Sanjeev Kalyanaraman

Sanjeev Kalyanaraman is an entrepreneur and growth leader with more than two decades of experience scaling companies, driving digital transformation, and building high-impact businesses across technology, media, education, and SaaS. He has incubated and transformed ventures into successful exits and led organizations through innovation and turnaround strategies that unlocked new revenue streams, improved profitability, and optimized operational investments.

Known for his ability to blend strategic vision with disciplined execution, Sanjeev has consistently empowered teams to deliver measurable results. His leadership style emphasizes listening, collaboration, and creating an environment where individuals thrive while organizations accelerate.

At NextAccel, Sanjeev leads the firm’s mission to help CEOs, CFOs, and investors unlock enterprise value by bridging the gap between strategy and execution. He focuses on enabling leaders to move beyond planning and into measurable business outcomes, with a particular passion for how generative AI and digital transformation can reshape industries.

Beyond NextAccel, Sanjeev also serves as CEO of SolarMantle, a Chevron Studio portfolio company, where he is bringing to market an advanced passive cooling thin film technology that delivers significant energy savings across data centers, commercial buildings, transportation infrastructure, and defense applications.

Previously, Sanjeev held executive leadership roles at codemantra, where he transformed the company from a declining services model into a high-growth SaaS provider in intelligent automation; and at SumEqual, a venture he founded and successfully transitioned post-acquisition. He also co-founded Datalette, later acquired by Bloomberg, and has led digital strategy and operations at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and The Learning Company.