Remembering Krishnan Gopalan
Krishnan Gopalan, of Seattle, Washington, died on Saturday, June 28th, 2025. He was 59 years old.
Mr. Gopalan was born on March 13th, 1966, in Trichy, India, to Vasantha and V. Gopalan. He was raised in Srirangam, India, and graduated from Kamakoti Vidyalaya High School. He attended the Birla Institute of Technology for college, and received a Masters in Computer Engineering at Clemson University. He moved to Seattle in 1991 and began his career as a software developer at Microsoft. After leading several teams to success, he retired from Microsoft in 2012 and created his own startup consulting company, Carabiner Consulting. He was also an angel investor and a day trader. Krishnan was passionate about fostering entrepreneurship: he created his own podcast called “Startup Seattle,” where he interviewed various startup founders in the area. In the last few months of his battle with cancer, he started another podcast called “The Nature of Work,” where he interviewed people in various careers about the nuances of their daily jobs. He was also very involved with TIE Entrepreneur Institute Seattle.
Outside of work, Krishnan was a man with many talents and interests. He summited the well-known Mount Rainier, and completed several half and full marathons. He was involved in the Seattle Mountaineers Group and the Ahobila Mutt USA. He enjoyed expanding his knowledge of Hindu scriptures and texts as a means of exploring his spirituality, organizing and participating in Hindu religious ceremonies and gatherings in Seattle. He also was an avid reader of all genres.
The family will remember him in his Oakley sunglasses, Tiruman on his forehead, and eating hot food, among countless other things. He had infectious positivity, an encyclopedic mind, deep empathy, and a decisive attitude. Krishnan was a family-oriented man, always striving to stay in touch with his family across the globe. A true mentor to his daughters, nieces, and nephews, Krishnan worked to improve the lives of everyone around him. He was especially close to his siblings, Kamala and Ramesh, and his mother.
He is survived by his wife, Jayashree, and daughters, Sneha and Pooja.
A celebration of life will be held from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, July 11th at Om Culture on 2210 N Pacific St, Seattle, WA.
If you have pictures, stories or memories of Krishnan to share, the family invites you to post them in the comments of this substack post.
If you would like to leave a gift in Krishnan’s memory, the family invites you to donate to the Lakshmi Venkateshwara Temple.
In Memory of GK
GK holds a special place among my earliest memories beyond family—a constant companion through a decade of shared learning, from classroom studies to games and quiz competitions. We sat next to each other throughout school, and I fondly recall cycling back home together along the River Cauvery, with my regular pitstop at his residence most evenings on my way home.
He was a force of nature: boundless energy paired with profound knowledge, brilliant insights, and an inspiring presence that made him a natural leader among us. In recent years, his spiritual journey deepened remarkably, bringing wisdom that touched everyone around him.
His guidance proved invaluable during pivotal moments in my life—when I ventured into social entrepreneurship supporting special needs children, as I navigated becoming a pet parent during the pandemic, and through the heartbreak of losing those beloved cats. He genuinely appreciated my consulting and training work and was eager to review the training content—even in areas distant from his own expertise. This simply showed his eagerness to learn anything new. His counsel was always thoughtful and perfectly timed.
One conversation with him continues to resonate: "Dei VK, don't stress about not focusing enough on spiritual pursuits or being inconsistent. Continue your journey with cats and helping the less privileged—that's another way of serving the Almighty. But slow down a bit and take care of your health, especially with physical exercise."
GK was integral to my formative years. After a long separation, we reconnected as if no time had passed, picking up conversations as naturally as if we'd spoken just the evening before.
Even facing his battle with cancer, GK remained uniquely accepting of his situation—not many people handle such grave circumstances with his grace. He openly shared his experiences and remained remarkably active, determined to get the most out of life until the very end. He has gone too soon.
Thank you, GK, for a life lived with such purpose, empathy, and genuine care for everyone you encountered. Your thoughts and wisdom will remain cherished. You have now gone to serve Lord Ranganatha, whom you so deeply adored.
My thoughts and prayers are with Mami, Jayashree, his children, Kamala, Ramesh, and all family members during this difficult time.
You left us too soon,Gikki and that is heartbreaking .
Although we spent just 4 years together on campus, it was apparent that you were a rare combination of brilliance, warmth and vibrant energy . The numerous zoom calls and virtual interactions that we had over the last 35 years has only reinforced this truth .
You didn’t just live , you radiated enthusiasm and energy that warmed everyone around you . Your brilliance wasn’t only intellectual but it was rooted in your joy for life and your empathy for others.
The best tribute that we can offer , is to carry your spark forward . And i will try.
Rest in peace my friend . We will miss you badly.