Meet Vinod Khosla, Indian-American billionaire behind $9.6B NFL team purchase
What's the story
Indian-American billionaire Vinod Khosla and his wife Neeru Khosla are the new owners of the Seattle Seahawks. The deal is worth a whopping $9.6 billion, making it the highest ever paid for an NFL team. The previous record was held by the Washington Commanders, which were sold for $6.05 billion in 2023. Khosla will take over as the franchise's controlling owner after approval from NFL owners on August 26.
Ownership transition
'Honored to be the next stewards of the Seahawks'
Vinod Khosla said they are honored to be the next stewards of the Seahawks. He added that they look forward to building on the legacy created by late owner Paul Allen while earning the trust of the organization and its fans.
Career trajectory
Who is Vinod Khosla?
Khosla, 71, was born in India and made his mark in Silicon Valley. He co-founded Sun Microsystems before starting Khosla Ventures, a venture capital firm that has invested in companies such as Square, DoorDash, Impossible Foods and OpenAI. Earlier this year, Forbes ranked him 10th on its list of America's Greatest Innovators with an estimated net worth of $13.7 billion.
Previous ownership
Khosla owned minority stake in the San Francisco 49ers
The Khoslas are no strangers to sports ownership. In May 2025, Vinod bought a minority stake of 3.1% in the San Francisco 49ers. However, he will now have to sell that stake as NFL rules do not allow stakes in more than one franchise.
Surge
Massive jump from original purchase price
The $9.6 billion valuation is a massive jump from the $194 million Paul Allen paid for the Seahawks in 1997. The deal is nearly 50 times the original purchase price and is second only to the $10 billion sale of Los Angeles Lakers in June 2025 as the highest valuation for an American professional sports franchise. The estate of Allen, who died in 2018, sold the Seahawks. His sister Jody Allen has been managing the trust as executor.