Gurbaksh Singh Chahal | |
---|---|
Born | |
Occupation | Entrepreneur |
Years active | 1998–present |
Known for | Founder of ClickAgents, BlueLithium, RadiumOne, Gravity4, Taara Labs, RedLotus |
Website | GurbakshChahal.com |
Gurbaksh Singh Chahal (born July 17, 1982) is an Indian-American internet entrepreneur who founded several internet advertising companies.
Born to Punjabi immigrants, Chahal found an advertising network at the age of 16 and became a millionaire after selling it to ValueClick at nearly $40 million. In 2004, he co-founded BlueLithium, which was sold to Yahoo in a $300 million deal. Chahal has since founded other internet-based companies including RadiumOne and Gravity4, and is currently the CEO of RedLotus. He had received significant acclaim in the entrepreneur industry, having been listed by the Business Insider in the "30 Founders Under 30" CEO category and winning the Ernst and Young entrepreneur of the year award in 2013.
Chahal has been convicted twice for domestic violence and battery crimes, in 2013 and 2018.[1][2][3][4] Whilst Chahal maintains innocence, he was compelled on both occasions to resign from the roles of CEO.[5][6][7][8]
Early life
Chahal was born to Avtar Singh, a nurse and Arjinder Chahal in Tarn Taran Sahib, a city in India’s Punjab state on July 17, 1982; he was the youngest of four siblings.[9] In 1985, his parents migrated to USA, that his father had won a green card lottery and he followed in the next year, at an age of four, to San Jose, California.[3][10]
Chahal dropped out of high school at age sixteen to pursue a career in Internet advertising[11] and has often mentioned of being subject to racially motivated bullying, during those days.[12][5]
Career
Chahal started his career buying and reselling printers on eBay, after being turned away from a job at McDonald's.[3]
In 1998, Chahal founded ClickAgents, an advertising network focused on performance-based advertising, on the lines of DoubleClick.[3] By 2000, it had numerous customers and had a staff-strength of 34.[13] It was acquired by ValueClick in November, 2000 in an all-stock deal valued at nearly $40 million, which made him an overnight millionaire.[3][14][15][13]
In 2002 Chahal along with his elder brother launched a restaurant Planet Bollywood, to cater to Indian movie stars flying into California.[3] However, it burned down soon and was not restarted.[3]
BlueLithium, RadiumOne
In 2004, after being rejected from The Apprentice, Chahal co-founded BlueLithium, a company that specialized in behavioral targeting, a technique whereby web users' habits online are tracked in order to show customized ads.[16][17] The ad-tech industry praised it with Business 2.0 noting it to be among the 11 most disruptive innovations of 2006,[3][18] and by the same year, it had expanded operations to foreign countries.[19] In 2007, Yahoo! bought it for $300 million in cash.[15][20]
He also launched a social network for rich people, MingleNow, which was accorded a partnership deal by Anheuser-Busch[3] and by 2008 was a billionaire, appearing over The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Secret Millionaire et al[21][3] and attracting attention for his extravagant lifestyle.[3]
In 2009, Chahal founded RadiumOne, another online ad company[22][23] of a slightly different genre[24], which started as a loyalty and rewards program.[25] He remained its CEO, before being fired on April 27, 2014 due to his conviction for domestic violence.[26][27][2] RadiumOne was later acquired by RhythmOne.[28]
Gravity4
In July 2014, Chahal launched Gravity4 (since renamed to DaVinci Marketing Cloud)[29] and soon made an unsuccessful attempt to buy back RadiumOne.[21] Gravity4 failed to be successful, being unable to integrate the purchased ad-tech startups and by 2016, facing a series of litigation, had shifted to a co-working space.[21][30][3][31]
In November 2016, Chahal was again compelled to resign from his position as CEO after he violated his probation; his sister took over the company.[21][3]
RedLotus
In 2019, Chahal founded RedLotus in Hong Kong, which specializes in AI-based targeted advertising.[32][33][34]
Awards, mentions and philanthropy
Chahal was included in Business Insider's "30 Founders Under 30" list in 2010.[4] In the same year, Pace University conferred upon him the Leaders in Management Award; he had earlier established a scholarship program over the university.[35][36][37] In 2012, Complex magazine noted him to be among the 25 richest entrepreneurs under the age of 30[38] and in that same year, Chahal was a recipient of the Light of India Amrapali Young Achievers award.[39][40] In 2013, he was named as one of the Ernst and Young entrepreneurs of the year.[3] In 2014, MensXP.com mentioned him among a curated list of 51 globally influential Indians.[41] In 2019, Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee honored him for his contributions to the sector of entrepreneurship.[42]
In 2012, after the Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting, he founded the Chahal Foundation, to create awareness campaigns about hate crimes, provide scholarships, support disaster relief efforts, and improve schools in third-world countries.[43]
Personal life
Chahal is currently in a relationship with Punjabi film actress Rubina Bajwa.[44][45]
Domestic violence and battery conviction
In August 2013, Chahal was charged[7][46] by the San Francisco District Attorney's Office in a domestic violence case against his girlfriend,[47][48] despite her refusal to co-operate with the prosecution.[49][50][51] Chahal claimed innocence, describing the episode as a loss of 'temper' on learning of adultery[46][51] but later entered into a plea bargain. He was sentenced to three years' probation along with a fine and was asked to undergo a domestic violence training course along with community service, on one charge of domestic violence battery and one charge of battery.[52][5][53] Chahal has since alleged that his guilty plea was coerced by the board of RadiumOne.[6][5]
In 2016, The San Francisco County Superior Court imposed a year of jail-term for physical assault of his then-girlfriend in September 2014[54][55] [55][56][57]; the sentence was upheld by the California state appeals court in April 2018[7] and Chahal went on to serve six months in San Francisco County Jail.[58][59][60]
Publications
- The Dream: How I Learned the Risks and Rewards of Entrepreneurship and Made Millions, Palgrave Macmillan (October 23, 2008) ISBN 0-230-61095-1
References
- ^ Hoge, Patrick (April 17, 2014). "Ad mogul Gurbaksh "G" Chahal pleads guilty to two misdemeanors, all others dismissed in domestic violence case". San Francisco Business Times.
- ^ a b Weissmann, Jordan (2014-04-24). "Is It OK to Invest in a Company if Its CEO Beats Women?". Slate. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Carson, Biz (August 14, 2016). "The rise and fall of Gurbaksh Chahal: How one tech CEO went from fame, fortune, and Oprah's couch to possible jail time". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
- ^ a b Wilson, Matt. "30 Founders Under 30 Who Are Shaking Up Industries". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
- ^ a b c d Bustillos, Maria. "Gurbaksh Chahal's Ugly Revenge". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
- ^ a b "Gurbaksh Chahal, former CEO fired after domestic violence plea, settles dispute with RadiumOne". The San Francisco Examiner. 2014-07-21. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ a b c Ma, Annie (2018-04-28). "Court upholds ruling against SF tech mogul Chahal in domestic violence case". SFGate. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
- ^ Weisenthal, Joe. "RADIUMONE CEO: My Board Betrayed Me, Even Though I Made Them A Fortune". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ Chahal, Gurbaksh (2008-10-23). The Dream: How I Learned the Risks and Rewards of Entrepreneurship and Made Millions. St. Martin's Publishing Group. p. 3. ISBN 978-0-230-62108-4.
- ^ Carson, Mel; Springer, Paul (2012-10-03). Pioneers of Digital: Success Stories from Leaders in Advertising, Marketing, Search and Social Media. Kogan Page Publishers. p. 40. ISBN 978-0-7494-6605-3.
- ^ Zinko, Carolyne (October 26, 2008). "Advice from young millionaire Gurbaksh Chahal". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 6, 2010.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Chahal, Gurbaksh (2008-10-23). The Dream: How I Learned the Risks and Rewards of Entrepreneurship and Made Millions. St. Martin's Publishing Group. pp. 9–10, 12. ISBN 978-0-230-62108-4.
- ^ a b Carson, Mel; Springer, Paul (2012-10-03). Pioneers of Digital: Success Stories from Leaders in Advertising, Marketing, Search and Social Media. Kogan Page Publishers. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-7494-6605-3.
- ^ "ValueClick acquires Click Agents". AdvertisingAge. Crain Communications. November 3, 2000. Archived from the original on 2017-04-10. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b "gWallet raises $12.5M for more ethical virtual currency/offers system". VentureBeat. 2009-12-01. Retrieved 2020-01-27.
- ^ Blakely, Rhys (September 5, 2007). "Yahoo snaps up BlueLithium in $300m deal". Times Online. Archived from the original on 2008-07-06. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
- ^ Ferenstein, Gregory (2011-03-29). "RadiumOne CEO on His McDonald's Rejection, Social Ads, and Do-Not-Track Legislation". Fast Company. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
- ^ "Business 2.0...Big Innovations: BlueLithium - Sep. 20, 2006". money.cnn.com. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ Carson, Mel; Springer, Paul (2012-10-03). Pioneers of Digital: Success Stories from Leaders in Advertising, Marketing, Search and Social Media. Kogan Page Publishers. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-7494-6605-3.
- ^ "Yahoo! Acquires Ad Network BlueLithium". TechCrunch. September 4, 2007. Retrieved 2017-04-09.
- ^ a b c d Huet, Ellen (2016-08-13). "Gurbaksh Chahal flew high and fell fast". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ Takahashi, Dean (2009-12-01). "gWallet raises $12.5M for more ethical virtual currency/offers system". VentureBeat. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
- ^ McMahan, Ty (October 18, 2010). "New Ad Network RadiumOne Aims To Tap Social 'Mega Trend'". The Wall Street Journal.
- ^ Carson, Mel; Springer, Paul (2012-10-03). Pioneers of Digital: Success Stories from Leaders in Advertising, Marketing, Search and Social Media. Kogan Page Publishers. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-7494-6605-3.
- ^ Lee, Ellen (2012-11-05). "Gurbaksh Chahal turns RadiumOne to gold". SFGate. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ Swisher, Kara (April 27, 2014). "Exclusive: CEO Gurbaksh Chahal Fired by RadiumOne Board". Recode. Vox Media. Retrieved 27 April 2014.
- ^ Primack, Dan (2014-04-25). "It's time for RadiumOne's abusive CEO to go". Fortune. CNN Money. Archived from the original on 2014-06-01. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
- ^ Maytom, Tim (2017-06-28). "RadiumOne acquired by RhythmOne". Mobile Marketing Magazine.
- ^ Crowther, Mel; Thomas, Nick (January 31, 2018). "Name Change Marks Renaissance for Gravity4". MrWeb. Retrieved 2016-06-11.
- ^ Huet, Ellen (April 21, 2015). "Gurbaksh Chahal And Gravity4 Hit With Gender Discrimination, Illegal Surveillance Lawsuit". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ Carson, Biz. "New lawsuit claims ad tech CEO Gurbaksh Chahal asked employee to lie about alleged domestic violence incident". Business Insider. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ Ganguly, Payal (2019-11-12). "Post RadiumOne, Gurbaksh Chahal seeks success again with RedLotus; in talks to raise $50 mn". TechCircle. Retrieved 2019-11-13.
- ^ Kathmandu Tribune (2019-07-31). "Gurbaksh Chahal -founded RedLotus is transforming customer service & experience". News, sport and opinion from the Kathmandu Tribune's global edition. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ https://www.thestreet.com/thekerplunk/featured/redlotus-patented-neuralbank-ai-technology-to-redefine-customer-automation-Tfx93MIAL06nxaTwDAU-aw.
{{cite web}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help)CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Sharma, Siddhartha (2013-10-30). Love your Mondays and Retire Young. SAGE Publications India. p. 183. ISBN 978-81-321-1885-5.
- ^ Zinko, Carolyne (2010-04-29). "Internet star Chahal getting honorary doctorate". SFGate. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ Cea, Cara (17 September 210). "Leaders in Management Award – Press Room". Pace University. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ "The 25 Richest Tech Entrepreneurs Under 3017. Aaron Levie, 27". Complex. Retrieved 2020-01-30.
- ^ Luce, Jim (2 August 2012). "Global Indians Illuminate Fifth Avenue at Light of India Awards". Huffington Post. Retrieved 31 January 2020.
- ^ Vijayakar, R. M. (27 June 2012). "'Light of India' Awards Brings Global Indians Together". India West.
- ^ "Most Influential Global Indians: 51 Influential Global Indian Men". www.mensxp.com. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ "Gurbaksh Chahal honoured by DSGMC, shares the moment with former PM Manmohan Singh". Firstpost. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ Evans, Teri (2012-08-21). "Serial Entrepreneur Gurbaksh Chahal Commits $1 Million to Stop Hate Crimes". Entrepreneur. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
- ^ Kaur, Ranpreet (December 10, 2019). "EXCLUSIVE: Rubina Bajwa CONFIRMS her relationship with Gurbaksh Chahal; Says 'He is the centre of my world'". PINKVILLA. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ "Rubina Bajwa spends the last few days of 2019 vacationing with beau Gurbaksh Singh Chahal and the pics will make you crave for a holiday! - Times of India". The Times of India. December 27, 2019. Retrieved 2020-01-24.
- ^ a b "Internet mogul Gurbaksh Chahal back in court Monday". The San Francisco Examiner. 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ Sabatini, Joshua (August 9, 2013). "DA: Internet mogul hit girlfriend 117 times over a half-hour period". San Francisco Examiner. Retrieved 2015-03-01.
- ^ "Gurbaksh Chahal, former CEO fired after domestic violence plea, settles dispute with RadiumOne". The San Francisco Examiner. 2014-07-21. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ Lee, Newton (2014). Lee, Newton (ed.). "Personal Total Information Awareness". Facebook Nation. Springer: 305–345. doi:10.1007/978-1-4939-1740-2_15. ISBN 978-1-4939-1740-2.
- ^ "Judge quashes video evidence in Internet mogul's domestic violence case". The San Francisco Examiner. 2014-04-02. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ a b Alexander, Kurtis; Ho, Vivian (August 8, 2013). "Internet mogul pleads not guilty to assault". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ Elder, Jeff (September 10, 2015). "Tech Firm Tried to Save IPO Amid CEO Scandal". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
- ^ "Internet mogul accused of domestic violence pleads guilty to two misdemeanors". The San Francisco Examiner. 2014-04-18. Retrieved 2020-01-31.
- ^ "Safety concerns keep ex-girlfriend from SF tech CEO's probation hearing". The San Francisco Examiner. 2016-04-23. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ a b "Former tech CEO gets prison time for violating probation in domestic violence case". The San Francisco Examiner. 2016-08-12. Retrieved 2020-01-23.
- ^ Rainey, Libby (12 Aug 2016). "Tech mogul Gurbaksh Chahal gets 1 year in domestic violence case". San Francisco Chroncile. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ^ Conger, Kate (1 September 2016). "Despite looming jail time, Gurbaksh Chahal is back as Gravity4 CEO". TechCrunch. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
- ^ Sernoffsky, Evan (August 31, 2018). "Tearful tech mogul Gurbaksh Chahal jailed for probation violation". SF Gate. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Van Derbeken, Jaxon (August 31, 2018). "Silicon Valley Internet Mogul Gurbaksh Chahal Sentenced to 6 Months in Domestic Violence Case". NBC Bay Area.
- ^ https://www.thedailybeast.com/ojs-lawyer-and-the-woman-abusing-princeling-of-silicon-valley
External links
- Gurbaksh Chahal at IMDb
- A panel discussion with Chahal, Conference on Entrepreneurship, Stanford University Graduate School of Business, March 2010