# Anil Mathews

> Anil Mathews is the founder and former CEO of Near Intelligence, the data intelligence company whose assets were acquired by the business that became Azira. He previously led Netkode and Imere and now identifies himself as founder and CEO of Alphabyte and author of The Start Switch. His career includes Near’s 2023 Nasdaq listing and subsequent bankruptcy, followed by criminal charges in 2025 and SEC civil allegations in 2026; the allegations are not findings of guilt.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Alphabyte (self-described in January 2026 materials)
- **Organizations:** Near Intelligence (founder and former CEO), Alphabyte / Alphabyte Ventures (self-described founder and CEO), Netkode Solutions (former co-founder and CEO), Imere Tech (former CEO)
- **Education:** Engineering; described himself as an electrical engineer in a 2022 interview, Bangalore University
- **Known for:** Founded Near and led it through its March 2023 Nasdaq listing., Led Near during expansion through Teemo and UberMedia acquisitions., Near secured a $100 million investment from Greater Pacific Capital in 2019.

## Career timeline

- **1996** — Completed engineering at Bangalore University, according to his 2014 interview.
- **1999** — Launched Netkode, an enterprise software company.
- **2008–2012** — Led Imere Tech; dates are from his own published fact sheet.
- **2012** — Founded AdNear in November; later renamed Near.
- **2014** — AdNear expanded into Australia and Japan.
- **2015** — AdNear became Near as applications broadened beyond advertising.
- **2019** — Near raised $100 million from Greater Pacific Capital.
- **2020** — Near announced its Teemo acquisition in November.
- **2021** — Near acquired UberMedia; the acquisition was announced in April.
- **2023** — Near completed its KludeIn combination on March 23 and began Nasdaq trading on March 24. Mathews was placed on leave on October 1 and, according to the SEC complaint, terminated for cause around November 10. Near filed for Chapter 11 on December 8.
- **2024** — Near’s assets were sold to BTC Near Holdco LLC, subsequently named Azira LLC; Mathews was no longer Near’s CEO.
- **2025** — U.S. prosecutors announced charges against Mathews on August 7; allegations are not findings of guilt.
- **2026** — SEC civil charges announced January 27; civil action stayed April 23 pending the criminal case. His January fact sheet identifies him as Alphabyte founder and CEO.

## Achievements

- Founded Near and led it through its March 2023 Nasdaq listing.
- Led Near during expansion through Teemo and UberMedia acquisitions.
- Near secured a $100 million investment from Greater Pacific Capital in 2019.
- Built Netkode to more than 100 employees, according to his retrospective career accounts.
- Author of The Start Switch, as identified by his author website.

## Latest updates

- **2026-07** — The Southern District of New York court calendar listed a July 6 status conference in the criminal case; the calendar does not establish an outcome.
- **2026-04** — On April 23 the civil SEC action was stayed pending completion of the criminal case against Mathews and Harlan.
- **2026-01** — On January 27 the SEC charged Mathews and others over an alleged accounting scheme involving Near and MobileFuse; allegations are not findings of liability.
- **2026-01** — His own fact sheet identified him as founder and CEO of Alphabyte and author of The Start Switch.
- **2025-08** — U.S. prosecutors announced criminal charges on August 7. Their announcement said Mathews had been arrested in France and that the United States was seeking extradition at that time; this does not establish his present location.

## Links

- Website: https://www.anilmathews.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/anilmathews
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/anilmatt

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/anil-mathews
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-23