Co-Founder and Chairman
Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Keith J. Krach
Keith Krach is an American businessman, Silicon Valley innovator, philanthropist, and public servant, recognized for his transformative leadership in robotics, engineering, commerce, education, philanthropy, economic statecraft, and even the way people sign. He currently serves as the Chairman of the Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue and the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council.
As Under Secretary of State, Krach developed the U.S. Economic Security Strategy. He and his team built the Clean Network, uniting 60 nations and 200 telecommunications companies to help secure 5G from Chinese dominance. Krach brokered the largest onshoring in U.S. history, bringing Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacturing giant TSMC to the U.S.—now a $165 billion investment.
Prior to his government service, Krach was the Chairman and CEO of DocuSign, transforming the company from a startup into a global leader in e-signatures serving more than 1 million companies and 1 billion users in 188 countries. Krach’s leadership earned him the 2016 E&Y Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
Krach co-founded Ariba, the world’s largest B2B e-commerce network, which reached a $40 billion market value and processes $3.7 trillion in annual transactions.
Krach also co-founded and served as COO of Rasna, a leading Mechanical Design Synthesis software company. He was also the first Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Benchmark Capital and served as the Chairman of the Board at Angie’s List.
Krach’s career began at General Motors, where he became the youngest-ever Vice President and led the creation of GM’s first Japanese joint venture in robotics.
As Chairman of Purdue University’s Board of Trustees, Krach championed advances in STEM education, student affordability, and online learning. He received the 2019 Silicon Valley Lifetime Achievement Award and was Harvard Business School's 2019 Business Leader of the Year.
During his career, Krach produced $4.5 trillion in global productivity gains. He was awarded America’s highest manufacturing honor, the M. Eugene Merchant Manufacturing Medal, in recognition of his exceptional innovation and leadership that advanced the science and practice of manufacturing.
Krach holds a B.S. and an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering from Purdue University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
American Chip Revival and the Trusted Tech Imperative
Thursday, October 9, 2025
10:10am - 10:35am MT