The Seattle Seahawks are entering the 2026 NFL season with impressive continuity on the field as they look to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
Off the field, the Seahawks are undergoing a seismic shift, as they will no longer be owned by the Allen family for the first time since 1997.
Paul Allen originally bought the Seahawks from Ken Behring in 1997. The Microsoft co-founder was Seattle's primary owner until his death in 2018, at which point his sister, Jody Allen, managed it as part of his estate.
But after winning the organization's second Super Bowl title, Jody Allen agreed to sell the Seahawks to the Khosla family. A formal agreement for the record-breaking, $9.612 billion sale was initially reached on July 11, 2026, before being approved by
NFL owners Aug. 26 and finalized Sept. 3.
As part of that sale, Vinod Khosla will become the chair of the Seahawks while his wife, Neeru Khosla, serves as controlling owner and president of the Seahawks Charitable Foundation. Their son, Neal Khosla, will serve as the vice chair of the organization.
Here's more to know about the Khosla family as they take center stage for the Seahawks in 2026.
Who is Vinod Khosla?
Vinod Khosla is a 71-year-old entrepreneur and venture capitalist. He founded the company Khosla Ventures – a venture capital firm that was an early investor in companies including Impossible Foods, Instacart, DoorDash and OpenAI.
Before starting Khosla Ventures in 2004, Khosla also co-founded Sun Microsystems. The technology company, which existed from 1982 to 2010, developed and sold computers, along with other forms of hardware and software. Prior to that, Khosla founded Daisy Systems, described as "the first significant computer-aided design platform for electrical engineers" on Khosla Ventures' website.
Khosla grew up in India and attended Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. He tried to start up a soy milk company in India, which failed, before eventually traveling to America to earn a master's degree. He first got one in biomedical engineering from Carnegie Mellon before attending Stanford, where he got an MBA.
Khosla and his family are the first NFL owners of Indian descent.
Is Vinod Khosla a Steelers fan?
Khosla acknowledged during a news conference following the approval of the Seahawks sale that he first came to enjoy football as a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"I also happened to come to this country in '76 when the Steelers were winning Super Bowls," Khosla said. "So actually, I was originally and still am a big Steelers fan, also. Little known fact, but I still watch all the Steelers games, too."
Khosla was studying at Carnegie Mellon, located in Pittsburgh, when he came to America. Thus, it makes sense he became a Steelers fans.
His comments about the matter nonetheless created a minor stir, which prompted him to craft a social media post downplaying the impacts of his Steelers fandom and affirming his commitment to the Seahawks.
"Reporters will make every molehill into a mountain just to get column inches to write or video minutes," Khosla wrote. "What’s wrong with admitting my 1976-78 period in Pittsburgh (CMU) got me excited about the NFL? I still watch their games doesn’t mean I won't unconditionally ALWAYS as owner, want the @Seahawks to win and have every edge up, EVERY TIME over every other team!!!! Zero questions!!! At the other end is a set of teams I always want to lose every advantage. But happy to have the sports writer getting more column inches and fill their pages. You are welcome. Apologies in advance for my very transparent style."
Vinod Khosla net worth
Khosla has a net worth of $11.4 billion as of Sept. 8, 2026, according to Forbes. That makes him the 317th-richest individual in the world.
Who is Neeru Khosla?
While Vinod Khosla figures to take a front-facing role with the Seahawks, his wife, Neeru Khosla, will actually be the team's controlling owner.
Neeru Khosla currently serves as the co-founder and chair of the non-profit CK12 Foundation.
According to the organization's website, the goal of CK12 Foundation is, "advancing K-12 STEM education by leveraging the power of AI and open multi-modal content. CK-12 Foundation’s AI-powered Student Tutor, Teacher Assistant, and Open Content is removing the barrier of access and equity by providing the best content delivered by cutting-edge technology, free for all."
Khosla earned a master's degree in molecular biology from San Jose State and later earned a master's of education from Stanford.
The Khoslas have been married since 1980 and have four children together.
Seattle Seahawks sale price
The Seahawks were sold to the Khosla family for $9.612 billion.
Seahawks ownership group
The Khosla's are the controlling owners of the Seahawks, but they did bring on several co-owners with their group, per Seattle's official website.
Those co-owners are as follows:
- Mark Stevens
- Aramburuzabala Family
- Val Blavatnik
- Sheryl Sokoloff
- Gonzalo Hevia Baillères
- Jesse van der Werf
- Samir Kaul
- Sunny Gupta
- Nader Naini
- Penny Pritzker
- Carlyle and Dynasty Equity
- Sixth Street
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Seahawks were sold after Super Bowl. What to know about Neeru and Vinod Khosla
