He brings an entrepreneurial mindset derived from extensive work in startups and co-founding a 600 employee technology company that was ultimately acquired by Microsoft. A respected thought leader in his space, Anand has co-authored eight patents, delivered Boston University’s 2022 School of Engineering graduation convocation speech, and is currently serving on two nonprofit boards.
Most recently, Anand drove development of Azure for Operators strategy for Microsoft Corp following the acquisitions of his company, Affirmed Networks, Inc. As Corporate VP of Engineering for Microsoft, he continued to lead the Affirmed Networks P&L and team and served as an instrumental leader in integration strategy, including technical, organizational, and product assimilation.
As cofounder, EVP of Engineering, and ultimately President and CEO of Affirmed Networks, Anand was a key leader in building the company from the ground up to a 600 employee organization while navigating rapid expansion, overseeing daily engineering and business operations, and managing the executive team. During this time, he led the development of the Affirmed product line, launched 50+ products in commercial deployments, created and managed the R&D organization, established engineering processes and adopted agile methodologies, collaborated with large Tier 1 operators to implement a DevOps model, created the Next Generation Cloud Native Packet Core Product Strategy, developed a partnership program with large service integrators, managed all IP activities, and oversaw the filing of over 90 patents. He was also an executive representative at board and customer meetings and led the company through due diligence and sale to Microsoft.
Prior, Anand navigated a progressive tenure with Airvana Networks, advancing through roles as Senior Software Manager, Infrastructure Development; Director of Software, Networking & Infrastructure Development; and VP Engineering—Macro Cellular Division. Throughout this time, he managed a 200 person R&D organization across two global sites, led the development and deployment of multiple software releases, created engineering lifecycle and metrics-based continuous improvement processes, and managed key OEM relationships.
Anand launched his career in software engineering and IP development with Cascade Communications, Ascend Networks, and Lucent Technologies through a series of acquisitions.
Anand holds a Ph.D. and Master of Science in Computer Engineering from Boston University as well as a Master of Science in Economics and a bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Birla Institute of Technology & Science in Pilani, India.
He is a member of the Board of Directors of WBUR (Boston’s NPR news station) and an Advisory Board member of Boston University’s College of Engineering. Anand is a member of the Launchpad Venture Group, Sidecar Angels Hub Angels, and on the leadership team at TiE Boston Angels.