Mehul Sanghani, chief executive officer and founder of Octo, will deliver the keynote address at Virginia Tech’s University Commencement ceremony on Friday, May 10.

Octo is a technology firm focused on solving national security’s most complex problems. In the last decade, Sanghani built and grew the company around the foundational belief of meeting, exceeding, and advancing customer missions. 

Sanghani took a leap of faith founding Octo at the age of 30 with encouragement from his family and others. Since its inception in 2006, the company has experienced exponential success under his leadership. 

Octo has been repeatedly recognized, catching the attention of a number of Fortune 100 companies as an acquisition target. In January 2023, IBM announced it was acquiring the company for just under $1.3 billion.

Sanghani graduated from Virginia Tech with bachelor’s degrees in industrial and systems engineering as well as psychology. He is a Blacksburg native. His family immigrated to the United States from India in 1979 when he was only 3 years old. As owners of the Red Carpet Inn on South Main Street, his parents instilled in him a fierce work ethic and appreciation for opportunity.

“Mehul’s life, career, spirit of service, and remarkable support for his alma mater and community are an inspiration for Hokies everywhere,” said Virginia Tech President Tim Sands. “His experience is a powerful example for these graduates who are about to begin their own impactful journeys.”

Mehul’s dedication and hard work has provided him with the opportunity to impact many others through philanthropy and volunteer service. 

In 2021, Mehul and his wife, Hema Sanghani, also a Virginia Tech graduate, made a historic $10 million gift to their alma mater; $1.5 million of the gift was allocated to establish The Market of Virginia Tech, a first-of-its-kind on-campus food pantry to students facing food insecurity.

The Sanghanis’ gift also endowed the Sanghani Center for Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics and established the Sanghani Player Lounge to support the Virginia Tech football team.

In May 2022, Sanghani spoke at the College of Engineering commencement ceremony and was honored there as the college’s Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. The award celebrates graduates who have distinguished themselves in their careers, have applied their engineering education toward global and community engagement, and/or have made a significant impact on the university through service, philanthropy, or meaningful interaction with students and faculty.

The University Commencement ceremony will begin at 8:30 a.m. May 10 in Lane Stadium. A complete schedule of commencement ceremonies and additional commencement information can be found online at commencement.vt.edu.  

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