NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Sacramento, CA, August 26, 2025: Silicon Valley is stepping into California politics once again. Tech entrepreneur Ethan Agarwal, best known for founding the audio fitness app Aaptiv and the fintech platform The Coterie, has announced his candidacy for governor in the 2026 election. The 40-year-old Democrat is positioning himself as a pro-growth candidate who wants to pair the state’s progressive values with business-minded pragmatism.
Agarwal’s story begins far from the campaign trail. Born in 1985 in Montreal and raised in Los Gatos, California, he grew up in the shadow of innovation. His father, Vinod K. Agarwal, was a professor who later founded LogicVision, a semiconductor company that went public in 2001. Young Ethan excelled at the Harker School before heading east to Johns Hopkins University, where he earned two bachelor’s degrees in just three years while also serving as student body president. He later graduated from the Wharton School of Business with an MBA in finance.
His early career followed a conventional Wall Street path — investment banking at Lehman Brothers, hedge fund work, and consulting at McKinsey & Company. But long hours and constant travel left him out of shape, and in trying to fix his own fitness routine he stumbled onto his first big idea. In 2016 he launched Aaptiv, an audio-based workout app that quickly grew into a global brand with more than 200,000 subscribers and backing from firms like Amazon and Disney. After Aaptiv was sold, Agarwal turned to fintech, co-founding The Coterie, which attracted millions in venture capital before being acquired earlier this year.
Now, Agarwal says, it’s time to apply the same principles that built successful companies to rebuilding California. He argues that the state’s cost of living, housing shortages, and energy prices are driving both residents and businesses away. Central to his platform is a pledge to overhaul — or scrap — the California Environmental Quality Act, which he calls a well-meaning law turned obstacle to progress.
On social issues, Agarwal aligns with the Democratic mainstream: he is firmly pro-choice, supports gun control, LGBTQ rights, and immigration. But unlike some of his rivals, he frames himself unapologetically as a capitalist. “I believe in meritocracy,” he has said, pitching himself as a candidate who can marry social progress with economic growth.
His campaign is already drawing attention in Silicon Valley, where Y Combinator’s Garry Tan and DoorDash co-founder Stanley Tang are hosting fundraisers. Still, Agarwal faces an uphill climb in a crowded Democratic field that includes high-profile names such as Xavier Becerra, Katie Porter, and Antonio Villaraigosa. His greatest challenge may be building name recognition outside the tech and venture capital circles where he is well known.
In his first campaign ad, Agarwal struck a dramatic tone, warning that “we’re all screwed” if California doesn’t embrace bold reforms. Whether voters will embrace a political newcomer with a tech-first approach remains uncertain, but his candidacy adds a distinctly Silicon Valley flavor to the race.
Cover image courtesy: Ethan Agrawal/X.
