The Neon Show The Story of Silicon Valley Legend & Google Founding Stakeholder with Asha Jadeja Motwani
“When I saw Google change the destiny of the planet, I could not imagine doing anything else but working with brilliant entrepreneurs.”
-Asha Jadeja Motwani and her husband, Rajeev Motwani, the Silicon Valley legend of technical startups, are together the founding stakeholders of Google.
In the late 1990s, they came to the United States as most Indians, as students. From being part of Google’s early days to their journey as investors and now, extending that into an active participation in American politics. She speaks about Rajeev’s pivotal role in mentoring Larry Page and Sergey Brin, co-authoring the PageRank paper, and helping shape Google’s DNA.
Today, through the Motwani Jadeja Foundation, Asha continues to build on that legacy; funding entrepreneurs, supporting Indian voices in global think tanks, and opening doors at Davos and Washington. Asha also reflects on how the Indian diaspora can play a far greater role in shaping the future of India-US partnership and why entrepreneurs are critical to the future of this relationship.
If you’re an entrepreneur building in the India–US corridor, or curious about the opportunities the two nations are creating for startups, then this episode is for you.
00:00 – Trailer
01:25 – How Rajeev became founding stakeholder of Google
03:48 – The early days of Google: first office to first funding
07:52 – Investments of Dot Edu Ventures
10:03 – Asha’s role in American politics
10:45 – How Indians in Silicon Valley can strengthen US–India corridor
12:18 – The lack of Indian scholars in think tanks
13:14 – Do Indians have enough influence in American politics?
13:52 – Is Silicon Valley & the Indian diaspora shifting right?
15:00 – The impact of Trump on India–US relations
17:36 – Asha’s role in opening doors for India globally
21:09 – How the Motwani Foundation selects projects and people
24:08 – Entrepreneurs as a critical part of US–India value creation
24:54 – What’s missing in US–India value creation?
26:33 – Report on “jailed for doing business” in India
27:56 – The legacy of Rajeev Motwani
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This video is for informational purposes only. The views expressed are those of the individuals quoted and do not constitute professional advice.