Anand Babu

Anand leads Kernel, Google AI’s venture studio that applies cutting-edge research to create world-positive products and businesses. Anand also co-founded Sidewalk Labs, the urban innovation arm of Alphabet that builds next-generation cities. He served as COO, leading its venture studio and incubating multiple companies including Coord Mobility, Cityblock Health and Replica. Prior to Google, Anand was a Director at Opower, a startup using real-time analytics to help utility customers save energy. At Microsoft, Anand catalyzed the shift to the cloud, developing the business case for the Azure developer platform and leading OneDrive to 200 million users to form the basis for Office 365. Previously, Anand led venture investments at Crosslink Capital focused on cloud infrastructure, solar energy and materials. Anand started his career as a consultant at Bain & Company. Originally from Peoria, Illinois, Anand earned his B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and his MBA and M.S. in Engineering Management from Northwestern University / Kellogg School of Management.