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Ram Shriram receives Stanford’s Gold Spike Award
The Indian American has served two terms on the university’s board of trustees, including as vice chair.
Ram Shriram / Image- sherpalo.com
Stanford University has honored Indian American businessman and philanthropist Ram Shriram, with its highest annual volunteer service award, the Gold Spike Award. Conferred by president Richard Saller, it recognizes Shriram’s contributions to the university and dedication to advancing various initiatives.
The Gold Spike Award is presented by Stanford Associates, an honorary organization of Stanford alumni, to those who have demonstrated significant and long-standing volunteer service to the university.
Shriram, who is currently the founder of Sherpalo Ventures and has been praised by Stanford Associates as a "intellectually curious changemaker," has been instrumental in bolstering innovative bioengineering and artificial intelligence (AI) initiatives at Stanford University through his leadership and advocacy.
The Indian American has served two terms on the university’s board of trustees, including as vice chair. He has also been a board member of Stanford Seed, and a longtime advisor to the School of Engineering. He and his wife Vijay, who are parents of two Stanford graduates, were also members of the Parents' Advisory Board.
Currently, Shriram serves on the Stanford Health Care board of directors and the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence advisory board. “A visionary leader across the university, he has been a staunch advocate and dynamic fundraiser for groundbreaking efforts including bioengineering and AI, as well as a trusted advisor on matters impacting the entire institution,” Stanford Associates said of him.
Born and raised in India, Shriram immigrated to the US for his graduate studies in 1977. He started as an early Netscape executive and as an officer under Jeff Bezos, following Amazon’s acquisition of his online comparison shopping firm Junglee in 1998.
Shriram went on to become one of the first investors and a founding board member of Google, Inc. (now Alphabet, Inc.). He serves as a charter member of Indiaspora and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.
Apart from his career, Shriram also serves as president of the Dhanam Foundation, which supports underprivileged, academically motivated students across communities. In 2023, he was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
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