Chiratae Ventures recognized Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen, Infosys founder Narayana Murthy and Postman co-founder Abhinav Asthana with three distinct 2024 Patrick J. McGovern Awards. The honors span global corporate leadership, India’s technology industry and startup entrepreneurship; they were presented in separate ceremonies, not at one event.
Who received the 2024 awards?
Chiratae’s full announcement was published on October 17, 2024. That is the publication date, not the date of all three presentations: Narayen’s award dinner took place earlier, while the announcement describes the India recognitions separately without specifying their dates. Chiratae’s press-release archive also shows related entries dated October 7 and October 15, 2024; the archive does not explain whether those entries were separate releases or updates.
| Recipient | Role identified in the announcement | Award | Presentation details stated |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shantanu Narayen | Adobe Chair and CEO | Global Lifetime Achievement Award | Awards dinner in Palo Alto on September 16, 2024 |
| Narayana Murthy | Infosys founder | India Lifetime Achievement Award | Ceremony in Bengaluru; date not stated |
| Abhinav Asthana | Postman CEO and co-founder | Exceptional Entrepreneurial Achievement Award | Recognized separately; date and venue not stated |
The event details and category names come from Chiratae’s announcement, reproduced by StreetInsider. It says more than 50 senior technology-industry professionals attended Narayen’s Palo Alto event; that attendance figure applies to that dinner, not to the India ceremonies.
What each award recognized
Shantanu Narayen: Global Lifetime Achievement
Chiratae cited Narayen’s leadership of Adobe through major technology shifts over nearly two decades. It pointed to the company’s evolution from desktop software toward cloud services and digital experiences. The award’s global scope distinguishes it from Murthy’s India-focused lifetime honor.
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In his acceptance remarks, Narayen credited Adobe’s employees and emphasized innovation, customer focus and technology’s potential to drive positive change. The award was presented at the Palo Alto dinner on September 16, 2024.
Narayana Murthy: India Lifetime Achievement
Chiratae recognized Murthy for his role in building Infosys and its contribution to India’s technology and IT-services development. The announcement says Infosys became the first Indian company listed on Nasdaq in 1999 and that more than 19% of the company’s equity was distributed to employees under Murthy’s leadership. These are claims made in the awards announcement, rather than independently verified figures here.
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Murthy received the award at a Bengaluru ceremony. In his remarks, he acknowledged earlier recipients and expressed gratitude; the announcement does not give the ceremony date.
Abhinav Asthana: Exceptional Entrepreneurial Achievement
Asthana was honored as Postman’s CEO and co-founder. The announcement links the award to the company’s beginnings in Bengaluru and its subsequent expansion to San Francisco, which it identifies as Postman’s global headquarters. It frames the honor around first-generation founders and the growth of India’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.
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Asthana’s acceptance remarks credited his co-founders, employees, customers, investors, parents and family. Chiratae describes this as a separate India-based recognition but does not specify its date or venue, so it should not be grouped with the Bengaluru ceremony for Murthy.
Why Chiratae established the awards
Chiratae says it instituted the awards in 2016 to commemorate Patrick J. McGovern, founder of International Data Group (IDG) and an anchor investor in Chiratae’s first fund. McGovern’s support was connected to the formation of the venture firm then known as IDG Ventures India. The awards recognize technology leadership, entrepreneurship, business impact and contributions to the technology ecosystem; they are honors, not investment prizes or startup funding grants.
The 2024 recipients illustrate three different kinds of influence: Narayen’s leadership through a global company’s business and technology transition, Murthy’s part in the development of a major Indian technology-services institution, and Asthana’s entrepreneurial work building a software company. That distinction helps explain why the award program uses separate global, India and entrepreneurial categories.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How recipients were selected, and earlier honorees
Chiratae says recipients were chosen through a vetting process conducted with Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP as process adviser. Pat McGovern III was identified as chair of the awards jury. The announcement does not provide the full jury membership; it does not say Deloitte independently selected the winners.
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Among the earlier recipients named by Chiratae are John Chambers, Kris Gopalakrishnan, Uday Kotak, Indra Nooyi, Azim Premji, Ratan Tata and Prem Watsa. This is a selection of names from the announcement, not a verified complete historical roster.
What the announcement establishes
- The three recipients and their award categories, as stated by Chiratae.
- Narayen’s September 16, 2024 Palo Alto dinner, and Murthy’s Bengaluru ceremony.
- That Asthana’s recognition was separate, while its exact date and venue are not stated.
- The award program’s stated 2016 origin and its connection to McGovern, IDG and Chiratae’s first fund.
The announcement establishes no single shared ceremony for all three recipients, and it does not supply exact presentation dates for Murthy or Asthana. Its statements about Infosys’ Nasdaq listing and employee equity distribution are attributed above to Chiratae rather than presented as independently checked findings.
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