The man who mentored many young Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, including the founders of Google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page – Rajeev Motwani, a computer science professor at Stanford University, was found dead in the swimming pool at his home in Atherton, California, on June 5.

According to reports, 47-years-old Rajeev Motwani organized a party to celebrate the end of the school year on June 4; later he went strolling out to his backyard to relax with a cigar, and his body was found in the backyard swimming pool by his family’s nanny next morning. Rajeev’s family confirmed that he didn’t know how to swim.

Lt. Mike Guerra of the Atherton Police Department reported that the dead body of Rajeev Motwani was discovered at the bottom of his backyard swimming pool. However, the police didn’t find any evidence of crime at the scene. Robert Foucrault, the San Mateo County coroner, told that the cause of Mr. Motwani’s death is being investigated.

Rajeev Motwani was one of Silicon Valley’s most renowned tech investors and thinkers. He invested in many technology startups. Rajeev mentored Brin and Page when they began their data-mining research and eventually created Google. He was early investor in PayPal and Google. He authored the book ‘Randomized Algorithms,’ and he was a recipient of the Godel Prize for excellence in computer science.  

Rajeev Motwani’s death sent shock waves throughout Silicon Valley. In his personal blog to pay homage to mentor Rajeev Motwani, Sergey Brin wrote, “When Larry (Page) and I began to work together on the research that would lead to Google, Rajeev was there to support us and guide us through challenges, both technical and organisational...”

"Officially, Rajeev was not my advisor, and yet he played just as big a role in my research, education, and professional development. In addition to being a brilliant computer scientist, Rajeev was a very kind and amicable person and his door was always open. No matter what was going on with my life or work, I could always stop by his office for an interesting conversation and a friendly smile," Brin wrote.

The Stanford University is planning for two memorial events to commemorate the services of Rajeev Motwani. The university spokesman Dan Stobe told that one event, featuring eulogies and reminiscences from family, friends and colleagues from the academic and business communities, will be organized at Memorial Church on the Stanford campus, while the other will be organized by the Stanford’s computer science department, in the form of a technical symposium to review and honor Mr. Motwani's works.