Romesh Tekchand Wadhwani

Current Position

Title: Executive Chairman of ConcertAI; Founder & Chairman of Symphony Technology Group and SymphonyAI Company: ConcertAI / SAIGroup / SymphonyAI (portfolio of AI companies) Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California; Mumbai-based operations for Wadhwani AI

Professional Background

Romesh Tekchand Wadhwani (born 1947) is an Indian-American billionaire entrepreneur and technologist with a decades-long track record of building transformative software companies and investing in emerging technologies. After immigrating to the United States in 1969 with minimal resources, he earned advanced degrees in electrical engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and went on to found Aspect Development, a B2B e-commerce software company that was acquired by i2 Technologies for $9.3 billion in stock in 1999—at the time, the largest software acquisition ever. Though he lost much of his wealth when the tech bubble burst, Wadhwani leveraged his experience to build a diversified investment platform. He founded Symphony Technology Group (formerly Software Technology Group) in 2002, managing over $1.8 billion across 33 portfolio companies in enterprise software. More recently, recognizing the transformative potential of AI for business and social good, he founded SymphonyAI in 2017 as a holding company for a portfolio of industry-focused AI enterprises, alongside launching ConcertAI (healthcare/life sciences AI) and other specialized AI ventures. In January 2020, the Government of India awarded him the Padma Shri, the nation's fourth-highest civilian honor, recognizing his contributions to economic development and entrepreneurship.

Wadhwani's entrepreneurial philosophy emphasizes sustainable business models and long-term value creation. Unlike competitors who consolidate subsidiaries under a single organizational structure, he allows each SymphonyAI portfolio company to operate independently with its own CEO while fostering knowledge-sharing and technology cross-pollination at the leadership level. This decentralized model has enabled rapid growth—SymphonyAI companies collectively approached $500 million in annual revenue by 2023 with 30% year-over-year growth. He is actively investing over $1 billion of his personal fortune into predictive and generative AI technologies across healthcare, enterprise software, and public health applications.

Career Timeline

Education

• Bachelor of Technology in Electrical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay
• Master of Science in Electrical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University
• Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical Engineering, Carnegie Mellon University (1972)
• Honorary Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa), IIT Bombay (2018)

Public Presence

Social Media

Note: Only publicly accessible profiles are documented. Wadhwani's personal X presence appears limited; organizational accounts maintain regular updates.

Published Writings

• "Recommended Reading: Nine Books for A Bigger Picture" — SymphonyAI (Curated list of business and technology books recommended by Founder Dr. Romesh Wadhwani)
• Multiple interviews and commentary pieces featured in CNBC, TIME Magazine, and business publications
• Authored TIME100 AI 2023 biographical entry (co-authored with brother Sunil)

Public Speaking

• Virtual address to the US-India Business Council (CSIS Chair on India and Emerging Asia Economics hosted India AI Impact Summit Pre-Summit Event, 2026)
• INK Talks: "Dr. Romesh Wadhwani Shares His Entrepreneurial Journey"
• CSIS Leadership forum participation (as Trustee)
• Various conference panels on AI for enterprise and social impact (referenced but not specifically enumerated in public records)

Communication Style

Tone: Formal yet accessible, pragmatic and visionary, solution-focused rather than theoretical Recurring themes: AI's transformative potential for business and social good; India's competitive advantages in technology; importance of sustained investment in emerging technologies; entrepreneurship as a vehicle for economic development; technology-enabled solutions to healthcare and public health challenges Notable positions: Strong advocate for using AI to solve problems in underserved markets; emphasizes practical implementation over speculative discussions; believes India has unique combination of capabilities for AI-for-good research; argues for sustained, substantial funding of social impact initiatives

Wadhwani's public communication reflects a dual focus on commercial viability and social impact. When discussing AI, he grounds visionary claims with concrete metrics—citing revenue growth rates, customer impact numbers, and operational improvements rather than abstract technological potential. His 2023 CNBC interview statement exemplifies this: "What AI will enable in the next five years, we were not able to do in the past 50 years," balancing forward-thinking perspective with tangible business results. In public addresses, he frequently emphasizes India's distinctive position, noting "Other countries simply don't have the combination of capabilities or opportunities that India has," reflecting both strategic business thinking and genuine belief in emerging market potential. His communication style tends toward directness and specificity—he discusses portfolio company revenue growth, customer acquisition metrics, and measurable public health outcomes (e.g., Wadhwani AI's tuberculosis prediction programs affecting specific numbers of patients) rather than broad organizational vision statements. This suggests an audience of sophisticated business leaders and policymakers rather than general public communication. His philanthropic messaging, while detailed in impact metrics, maintains a somewhat formal tone that emphasizes institutional accomplishment and strategic thinking rather than personal narrative appeal.

Notable Achievements

• Founded and led Aspect Development to $9.3 billion acquisition by i2 Technologies (1999)—largest software acquisition at that time
• Founded Symphony Technology Group managing $1.8 billion in capital across 33 enterprise software companies
• Founded SymphonyAI, scaling portfolio companies from inception to approximately $500 million revenue run rate with 30% annual growth
• Launched ConcertAI, which grew 35% to $160 million in revenue and secured $150 million venture capital at $1.9 billion valuation
• Received Padma Shri Award (2020), India's fourth-highest civilian honor for economic development contributions
• Named to inaugural TIME100 AI 2023 list alongside brother Sunil Wadhwani for AI leadership
• Wadhwani Sahayata Initiative (2020) provided business consulting and support to over 10,000 SMEs and public health workers during COVID-19 pandemic
• Invested $30 million to co-found Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence, a research institute exclusively devoted to AI solutions for public good in healthcare, education, agriculture, and skilling in underserved communities
• Established $5 million commitment to fund CSIS Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies
• Funded CSIS Wadhwani Chair in U.S.-India Policy Studies

Key Relationships

• Co-Founder, Wadhwani AI: Brother Sunil Wadhwani (joint philanthropic partnership focusing on AI for social impact)
• Board/Trustee Memberships: CSIS (Center for Strategic and International Studies), Washington, D.C.; CSIS Chair on India and Emerging Asia Economics partnership
• Professional Affiliations: Indiaspora Founders Circle (member); Motive Partners (listed team member); SAIGroup (investment firm head); Multiple portfolio company boards within SymphonyAI ecosystem
• Portfolio Company Leadership: CEO-level relationships with independent leaders of ConcertAI, RhythmX AI, and other SymphonyAI portfolio companies; maintains regular leadership forums for cross-company collaboration
• Charitable Relationships: Founder and Chairman of Wadhwani Foundation; Co-Founder of Wadhwani Institute for Artificial Intelligence with brother Sunil
• Academic Partnerships: Honorary degree recipient from alma mater IIT Bombay (2018); ongoing relationships with Carnegie Mellon University
• Philanthropic Partnerships: US-India Business Council, various nonprofit healthcare and education organizations in India