Imran Khan (businessman)
Imran Khan | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1977 Bangladesh |
| Occupation(s) | Technology leader, entrepreneur, investor |
| Years active | 2000–present |
| Known for | Founder and Chairperson of Proem Asset Management LP; former Chief Strategy Officer at Snap Inc.; former Global Head of Internet Investment Banking at Credit Suisse |
Imran Khan (born in 1977) is an accomplished technology leader, entrepreneur, and investor. He is the Founder and Chairperson of the Investment Committee at Proem Asset Management LP. Prior to establishing Proem, Khan held the position of Chief Strategy Officer at Snap Inc., where he was instrumental in the company’s initial public offering, as well as in scaling operations, sales, strategic partnerships, and overall corporate direction. Before his tenure at Snap Inc., Khan was responsible for global internet investment banking at Credit Suisse, where he notably oversaw the landmark IPO of Chinese e-commerce titan Alibaba.
Early life and education
Originally from Bangladesh, Khan completed his secondary education at The Government Laboratory High School, Dhaka in 1994 and earned his Higher Secondary Certificate from Dhaka College in 1996. Known for his debating skills during college, he later relocated to Colorado and graduated with a B.S.B.A. in Finance and Economics from the University of Denver in 2000.
Initial roles
Khan’s professional journey began at WildBlue, a satellite broadband startup based in Denver. He then transitioned to ING Barings in New York. Following the sale of ING’s banking division to ABN Amro, he joined Fulcrum Global Partners, where he focused on sell-side research within the technology sector.
JPMorgan and Credit Suisse
In 2004, Khan became part of JPMorgan as a research analyst and advanced to lead Global Internet and US Entertainment Equity Research. At age 29, he was among the youngest managing directors appointed at the firm. His expertise earned him recognition as the second top internet analyst by Institutional Investor.
Khan moved to Credit Suisse in 2011 as Global Head of Internet Investment Banking, significantly enhancing the bank’s technology sector profile. He played a pivotal role in executing the $25 billion IPO of Alibaba, which remains the largest share offering to date. Additionally, he managed IPOs for American companies such as Groupon, GoDaddy, and Box, along with Chinese enterprises including Weibo, Jumei, and Toudu.
Recognizing China’s importance as a burgeoning market due to its youthful demographic and increasing internet penetration, Khan leveraged his established Alibaba connections to secure this transformative transaction for Credit Suisse.
Snap Inc.
Joining Snapchat in 2015 as Chief Strategy Officer, Khan led corporate strategy development while expanding operations, forging business alliances, boosting advertising sales, and steering the company through its public offering. Within his initial two-and-a-half years, revenue surged from zero to $728 million. He also facilitated a $200 million investment from Alibaba in 2015 and secured an additional $1.8 billion financing round in 2016.
In 2016, Khan was honored by Adweek as one of the Most Indispensable Executives across Marketing, Media, and Technology sectors, credited with driving Snapchat’s growth through new office launches, key executive recruitment, and initiating Snapchat Partners.
Snap Inc.’s IPO occurred in March 2017, achieving a market capitalization peak of $34 billion within just two days. At that time, Khan reportedly owned shares valued at more than $145 million.
Proem Asset Management LP
Khan founded Proem Asset Management LP in 2018—a hedge fund that specializes in focused long/short equity strategies centered on technology-driven market disruption. The firm prioritizes a distinctive research methodology emphasizing local market insights and demographic dynamics.
Under Khan’s guidance, Proem has assembled a senior leadership team averaging over 25 years of industry experience, underscoring his dedication to building a premier investment firm aligned with leading limited partners and service providers.