Building Octo: From Startup to Strategic Exit
Mehul Sanghani founded Octo with a vision to modernize government through technology—and over the next 17 years transformed it into one of the nation's leading federal technology companies before its acquisition by IBM. In this one-on-one conversation, Sanghani reflects on the journey of building a high-growth business, partnering with private equity, preparing for a strategic exit, navigating post-acquisition integration, and discovering what comes next when the company you've built becomes someone else's. Now in his next chapter as an investor, mentor, and philanthropist, he'll share why he believes true success is measured not only by the company you build, but by the lives you impact along the way.
Moderator:
Chief Content Officer
Smart Business
Dustin is an award-winning business journalist, bestselling author, and the chief content officer of Smart Business. Over the past 30 years, he has interviewed thousands of business and civic leaders, and helped more than 50 CEOs and entrepreneurs transform their ideas into books. A trained investigative politics reporter and former digital media entrepreneur, Dustin joined Smart Business in 1997 after serving as an editor at several daily newspapers.
Panelists:
Managing Director & Founder
Greycore Ventures
Mehul Sanghani is Founder & Managing Partner of Greycore Ventures, a defense-technology investment firm focused on dual-use AI and autonomous systems. He founded Octo, a federal AI and digital transformation company acquired by IBM in 2023 for nearly $1.3 billion — the largest acquisition in IBM Consulting history. His $10M gift endowed the Sanghani Center for AI and Data Analytics at Virginia Tech.