Kent State Alumnus Climbs One of the World’s Largest Volcanoes

Madhavan “M.R.” Rangaswami, M.B.A. ’78, co-founder and managing director of Sand Hill Group, spoke to thousands of Kent State students about reaching new heights at the December 2018 Commencement. This January, he literally reached new heights as he hiked 19,341 feet on Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa. "It was a brutal but awesome experience," Rangaswami says.

He received his Master of Business Administration from Kent State in 1978. Recognized as a software business expert, he participated in the rapid expansion of the Silicon Valley software industry during his tenure as an executive at both large and small software companies. In 1997, he co-founded Sand Hill Group, one of the earliest angel investment firms, and was profiled on the front page of the Wall Street Journal. He was named to the Forbes Midas List of investors. Mr. Rangaswami is the publisher of SandHill.com, a leading website for entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. He is the recipient of the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) Influential Leaders award in 2015 and the U.S.-China Educational Trust (USCET) inaugural Asians in America Award in 2016.

In 2007, Mr. Rangaswami founded the Corporate Eco Forum (CEF), with a mission to accelerate sustainable business innovation by creating the best neutral space for senior business leaders to strategize and exchange best-practice insights. Members represent more than 20 industries and have combined revenues exceeding $3 trillion. Additionally, he founded the nonprofit Indiaspora to unite the Indian Diaspora and to transform the success of Indian Americans into meaningful impact in India and on the global stage.