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Palo Alto-based Indian-American entrepreneur Ethan Agarwal has announced his bid to run for California Governor in the 2026 gubernatorial elections. Axios first reported the story on August 25, calling him a “Democrat who believes in capitalism.”
Agarwal has founded two startups, Aaptiv and The Coterie, raising a combined $110 million for his ventures, according to his LinkedIn profile. In a social media video announcing his candidacy, he said, “I’m pro-choice, I believe in gun control, I believe in immigration, I believe in LGBTQ rights, I’m also fiercely pro-capitalism.”
Through his social media channels, he has elaborated his stances on a host of issues. He is pro-business and believes that California is losing out as tech businesses are moving to other states. He is also in favor of investing heavily in building infrastructure and energy capacity in the state. In a social media post outlining “ten ideas to make California better”, he advocated for three more UCs to be built, and for the state capital to be moved from Sacramento to San Francisco or Los Angeles.
According to Axios, Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan, DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang, and Tribe Capital co-founder Arjun Sethi will be hosting fundraisers for Agarwal’s campaign. He will also conduct two virtual campaign rallies on September 14 and September 21.