Early Life and Education
Sanjit Biswas was born in 1982. His journey to becoming a successful technology entrepreneur began at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where he pursued both his undergraduate and graduate studies in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. He earned a Bachelor of Science in engineering degree from Stanford University and a Master of Science in electrical engineering degree from MIT. During his time at MIT, he was particularly involved in the Roofnet project, an experimental wireless mesh networking system that would later influence his future business ventures.
Rise to Success
In 2006, Biswas co-founded Meraki with fellow MIT graduates John Bicket and Hans Robertson. The company emerged from their work on MIT's Roofnet project, with a vision to democratize enterprise-grade networking technology. Meraki pioneered the concept of cloud-managed WiFi, making it possible for organizations to deploy and manage wireless networks without extensive IT expertise. Under Biswas's leadership as CEO, Meraki developed innovative solutions that combined hardware, software, and cloud services. In 2012, Cisco acquired Meraki for $1.2 billion. Under his leadership, Cisco Meraki grew over 100%.
After a brief period following the Meraki acquisition, Biswas identified another opportunity to revolutionize an industry through technology. In 2015, he reunited with John Bicket to co-found Samsara, a company focused on bringing the Internet of Things (IoT) to industrial and transportation applications. Samsara's vision was to combine easy-to-use sensors and cameras with sophisticated cloud-based analytics to help organizations improve their operations. In December 2021, Samsara publicly listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “IOT”.
Key Business Strategies
Throughout his career, Biswas has been known for several distinctive approaches to building and scaling technology companies: Focus on Enterprise Solutions: Both Meraki and Samsara target enterprise customers with solutions that combine hardware and software, demonstrating Biswas's understanding of business-to-business technology needs. Emphasis on User Experience: Despite dealing with complex technology, his companies are known for creating products that are intuitive and easy to use.
Philanthropy
In 2023, Sanjit and his wife Hope Biswas founded the Biswas Family Foundation. The foundation's mission is to harness the power of science and technology by funding innovative projects that promise to democratize healthcare and improve millions of lives. The Biswas Family Foundation gift has established the Biswas Center for Transformative Computational Cancer Biology at Gladstone Institutes.
