The Indian-born billionaire behind record NFL sale

Dubai: Indian-born billionaire Vinod Khosla is set to become the controlling owner of the Seattle Seahawks after NFL owners unanimously approved a record $9.612 billion sale of the franchise on Wednesday.

The deal makes the 71-year-old technology entrepreneur and venture capitalist one of the most prominent Indian-born figures in American professional sport, while setting a new record for the most expensive NFL franchise ever sold.

Khosla is leading the group purchasing the Seahawks from the estate of late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, with his wife Neeru and son Neal also set to become part of the team's controlling ownership group.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed the sale following Wednesday's one-day league meeting at the Atlanta Airport Marriott. The agreement, which was initially announced in July, required approval from at least 24 of the NFL's 32 owners.

Khosla will have to relinquish his existing stake in the San Francisco 49ers as part of the transaction. The Seahawks will remain under Allen's estate until the deal formally closes, which could happen before Seattle opens its season against the New England Patriots on September 9.

The $9.612 billion purchase price eclipses the previous NFL record of $6.05 billion, paid for the Washington Commanders in 2023.

Born to a Punjabi family in Pune, Maharashtra, in 1955, Khosla studied electrical engineering at IIT Delhi before moving to the United States in 1976 at the age of 21.

He went on to earn an MBA from Stanford University and became one of Silicon Valley's most successful entrepreneurs and investors.

Khosla was a co-founder of Sun Microsystems, the technology company that became a major force in the development of computer networking and enterprise software.

He later founded venture capital firm Khosla Ventures, which has invested in a number of high-profile technology companies, including OpenAI, DoorDash and Instacart.

With Forbes estimating Khosla's net worth at $13.8 billion, his journey from India to the heart of America's technology industry has now taken another turn, as he is poised to become the controlling owner of one of the NFL's most valuable franchises.

Khosla entered NFL ownership in 2025 when he purchased a 3.1 per cent stake in the San Francisco 49ers at a valuation of more than $8.5 billion.

The Khosla family will take control of the Seattle franchise, although the identities of the other investors involved as limited partners have not yet been disclosed.

Despite his connection to the 49ers, Khosla has previously said that he remains a Pittsburgh Steelers fan.

He moved to the United States in 1976, during the height of the Steelers' dynasty, but his son Neal developed a strong connection with the 49ers.

Neal has attended roughly half of San Francisco's home games each season since he was five, while his previous experience includes an internship with the franchise.

Expected to play a significant leadership role in the new Seahawks ownership group, Neeru Khosla has said her son was a major driving force behind the family's decision to pursue ownership of the Seahawks.

The Seahawks' sale is not only significant because of Khosla's Indian roots but also because of the scale of the transaction.

At $9.612 billion, it surpasses the $6.05 billion sale of the Washington Commanders in 2023 and represents one of the biggest transactions in the history of American professional sport.

The Commanders' sale had previously been the record for a North American sports franchise, although the Los Angeles Lakers have since changed hands for $10 billion and are reportedly heading towards another sale valued at $12.5 billion.