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Who is Rehan Jalil, the Pakistani tech entrepreneur behind a billion-dollar AI exit?

Rehan Jalil

The screengrab shows Securiti AI founder Rehan Jalil speaking during an interview with Silicon Angle at his office on Thursday, September 14, 2023. (Silicon Angle/File)

ISLAMABAD: Rehan Jalil, a Pakistani-born tech entrepreneur and investor, has been making headlines after his company, Securiti AI, was acquired by the US-based data-resilience firm Veeam in a deal valued at around $1.7 billion, marking one of the largest exits by a Pakistani founder in Silicon Valley.


Veeam confirmed the acquisition on X, saying a “definitive agreement” had been signed between the two companies.



Securiti AI, which Jalil founded, builds advanced tools that help organizations discover, protect, and govern data across cloud services and SaaS applications. Its flagship platform, the Data Command Center, enables enterprises to manage privacy, security, and compliance for data used in artificial intelligence systems, according to his LinkedIn profile.


For Pakistan’s growing tech ecosystem, the sale represents a milestone achievement, underscoring the global impact of Pakistani entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. Jalil’s journey — from Karachi’s NED University to building billion-dollar tech companies in the United States — has drawn praise from leading figures in Pakistan’s innovation landscape, including former IT minister and Aisight and Khudi Ventures CEO Umar Saif.


Before founding Securiti, Jalil served as Senior Vice President and General Manager for Cloud Security at Symantec, where he led global R&D efforts in enterprise cloud protection. He joined Symantec following its $4.7 billion acquisition of BlueCoat Systems, where he had earlier overseen cloud security operations.


Jalil’s entrepreneurial record includes multiple successful ventures. He founded Elastica, a pioneer in cloud access security brokerage (CASB), which was acquired by BlueCoat for $280 million. Earlier, he founded WiChorus, an innovator in deep-packet inspection technology used in early 4G networks, later acquired by Tellabs for $180 million.


He began his career as Chief Architect at Aperto Networks and also contributed to multicore processor innovation at Sun Microsystems. Over the years, Jalil has been recognized for his contributions to technology and entrepreneurship. He was a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2010 and named among the Top 25 Disruptors in 2015.


An alumnus of Harvard Business School’s Advanced Management Program, Jalil holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, US, and a Bachelor’s degree from NED University of Engineering and Technology, Karachi.


In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, Jalil serves as an investor and limited partner in technology venture funds, mentoring emerging startups and supporting innovation in cybersecurity and AI governance — the very fields that have defined his career.