apart from his entrepreneurial ventures, Mr. Rangan actively engages as a seed/early-stage investor and advisor for various companies, including Sonora Health, BrightFunnel, and ConvrtX. A prolific inventor with 22 patents granted across networking/storage technologies, software algorithms, and AI/ML areas, Mr Rangan has also driven industry standards at IETF and X.11 on network and storage protocols. Currently serving as a member of the Forbes Technology Council, Mr. Rangan continues to inspire and innovate, leaving an indelible mark on the entrepreneurial landscape.
Beyond his entrepreneurial endeavours, Mr. Rangan actively engages in philanthropic initiatives, demonstrating a deep commitment to giving back to the community. He has been a staunch supporter of various non-profit organizations promoting Indian arts, culture, and literacy, including South India Fine Arts, Livermore Temple Hindu Community and Cultural Center, and the India Literacy Project.
For his remarkable accomplishments, steadfast commitment, and transformative influence across professional realms, the Indian Institute of Technology Madras and its esteemed alumni take great pride in presenting Mr. Venkat Rangan with the Distinguished Alumni Award for the year 2024.
